Why this, Lord?

Imagine for a moment that all the skills for which you have been most respected throughout all of your career are suddenly gone. Imagine that you were an effective and persuasive speaker and you can no longer put a coherent sentence together. Imagine that you had a commanding voice, and you can no longer speak above a whisper. Imagine that you were blessed with logical thinking and analytical ability, but you now struggle to understand the sentiment behind a Mother’s Day card.

Why would God let this happen to someone? Why, of all things, would it afflict my father, who had a successful and respected career as a labor relations executive? He survived lung cancer for this? He drove a car until he was 82 and never had an accident – for this?

I used to have a recurring nightmare with only minor variations. The bad guys were after me; they almost had me in their clutches; and no sound would come out of my mouth. I wanted to scream, or, in some variations, I wanted to try to reason with them, but fear had stolen my voice. A “high intuitive” person once told me that this dream was about losing a most highly developed and valued ability.

I wonder if my father ever had dreams like that. I wonder if I, too, will be stripped of my ability to think creatively, to reason, to speak. I know my body will deteriorate, but please, God, let my mind and my voice be the last things to go.

Sue

PS - I won't keep you in suspense...yes, Dad signed the Mother's Day card...after two more hours of study and struggle.