Suffering... the pause in life

For those of you that read my previous post I wanted to share some more thoughts.

I was a very healthy active woman.  I did yoga, horseback riding, and hiked all over camp.  I am a pretty lively and enthusiastic person.  My recent illness caught me by surprise.  My bout of "c. diff" (see previous post)  could have killed me or changed my life forever.  The doctor told me at a follow up appointment " people come into the hospital with c. diff and leave without a colon".  That certainly gave me pause.  Life is fragile.

During those three weeks that I was deathly ill I did some soul searching. 
"Was I ready to meet God?"
"Was there anything I needed needed to ask God for forgiveness  for?"  (Yes. and I did)
"Where there any relationship issues that needed to be resolved?"
"Had I told my family I loved them enough?"
"What would my dear husband and children do without me?"  "Are they equipped to survive emotionally without me?"

Believe me, these are not easy questions to ask yourself.  Yet they are very important.  They should be in the back of our minds as we make our way through life.  It is easy to get caught up in being busy and productive without much thought to some of the hard questions.  I do not think it would be good to live life fearing the worst but I think maybe God allows suffering to help us focus on what really matters.

What are your insights?  What have you learned when life hits you hard with a "pause"?