Article September 22, 2008 Issue

All the pieces were in place

Prayer helps a former student stay calm.

BY DAVID BATES

HAVE YOU EVERY had one of those dreams where all of a sudden you find yourself in the middle of a class at school you didn't know you were enrolled in? And then you discover you're supposed to take a test on a subject you're not familiar with? I used to dream that way and would wake up panicked with the feeling that I was under prepared, or placed in a situation too hard to handle.

Normally I'd just write off those dreams as silly. But a few years ago, when I was a college student, I realized I had them most frequently at the end of the summer, just as the new school year was approaching.

It did seem to make sense. I mean, it seemed reasonable that I'd become a little nervous and on edge right before starting a year filled with different, unknown, and potentially difficult experiences that would push me to grow.

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