Re: Early Miracle Cures

07/17/13 - posted by Judy Hitzeman

St. Joseph's aspirin, Vicks Vaporub applied to the chest with a piece of flannel over it to keep me warm; these were my mother's standard cures.

I remember being really sick with a respiratory infection when I was in second grade. I missed two weeks of school and my teacher was angry with my parents for keeping me out of school for so long, but Mom believed in keeping us home until we were entirely over an illness. Towards the end of the two weeks my Dad took the day off and we went to Playland. It had never been just me and him there and we had a marvelous time. He let me do things that Mom wouldn't, like throwing darts at the balloons and playing other games they had there (I don't know why Mom had an objection to this, unless it was just the fact that they cost money, not in abundance in our household). My Dad went on rides that I was scared of at that age, like the Tilt-a-Whirl, and I would wait for him. I have great memories of that day. It was worth being sick and then having to catch up on homework for that.