Blew my engine day one of holidays. Truck kaput...

.....Challenge is with mine, high mileage.. Is this the start of a trend? What's going to wear out or break next......

I understand completely, and I don't know what, if anything, plagues GM motors. In my case, with 193,000 miles, and otherwise liking the truck, and my diesel guy giving me a 20% break on the price to repair, it made sense to repair. The complexity of the newer Ford motors, and a much higher repair cost, dissuaded me from buying a new(er) truck.