As a parent, one of my most difficult tasks is to explain to my children why things happen. I can fall back on my considerable1 knowledge of science to help me deal with questions like “Why is the sky blue?” or “Why do leaves fall from the trees in the fall?” Now I have to face the challenges of answering questions like “Why do people act the way they do?” or the most difficult question of all: “Why do things have to die?” I was confronted with this question recently in dealing with the loss of a pet. This particular pet was a cat that had lived with us for almost 10 years. She has shared in the good times and the bad and has providedfort to every member of my f***ly.
My son is taking this loss especially hard. Sure, he has seen death on a limited scale in the loss of a fish o