Cat and the Box Spring

It was time for the crib to come down. Mack, the youngest of our 11 grandchildren, is four… and well beyond the necessity or the desire to sleep within the confines of a crib. Nostalgia had pushed us to procrastinate, but alas…

That meant a reconfiguration of our “crib room”, which included the dismantling of a full-size bed that sat adjacent to the crib. A queen bed was far more suitable for guests.

Now, what to do with the mattress and box spring of an underutilized, but old combination. Fortunately, with the help of Care Portal, a recipient was found for the mattress… but not the box spring.

For several weeks it sat on edge in our garage. More than a few times I looked at the hammer in my toolbox and contemplated demolishing it and squeezing the pieces into my trash container… but, I refrained.

A week ago I did something I resist doing. I posted this box spring on Facebook Marketplace. I posted an unappealing photo and marked it as free.

Much to my amazement, within a few hours, I had nine inquiries from interested Facebookers. Nine.

I did my best to respond to each… “Yes, it’s still available. Are you still interested?” Only a few responded back. And one of them was a woman named Cat.

I let Cat know that it was still available and asked if she was still interested. With that she quickly responded with “Yes I am…”. Then, she sent me a picture of her minivan with the following note, “I’m a single mom I have a long rope do u think I could rope it on top of my van?”

“It’s yours!” I replied. A smiling emoji followed and then this additional note… “My daughter broke hers jumping on it so this is a blessing.”

Yes, our old box spring, a blessing.

Right on time Cat rolled into my driveway with her van, an infant in a car seat, and a teenaged son at her side to help. She also had a massive rope that I’m quite certain would have held an entire bedroom set in place… but alas, the rope was unnecessary. The box spring angled into the back of her van like is was made for it. No perilous romp across town required. No Boy Scout knots necessary.

She was effusive. Brimming with joy. Over a box spring. An old one.

A week before, I was convinced that demolition was inevitable, and now, my old box spring had turned into a blessing.

What became clear in the brief interaction I had with Cat was that she and her family had just moved back to town. A single mom. A new baby. A teenaged son… and a box spring breaking daughter.

Roughly an hour after the pickup, I felt compelled to write to Cat again… “Cat – I hope you got everything home safe and sound. Especially your baby! Blessings on this single parent journey for you. I will say a prayer for you…Dan”

Soon after I hit send, another note arrived from Cat, “Thank u Dan we made it home safe baby including please continue to keep me in your prayer”

With that, I felt compelled to extend an invitation to Colorado Community Church for a Saturday night service in the near future. And Cat wrote immediately… “Thank you I just moved back looking for a church home. My son is ready to walk back to the faith too.”

All because of a box spring. All because God wanted to remind me that sometimes, the very thing I’m ready to put a hammer to is what He uses to open a door. A new door. A hope-filled door.

God is amazing.

And yes, say a prayer for Cat.