The Sunbeam Bed.

It was white. A glossy pristine white that was smooth to the touch. The bedspread was a dainty blue sateen with an attached ruffle. The room it sat in had lots of natural light and a sunbeam highlighted the bed, creating a glow around it. I fell in love with that bed. It was fit for a princess.

My parents were touring a home they wanted to buy. They took all of us along. My mamaw held my hand as we wandered through the upstairs bedrooms. We were exploring while my parents talked with the owner. I was 10 years old.

I had never had a bed just for me. Our family was large and we siblings shared a room with several sisters in the same bed. To have a bed that was only mine would be such a joy. I didn't dare to dream it could happen. To have a room of my own was as breathtaking as having my own bed. Everything was shared with my siblings. As the fourth child, even my clothes were handed down from one to the other to the next in line.

On the day of move-in, I was all agog of the huge house that would now be home. I ran from room to room, coming to an abrupt stop when I entered the sunny bedroom that was mine. There it sat, still in a shaft of sunlight. The beautiful white bed with its pretty blue spread.

My wonderful mamaw, the soft voiced soul who could make me happy with just white rice, butter and sugar, had asked the seller to please leave the bed for me. He agreed. Mamaw was partial to me. Her name was Mable Lee Connatser Wells. I loved her and she loved me. I still talk to her, especially when I'm baking something to take to an event. She was the best baker ever.

That bed held my body from that day until I married. The dreams I dreamt there built the woman I became. I know I've had many happy days in my life, but that day earned a really soft spot in my heart. While I can't recall what became of that bed, it is still in my memory as white and shining as the day it was cast aglow in a sunbeam.