Early Memories.....

Last night two of my best friends and I were sitting around, and we happened to start talking about our earliest memories.  They told me their memories and I told them the memory I am about to tell you.  It seems that most people don't recall anything before the age of 4, but we all agreed that people may remember things that happened even earlier, especially if it was something traumatic or a life-changing event.

The earliest memory that I can recall happened when I was 3 1/2.  We were living at the house I grew up in, built in the mid-70s.  The thing that is important to mention about that house (as it relates to this story) is the open stairway leading to the basement with railing posts set about a foot apart.  My brother Brian was exactly 1 1/2 years old when he crawled through the railing at the top of the stairs and fell a whole story to the cement floor of the basement.  I don't remember every detail of the event, but I do remember my mom freaking out (what parent wouldn't under those circumstances?), the ambulance coming to get him and I remember going to the hospital.

The details that I don't exactly remember, but know about because we have recapped this story so many times, is that Brian had been eating a banana or a rice crispie bar when he fell through.  When my mom raced to the bottom of the stairs, she found Brian alive, but a bloody gooey mess in his mouth...she thought at first that he had bitten off his tongue.  After the ambulance came and we took Bri to the hospital, it was determined that he had not been injured at all in the fall.  Thank GOD!!! The day that he fell happened to be the anniversary of my Grandma Irma's death (my dad's mom), and the half-birthday of Brian.  My mom has always believed that it was Grandma Irma who helped break Brian's fall that day, that she is his guardian angel :)

So now that I have shared that story with you, anyone care to share their earliest memory with me??  Or at least tell me about how old you were.

Comments

[Jennifer Sizemore]

Wow, that story gave me goosebumps! I am totally with your mom on this one. He had his guardian angel watching out for him.

My first memories are all kind of a jumbled mess, I don't really recall all very clearly but they are all about from the time I was about 4. The most vivid one was just playing in the backyard in a baby pool with my dog.I think alot of memories are reinforced by people re-telling htem. Since I was adopted shortly after that, I never really got to hear any re-telling. Which may explain why they have no clarity!

Thanks for the deep thoughts post!

[Judy Czarnecki]

My earliest memory is sitting on the floor of the living room watching the moon landing... August 1969 so I would have been almost 5 years old. I can still remember the gold shag carpet (well it was the late 60's!).

More vaguely, I remember my Dad coming back from Vietnam, some time in 1968 (so I would have been about 4)... he came home very late at night and he was there in the morning when we woke up. I don't remember as many specifics about that though.

[sarah]

I'll have to think about this one...
I'm glad your brother was okay.
THat sounds like it was a horrible fall! :(
Definately had your grandma as his angel that day! For sure.

[Michelle Sauer]

My earliest memory was when I moved to my house in WBL when I was 2. I remember playing in the dirt while my dad laid the sod. So yes, I believe you can remember things at an early age and this wasn't traumatic either!