First Memory

People say you have your first real memories around the age of two and a half to three. I can date my first memory that I’m really sure of to April 1954 which would make me two years and 4 months old. That was the day my sister Cathy was born and I have very vivid memories of that day.

Cathy was born at home in my parent’s bedroom. The family doctor lived two houses down the street and was there to deliver the baby but something went wrong. The fire rescue ambulance was called and the house was full of men in firefighting uniforms. There was chaos.

I remember being in the second floor hallway sitting on the floor outside the bedroom I shared with my younger brother Tom. My older sister Betsy was also sitting there with us. Our Aunt Mary was with us and had her arms around us. She was our grandmother’s sister and lived up the street from us. Her sister Aunt Frances was also there but more in the background.

The hallway had a fence like bannister overlooking the stairs that led directly into my parent’s room. Our room was between the bathroom and our great-grandparents room. Betsy’s room was between our parent’s room and the bathroom. So from our spot on the floor in front of our room I could see the rescue workers coming up the steps just below us and then go into our parent’s room carrying a stretcher. A little later they came back down the stairs with our mother in the stretcher. We were crying and Aunt Mary was comforting us.

I remember that scene like it was yesterday.