uncle lala

Last night I got to have dinner with my Uncle Keith who was in town for business from Chicago. I can't begin to tell you what a treat it was to go out to dinner with him, for so many different reasons. "Uncle Lala" is one of those uncles that everyone wishes they had. He is seriously one of the most loving, funniest, most kind human beings ever. I have no idea what we would do without this man in our family.

I was talking to my sister about going to dinner with him before I got to the restaurant, and she said something that totally stuck in my mind. She said "it's so fun that you get to go out to dinner with an older man. you and I don't really get to do that ever."

Let me explain that sentence a little bit more. If you know me, you know that I have lost a lot of influential men in my lifetime. My dad passed away when I was 11 (from cancer) , my moms dad just a few years after that, and my dad's dad passed away when I was about 1 yrs old. If you think about it, those are the main men in ones life, for the most part.

Anyway, I started to think about what my sister said, and how neat it was that I was getting to spend some time with an influential male in my life. The other thing that was so cool to me about last night was that Uncle Keith lost his daughter (my cousin) to cancer as well a few years ago, and so here we are.... a girl who doesn't get to have dinner with her dad, and a dad who doesnt get to have dinner with his daughter....

And let me tell you it was so fun. I see Uncle Keith a few times a year, but this has been one of my favorite moments with him. Nothing spectacular happened. We just talked, shared amazing Italian food, and caught up on life. I felt like it was a gift from God. There was something so sweet about last night that I can't really explain. But I'm forever grateful for it. It made me feel like a little girl again, when dad used to take us out to eat, make us laugh, encourage us in our season of life, and make us feel special and love.

Thank you Uncle LaLa for making time in your schedule to hang out with your niece. It was a moment I will remember forever. I love you!