Little Reminders

Around two o'clock this morning we heard piercing screams coming from Nora's room.  Dave was out of bed like a shot, and I heard him try to wake Nora from her nightmare.  She came into our bed and tearfully tried to describe (in her 20-month-old vocabulary) what had scared her so much.  "Doggy.  Woof woof.  Mommy broken.  Daddy broken.  Nor Nor broken."  I hate to imagine what that dream must have been like! It broke my heart to see my sweet baby girl so frightened.  I felt almost sick to my stomach as I internalized what she was feeling- part of being a mom, I guess.  We talked to her and soothed her, and Dave got her a cup of juice.  Eventually Nora seemed to calm down, and we even got her giggling a bit.
As Dave carried her back into her room, though,  she immediately became tense.  She cried, "Doggy!  Doggy!" over and over again and clung to Dave.  I lay in bed listening, again feeling sad that my Eleanor was dealing with these intense fears and also feeling powerless to help her.  I didn't know how we could explain to her in a way she could understand that it was only a dream, that there was nothing in her room that could hurt her, and that it was safe to fall asleep again.  As I wondered what we could possibly do for her, I heard Dave talking to Nora in a low voice.
He was explaining to her that sometimes things happen that make us scared, but we can always pray to Heavenly Father to help us.  I had tears in my eyes as Nora knelt in her crib, arms folded and eyes closed, and was perfectly still while her daddy prayed to her Father to ease her fears and keep her safe.  She fell asleep soon after.
I am so grateful for that beautiful moment.  There have been many times this year that I have felt overwhelmed by fears, feelings of inadequacy, and even physical pain.  I am sad to say that I can be slow to remember where it is that I can turn for peace, but every time I turn, He is right there with open arms. 
Thanks for the reminder.