Today is April 27, 2012 and I wanted to write down a memory I have about David, my brother, when he was about 2 years old. We were living at 3011 30 th Street in Lubbock, Texas. We had a floor furnace and it must have been during the fall or early winter months, because Mom had turned on the furnace. Mom always had to watch David to keep him from getting near the furnace when it was turned on. We were all playing in the house when Mom suddenly heard David cry out. She jumped up and ran into the living room where the furnace was and David had crawled over on it and was sitting on top of it. I heard David scream and ran into the living room too. Mom grabbed David up off the furnace, and his diaper had melted to it and it really stunk. David had burns on his legs and his hands. They were the print of the furnace. Blisters quickly formed on his thighs and his palms. It seems like I remember Shirley Stephenson being there and they made a paste of baking soda and wrapped his hands. He cried a very long time and Mom felt so bad about it. She kept saying she “should have been watching him”. Mom cried because of it. I can’t remember if she ever took him to the doctor or not. But after a long healing time David got all better.
Another incident happened there with David while Shirley was visiting. All of us kids were all in and out of the house playing when Mom got to missing David. No one had seen him for awhile. Mom and Shirley began looking for him and couldn’t find him anywhere. Mom was afraid he had gotten out the front door so she ran outside and looked and no David. She ran back in and did not know what to do, when Shirley opened the bottom cabinet doors underneath the kitchen sink and there was David sound asleep in the dishpan. Shirley took a picture of him. Mom had it in her picture box, but I let David pick out some pictures after Mom passed away and I think he may have that picture today.
Memories seems like it all happened in another lifetime. Every once in a awhile I’ll have a flashback and think I wished I had of been older so I could have remembered more. I know I should write more at this time, but I think I’ll take a break and go for a walk.
Carolyn Stephenson