What do you say?

In the interest of continuing honesty, here's another fine character trait of mine: I don't know how to react when someone tells me bad news. I get awkward. I don't know what to say, what to do, how to deal.

Tuesday evening, when my sister called to tell me that my uncle has been given four months to a year to live, I responded by saying, "You're kidding."

What kind of a response was that? No one in their right mind jokes about something like this. All I did was make an awkward situation even worse. But I didn't know what else to say. Sometimes I amaze myself with my own social stupidity.

Now what do I say? What is there to say?

He was diagnosed a few months ago with cancer, but the story we got was that the doctors were optimistic and Uncle J was in good spirits. It was a minor inconvenience, and life would go on as regularly scheduled.

Today we found out that the doctors did a full body scan and the cancer has metastasized throughout his entire body including his liver and his brain. I am at a complete loss for words. There are no words of advice, no words of sympathy, no words of empathy. There is not one thing I can say.

I want to say that everything will be all right, but it won't.

I want to say I understand, but I don't.

I want to say a lot of things, but I can't.

I guess all I can say is I love you, Uncle J.