Life is short.

This week was definitely a whirldwind. Uncle Jeff awoke at 4am on Sunday with excruciating chest pain, so Melissa took him to St. Luke's and then to KU Med. He originally thought it was a heart attack, which they ruled out along with an embolism, and went through a full 24 hours before the pain lessend in the least. I went in Sunday evening, in the middle of this attack, and found a man that didn't resemble my gruff teddy bear of an uncle. He was in tears, huffing and moaning in pain, asking Melissa if he was dying. He may have terminal cancer, and unfortunately the chronic pain is a side effect of the disease's progression, but he wasn't dying right then- he had to be assured multiple times. It wasn't until Tuesday morning (his birthday) that they were finally able to get him treatments that made him pain-free, and he was released the next day.

It is terrifying thinking that I will lose him sooner than I ever imagined, and this was definitely a wake up call- I don't think I was in denial, per se, but it felt like a smack in the face witnessing his disease progression first hand. I realized that I don't cherish time with my loved ones as much as I should. Life really is short and shouldn't be taken advantage of.

I brought Atti in to visit him, which cheered him up. He read her stories and went on walks around the hospital and played with her and the balloons Melissa put up for his birthday. It was like he wasn't even sick anymore and I think it allowed all of us to take a big, relaxing sigh of relief and enjoy the present. Watching him with her reminds me of when I was a child running around with him, I hope she gets enough time to be able to remember these moments with him.

I took Atti out to dinner today to spend a little quality time together. We went to Friends Sushi on 39th, which was fantastic, and then walked over to get some beignets from Jazz [I used my cheat day this evening so we went a little sugar crazy]. Afterward we walked through the bookstore, drove the scenic route home, and got a bath....in which she pooped. That is not an easy clean up task, let me tell you, her toys are currently soaking in the sink. We capped off the night with our show and some Dr. Suess. It was an amazing day off together, I love this little girl more than I ever imagined I could love anyone.