Fear Bowl

When my father was stationed in Kuwait he spent a lot of time (without the government's knowledge, I'm sure) with the bedouin tribes. When he was leaving, one of the tribesmen he had become close to gave him a gift, an engraved silver bowl.

My father told me it was called a Fear Bowl. Inside, in Arabic, was engraved words of love and calming copied out from the Koran. The idea was that if you were in doubt, or afraid or confused, you took this bowl to an oasis or someplace quiet, you filled it with fresh, cold water and you read the words inscribed. When you were done, you drank the water and then Allah would take your fears and doubts away and, sometimes, inspire you with an answer to your troubles.

I could really use a Fear Bowl today.