The Doll Bed

I was at a thrift shop in the land of Amish buggies.
I had donated quite a bit of clothes and household things.
I always like to go inside to see what treasures I can find.
Old pottery, dishes, and items tucked away on a back shelf that no one seems to see.

As I was walking around the antique section, I saw the cradle on the floor.
It reminded me of something my husband made for our second daughter.
He used his woodworking skills to make each child a special gift made from his hand.
Handmade by Dad, with the year it was given, was usually burned onto the bottom.

Her gift was a doll cradle.
For years it was in her room, and then it moved elsewhere in our house.
It could easily have held a real baby, since the size would have accommodated it.
However, the cradle held dolls and would one day be an heirloom in her own home.

Our youngest daughter used to have a very special doll.
It was similar to an American girl doll, but this doll’s name was Liberty.
Liberty went everywhere with her.
I remember when she asked her daddy to make a bed for Liberty.

Liberty had fallen from her bed one too many times.
If Liberty had her own bed, she would be safe.
My husband went to work and made a sweet doll bed for her.
It was not as large as the cradle he made years before.

This was a true doll sized bed.
Quite plain, but sturdy.
Our daughter was thrilled.
Liberty’s bed went on the floor right next to her own bed.

She could reach down and touch Liberty to make sure she was there.
She could talk to her and read to her as if she was putting her to bed.
She put Liberty to bed much like she herself was put to bed.
It was so sweet to see, as we checked on her after she was fast asleep.

I don’t know when it happened.
The doll bed that was next to our daughter’s bed moved to the foot of her bed.
There was no more tucking Liberty in at night.
There was no more reading and talking to Liberty as our daughter fell asleep.

Liberty was placed in her doll bed and stayed there.
Other things became more important.
Eventually, the doll bed went into the closet.
Eventually, Liberty went into the window seat my husband had made for her bedroom.

I don’t remember when it happened.
It just did.
One day, our daughter was little, doing little girl things.
The next day, or so it seemed, she was older with new and exciting interests.

She is artistic, so art became more important.
She wanted a camera and began to take amazing photographs.
She saw the world with an eye that still amazes me.
Little girl things were laid aside but a part of who she was becoming.

I thought of this as I went into her closet here at home.
She got married this past spring to a wonderful young man who loves her well.
Her creativity still astounds me.
The memories poured in, as I looked at the doll bed up on a shelf.

The doll bed is in the closet of her old room, which is now the “big girl” room.
My granddaughters sleep there now, while my grandson is still in a crib in our nursery.
My daughter requested that the doll bed remain on the shelf.
Her Liberty doll and other treasures are to stay safe in the window seat.

They are a special part of her childhood.
They will probably be played with by her own daughter someday.
The toy kitchen and food, and all the other toys my children played with, are available.
I am honoring her request; those special things are hers and will remain tucked away.

I don’t remember when it happened, but I know it’s supposed to happen.
Our children grow and have lives and families of their own.
The little boy and girl they once were is tucked away down deep inside them.
The little boy and girl they once were is treasured and tucked deep in our mother’s heart.

Treasure the moments, because they are indeed fleeting.
The days are long but the years are short.
Truer words have never been spoken as any mother can attest.
Each chapter, each season has a joy all its own.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)

 

2 responses to “The Doll Bed”

1. So sweet and beautifully written!

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   • Thank you, Connie. I am so delighted that you were blessed.
     Gina

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