Today’s post is in memory of Brady Lindstrom, sweet little thing who died on July 5, 2005. God bless you and hold you, Brady.

Let’s admit what we’re all thinking. We are smart. We have the best of the best in medical technology. We have iPhones. And yet it is sometimes the simplest things that we can’t understand. With all of the cultural ills and medical maladies that our enlightened minds and advanced technology have been able to overcome, we are humbled and reminded that there is yet so much we do not know. And it is the mysteries that most unsettle us.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is one of those enigmas. A baby dies. We should know why. We should be able to determine the cause of death and then lay out the steps to guarantee that it doesn’t happen again. The doctors and baby experts instruct us to place baby on her back to sleep and keep the crib free of blankets, bumpers and stuffed animals (all the cute things we love to decorate the nursery with). We comply.

Yet if you go to the Minnesota Sudden Infant Death Center, you’ll see that SIDS is still defined as the death of an infant “which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history.” From the mouths of experts: we don’t know why.

Today we acknowledge and grapple with the mystery. We confess that we don’t have the answers, the causes, or the cure. We honor the families who have lost their little ones by refusing to reduce the mystery of SIDS to a few preventive measures or stock responses. We grieve with them over the things we cannot understand.

When it comes to resources and preventive information, the Minnesota Sudden Infant Death Center is where it’s at. Click the link to find out more.