Out of the Blue

    My great uncle sewed this jacket for my father. It was a wedding gift. My great uncle was a tailor in New York City.
  Since then, over the course of several decades, my father has worn this jacket to church services. The jacket has held up well. It's a tribute to my uncle's tailoring skills.
   Last Sunday my father suffered a heart attack while attending church. His heart stopped beating. Two ladies in the choir--nurses by profession--administered CPR first aid. Emergency medical technicians rushed in and took over. They used 'trauma scissors' to cut away his clothes.
   In an instant, a sleeve of the jacket was slashed open.
   Dad's condition is guarded. At least he's alive.
   Now, when I look at that jacket, I'm reminded of how unexpectedly--out of the blue--one's life can change.