"WHY"

...Need I say more? Everyone has experience with "WHY" whether you or your children ask or say it. Oh boy do these three little letters represent far more than they spell!

Anyone who knows Cam knows how often he uses "why." Once a lady in Target heard him ask me "why?" five times in just as many seconds. She exclaimed with a sigh, "UGH! My granddaughter exhaustively uses 'why' over and over." It's funny to think that I am thankful that Cam asks why, even though he asks it all the time. It shows me that he is thinking about things and that he really wants to know more about "why" we do the things we do and "why" we go to the places that we go. I try very hard to answer him every time with simple but true answers.

One of our very young therapists answers Cam's "why" with, "...because I said so..." I always correct her gently by adding a simple explanation for Cam, "this will help you get stronger," or "your fingers need to practice," and "yes, it's hard but Cam can do hard things." These answers satisfy his curiosity until this crazy world presents another "why" question that he needs to ask. I learned it from my cousin when her first born son, maybe two years old back then, asked "why?" continuously. She always answered him. Her answers were not detailed and never were they complicated, always said with a tone of "matter of fact" and never with frustration. I am glad that impressed me and stuck with me. Cam has a lot of "why" questions because not much about his life is ordinary or "normal."

It really depends on how "why" is used. Most of the time, "why" is an innocent question. But sometimes, my children use "why" to be defiant when they are disciplined, especially when substituting it for the expected and respectful "Yes, Ma'am." The word "why" can be a call for justice, too: "Why can't I stay up late when Mason gets to?" In our house, "why" is difficult because it's not spelled phonetically, and our new reader has worked to memorize pronouncing its strange spelling. Kassidy wonders, "Why is there an 'h' in why?" Hm...

Even as adults, Will and I ask, "Why?" Sometimes we have used it in happy times of awe like when our oldest son loves to study physics instead of playing outside and especially when the doctor told us there were TWO babies at the twin's ten week sonogram. When Ethan was born, we were filled with joy and relief, asking why he was so healthy despite my sick gallbladder plaguing me throughout the pregnancy. More often, we have wondered "why" when struggling with the on-going obstacles challenging our children with special needs: Why did Aly get this rare and untreatable Rett Syndrome that for days and days keeps her too weak and sleepy to enjoy even an hour with our family? And why did the doctor not run tests and treat the tethered cord indicated by the sacral dimple marking Cam's back as current medical protocol requires, allowing many of his organs to become permanently and painfully damaged and creating a lifetime with disabilities?

In our prayers, there have been many appeals to God when the one and only word we could manage to utter has been "why?" Prayers without other words rely on the Lord's ability to read our hearts through our question, our anger, and our fatigue. Why?


WHY = "Oh Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee: Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry; For my soul is full of troubles...(Ps 88.)"

A gentle and simple answer = "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ (2Cor 1:3-5.)"


Even before Adam and Eve left the Garden and at the beginning of creation, Plan A included salvation and comfort. So as hurting people ask the basic question, "Why?", the actual solution is the answer: Jesus. "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever: with my mouth I will make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens...(Ps 89.)"


"WHY" These three little letters represent more than they spell...Need I say more? Why not have a good week? M&R7