Comforter

             Alexis surveyed the vehicle, hands on her hips. “We’re lucky there’s room for us in the car.”

            Ken maneuvered the last box into the back of the SUV. “How can one girl have so much stuff?” He wrapped his arm around Alexis’ shoulders. “I’m sorry I can’t be there.”

            “It’s fine. The boys need you. This will give us some good mother-daughter bonding time. It’s only a two-hour drive.”

            Ken nodded. “Yeah, I wish the boys’ soccer tournament didn’t conflict with move-in weekend, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Hopefully Carly isn’t upset.”

            Alexis leaned into his half-hug. “She’s so excited about college that she’ll hardly notice. I hope she doesn’t forget about us too quickly.”

            Carly exited the house, her arms full. “I almost forgot my new comforter. That would’ve been sad.”

          Ken raised his eyebrows at the bulk of the comforter. “I’m sure I can jam it in here somewhere.” He shuffled some boxes around and stuffed the comforter between them. “You all set?”

            Carly’s eyes danced. “I am. I can’t wait to meet my roommate. College is going to be so much fun.”

            Alexis couldn’t help smiling at Carly’s enthusiasm. “It will be. Did you say goodbye to your brothers?”

            “Yeah, they stopped kicking the soccer ball around for a minute to say goodbye.”

            Ken reached out his arms. “Come here, Pumpkin.” Carly stepped into his embrace and he drew her close. “I’m going to miss you. I’m sorry I can’t make the trip this weekend, but we’ll come visit soon.”

            “I love you, Daddy.”

            Alexis brushed away a tear as Ken started blinking a little too rapidly. As tough as he acted, he’d miss their little girl.

            Five minutes later, they were on the road, and it hit Alexis. This was the last time she’d have Carly’s full attention for a long time. She sent up a silent prayer for the right words.

            “You know how you almost forgot to pack your comforter?”

            Carly glanced up from her phone. “Yeah, but I didn’t. Why?”

            “Well, it made me think of something from the bible.”

            “I packed my bible. You made sure of that.”

            Alexis nodded. “Yes, but it will be easy for you to leave it in a box, untouched. You’re going to have a lot of choices to make. Dad and I won’t be around to remind you to read your Bible or pray, or even to go to church. You’re an adult now, and you’ll make your own decisions about how to spend your time.”

            Carly turned to Alexis. “Mom, I won’t forget about God just because I’m away at college. You don’t have to worry about me.” She wrinkled her forehead. “How did me forgetting my comforter make you think of the Bible, anyway?”

            Alexis smiled. “When you were a little girl, you used to carry your baby blanket with you everywhere you went.”

            “Yeah, Dad used to call me Linus, after the comic strip character who did the same thing.”

            “We called it your security blanket. And while it was a blanket, and not technically a comforter, it always comforted you have it around.”

            Carly’s eyes widened. “Huh. That’s funny. I never thought about a comforter bringing comfort. But I guess that’s why they call it that. Because it’s comfortable.”

            Alexis shrugged. “Maybe. What I was thinking, though, was that in the Bible, God talks about the Holy Spirit being a comforter, and that He is a God of comfort.” She pulled up to a traffic light and turned toward Carly. “We’ve done our best to help you as you’ve grown from a little girl into the fine young woman you are today. When you skinned your knee or had your first broken heart, we were there to dry your tears. But we won’t be with you all the time anymore.”

            Carly’s voice wobbled. “I know, Mom, but I’ll still call you.”

            Alexis laughed. “I hope you will. But what I want you to remember is that even though we won’t be right down the hall anymore, you’ll never be alone. God is with you wherever you go. And whenever you need comforting, He’ll be there for you.” The light changed, and Alexis merged onto the highway.

            “This is pretty important to you, isn’t it, Mom?”
            Alexis swallowed hard. “Things haven’t always been easy for me. You probably don’t remember Grandpa very well, but it was so hard for me when he died. You were only two.” She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “It was such a sad time. And I never told you this, but after you were born, I had three miscarriages.”

            “Oh, Mom. I’m so sorry.”

            “I lost three babies before we had your brothers.”

            “So that’s why I’m so much older than they are. Wow. I had no idea.”

            “I had just about given up having any more children when I got pregnant with the twins. And what a surprise it was. God gave me not one, but two babies. But I’ll always remember the others. Two girls and a boy.” Alexis drew in a breath. “Even though I was mourning the loss of my father and your siblings, God remained my source of comfort through it all. I’m not sure how I would have managed without Him.”

            “Well, at least you had me.” Carly grinned at Alexis.

            “Yes. My little ray of sunshine. You were a blessing during those sad times. You and God.”

            “So even if I forgot my comforter that’s a blanket, you don’t want me to forget about God, who is the real Comforter.”

            Alexis’s heart filled. “Exactly. Because He’ll never forget about You.”

2 Corinthians 1:3–4

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

God, how wonderful it is to know You’re always with us. It’s so comforting to have the God of all comfort easing our sorrows and our stresses. Thank you for staying with us through the difficult times of our lives, through the changes, the health issues, losing loved ones… So much changes, but no matter where we go, You are there, right by our side, whenever we need You. And that is the most comforting thought of all. In Jesus’ name, Amen.