Thinking about death

Sometimes, I think I have many years ahead of me. But other times, like right now and other times during the last two weeks I've wondered if I would live through the next few minutes. I've been having unusual chest pains. I've heard that heart attacks make a person's left arm hurt, and make a person feel short of breath. I've had neither of those symptoms but, still, it is a little worrisome. Well, that isn't really what I wanted to talk about. We all die sometime, don't we? There's nothing we can do about it but prepare for it. I have enough life insurance that my wife will be okay financially, at least for a few years. But there is eternity to think of. That is what I am, mainly, thinking about right now...

The hour of death will come upon us, it will come, and we shall not escape it. May the prince of this world and of the air (cf. John 14:30; Eph. 2:2) find our misdeeds few and petty when he comes, so that he will not have good grounds for convicting us.
Otherwise we shall weep in vain. ‘For that servant who knew his Lord’s will and did not do it as a servant, shall be beaten with many stripes’ (cf. Luke 12:47).

~St. Hesychius the Priest

I am looking forward to Confession later today. O God, be merciful to me.