The King Size Bed

Memory by Alice

One thing I remember so vividly is sleeping in my parents King size bed. Whenever I was afraid, couldn't sleep, woke up having a scary dream, wet the bed :), or just home for the weekend from college, I knew I could go "sleep in the middle" of my parents bed. They always welcomed me in and I could sleep safely and comfortably. I remember my parents always telling me that they had a king size bed for a reason and there were many times we filled that bed to capacity. Their door was always open and welcomed us kids any time. That was true security for me as a kid.

I remember one time when we lived on Pheasant Road, I was not even 5 years old, I woke up to the washing machine trying to balance itself in the spin cycle,. All I heard was the pounding noise that sounded like an elephant running down the hallway to my room, surely to get me! I grabbed all the courage I could muster up and burst out of my bed, running as fast as I could across the hallway to my parents room. Both Dad and Mom sat up so fast in their beds, they startled me. (I can only imagine how I had startled them, by my burst of energy!) They welcomed me right into their bed where my heart stopped racing and I was able to go back to sleep.

When Matt and I were married, my parents gave us a King Size Bed so that we could carry on the tradition. Matt and I now have 4 kids of our own and every morning when we wake up, we are surrounded by our sweet little ones. I had no idea how my parents bodies ached, trying to sleep on the edge of the bed in strained positions trying not to roll on the kids. I now realize that this was a sacrifice of many good nights sleep and my body now aches from the loss of a good nights rest. I believe it is a sacrifice worth making.