In the Midst of Life...

I'm always slightly amazed and very thankful that we live in such a beautiful place. This picture is taken 10 minutes from home, and I'm looking back across the lake and up the hill to the first house in our village.
After a day of much-needed rain the sun started to break through and we went out for a quick walk under a sky with more and more blue appearing. Suddenly the sun was shining with a real warmth and it was all very lovely.
Several others from the village were also out walking and so we heard the tragic news. Our nearest neighbour had been swimming in our usual swim spot together with his partner of 17 years, when she had a heart attack as she was in the water. There was a nurse on the beach, resucitation started immediately, the ambulance was there in 10 minutes, and the partner's daughter is a doctor in the local hospital so treatment there was as good as it can be. Despite all that she died.
She was 79 years old but to all appearences completely healthy.
It seems a good remimder that we should enjoy life because we never know how many years (or days) we have left.
For U, it seems a good end. Out having fun on a warm sunny day, in a lake slightly warmer than the air temperature, a brief pain and that's it. For her partner and her children of course it is much tougher.
In the midst of life we are in death.
But we still live in a lovely place and life is still good, perhaps even a touch more precious than it was when the day started.