My doctor told me I needed a medical procedure. I dreaded having it, and as the day came closer I became more and more afraid. On the day of the procedure, I wore a T-shirt that had belonged to my mother. Feeling its soft material on my shoulders and arms, I remembered how my mother used to put her arms around me. When I was a small child and not feeling well, she would rock me and sing to me.

As the doctor gave me the anesthesia, the memory of my mother comforting me reminded me that God also comforts us. I remembered scripture from the worship service that past Sunday: “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.” I went to sleep feeling calm and peaceful as I once did in my mother’s arms.