A tough week.

This past week has reminded me about how fragile human life can be. A friend of mine lost her 30-year-old boyfriend of more than two years very suddenly on Monday morning. Apparently, he just went to sleep and never woke up. They're still not sure what killed him, at least not that I've heard yet.

I got the e-mail late Monday night from another friend, explaining that girlfriend Katie had woken up because "Otter" wasn't shutting off the alarm. She quickly realized that he wasn't breathing and dialed 911 – but it was too late.

I didn't know Otter that well. He was my neighbor when I first moved to Worthington, but I only talked to him once. Then, when he started dating Katie, I hung out at with him in a group a few times at the VFW (gotta love the VF). He was always very nice, but I didn't know him all that well.

So I expected when I went to his funeral Thursday morning that I would be able to remain calm. I was wrong. It was a truly heart-wrenching experience. His family was absolutely devastated, and I've never heard anything quite like the heartbreaking sobs I heard coming from his mother.

It put a face on grief – and it reminded me how lucky we are to be alive. Throughout this week, I've said a prayer of thanks every morning when I wake up – and when I talk to someone I love, knowing that they're happy and healthy.

Because Katie's experience has taught me an important lesson: You don't realize how good life is until your entire world gets turned upside-down in the blink of an eye.