Last Friday, I stood at the back of a fishing boat and sang two songs into the wake.

We had just had a memorial service for a family member—the second in a month.  Both cousins, on my husband’s side.

The three children on the boat were doing laps around the deck, and I had positioned myself in the one place where no other adult eyes could reach.

The family sadness.  The world’s violence and pain and fear. The weight of this chaotic summer was on me, and I reached for comfort in two languages of prayer.

The songs I sing for comfort reflect the duality of my experience. One is Jewish, primarily in Hebrew; the other Christian. And yet, both have the power to soothe me.

Here they are (with links):

The Mi Shebeirach healing prayer sung by Debbie Friedman

Balm in Gilead sung by Sweet Honey in the Rock

So now, your turn. Where do you find comfort?