Saturday, February 16, 2013

An Odd-sized Mattress

Several years ago my dad and step-mom gave us a twin-sized mattress that someone had given to them .  It was in great shape and we had high hopes that it could replace one of the twin mattresses in our home that had seen one too many middle-of-the-night accidents.

However, our newly-used twin mattress must have been specially made because it was oddly large, and we just couldn't make it fit. So we put it in our spare, catch-all room (affectionately called the yellow room) while we pondered what to do with this odd-sized, perfectly good, very comfortable mattress.

I'm glad that we decided to keep it.

Over the years we have used this mattress many, many times. Often on weekend nights, summer vacation, and Christmas break we'll pull our mattress out of the yellow room, down the hall and into the living room.  And there, some or all of my children will pile up on the couches and beloved mattress.  This mattress has served us well and been a big part of our ability to make sweet memories with our kiddos.

Just this past summer, we pulled the mattress into our tent in the backyard and had a camp out.  The mattress has been known to stay in the living room the entire week of spring break.  And of course, it's what we use on rainy or snowy movie-marathon days.

As I write this at some unholy hour of the morning, I hear the heavy breathing of Jeff and the boys sleeping in the living room in front of the fire...Colton and Shellby snuggled up together on the mattress.  They must have had a great 'boys night' together after we girls went to bed because strewn around the room are Battleship game pieces, Nerf guns, Wii remotes, a shot-gun instruction manual (JD got a new gun today, from my dad) and various snack wrappers.  Memories made.

I know when my kids are grown they will remember these simple, happy childhood memories.  And if they happen to read this post, maybe they will remember the oddly-sized mattress that helped make it possible.