31 Days of Life Stories #4

When I was a very little girl, my daddy was a trucker. He was often gone at night time so I got in the habit of sleeping in bed with mom.

Naturally, when dad was home he would rather I would sleep in my crib. And so a nightly contest of wills ensued.

One night, dad had a brilliant idea. 

"Look, Jerralea, what a nice bed you have!  It's so cute. I wish I had a bed like that when I was little."

I wan't buying it.

Dad decided to climb in the crib to show me how nice it was in there.

"Look, Jerralea, how neat it is in this bed. It's so high and tall. It's so comfy. (I will never forget the sight of my dad in the crib with his legs drawn up to his chin.)  Daddy likes it here."

"Okay, Daddy, you sleep there then." 

I ran to the lamp and turned off the light and then jumped into bed with mom.

Out smarted by a three year old!

~~~

It's true I've had trouble sleeping by myself over the years. I outgrew wanting to sleep in mom's bed, but I still would have times that fear kept me awake. I was always deathly afraid of mice and if I thought there was a chance of a mouse in the house, I would have to tuck the covers closely around my body and then keep the pillow over my head. Just in case a mouse was rash enough to jump on top of my bed, I'd be safe. Then I was so hot and uncomfortable I never slept anyway.

Then, there was the time my sister and I watched the movie "Ghost Busters," and I had nightmares and had to go sleep in her bed. (I was a grown woman and older than she was, but we were the only two in that house that night.) She's never let me forget it, either.

In fact, I was 30 years old before I got over fears keeping me awake at night. My husband and I were living in Terre Haute, Indiana, and his job required him to work third shift. I'd always lived in the country before and I started imagining all the things that could happen to me in the city in the middle of the night. What if someone broke into the house?

After a couple sleepless nights in a row, I decided to read Psalm 91 over and over until I went to sleep.  I did that for a few nights and eventually only had to read it once before falling asleep. I've never had a problem since. You see, once you get that scripture in your spirit that tells you so many times He will protect you, you can't be afraid anymore!

Read Psalm 91. I highly recommend it.

This post is #4 in my series, 31 Days of Life Stories. Hundreds of writers are linking up at the 31 Day Writing Challenge hosted by Crystal Stine. There is a wealth of information on many topics. Go visit and see! I'll be posting under the category "Inspiration and Faith."