Chapter 11 - Dreamers

CHAPTER 11

MEMORY LANE -- PNEUMONIA 1943

The wind was blowing so hard my dad had to tie me to a tree to keep me from blowing away..........The rain was coming down so furiously that one could not see more than a few feet in front of them.......We were marooned on an island and it looked like a tsunami would over take all of us that remained.......And than it happened.........I woke up.........It was early in the morning when I awoke and that is why I remembered the dream so well......usually if I had a dream late at night or when first going to sleep I would forget the dream and never remember it again........But this dream happened just before I would wake and so it was so vivid to me, in my mind, when I woke up.............

When I saw my mom that morning I could not wait to tell her of this furious dream that scared me so much the night before.......After all I was only 8 years old......She consoled me and maybe that's what I was looking for and I would than completely forget the dream.......That's what a mothers love will do for their children as we fortunately all know.......

Two or three weeks would go bye and while I was laying in bed I can recall my picture floating in the air and swinging back and forth in front of me.......The picture of me was making horrible and awful faces at me........I didn't deserve this......I had not done anything wrong to warrant this punishment but the picture would not stop this cruel abuse..........I kept telling my mom and dad of this abuse and they tryed to console me but to no avail.......They called the doctor......In those days the doctors came to the house to check on a sick person always carrying a black bag.......I always wondered what magic tricks they carried in their black bag....This time there would be no magic involved as I had a 106 degree temperature........Someone would call for an ambulance as there was no magic tricks in that black bag to cure this degree of illness in those days......

When the ambulance arrived the attendances came up to our floor located in an apartment building on 1st ave and 88th Street in Manhattan.... http://www.americantorque.com/page/0/3301/ ....I believe they had a stretcher with them that they used to take me down the stairs to the waiting ambulance..........I can remember it was raining and my dad was carrying an umbrella over me while on the stretcher so as not to get wet.........The attendances put me in the ambulance and my dad would sit in the back with me while the ambulance headed for the hospital......When the ambulance arrived at the Queens Borough Bridge on 59th street it would continue over the bridge, stopping in the middle and entering a small compartment but big enough to hold the ambulance.......We descended down in this large compartment, that I would later come to know as an elevator.......at the bottom of this trip in this compartment we landed on an island known as Welfare Island*......The ambulance continued on to the hospital and it was still raining..........I believe all the buildings on that island were hospitals in those days......I can recall that I would spend about a week at that hospital and I would become better and healthy again.......

After the weeks stay at the hospital I would return home again on First Ave and 88th Street.....All my family and friends would be there to greet me home.....with the passing of several weeks of recuperating at home, my mom would ask me if I remembered the story of the dream that I told her I had had.....I did and just wondered what it all meant.........Was it a co-incident or was it "The Adjustment Bureau" at work..?????

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Island ......... Note: Known as Welfare Island from 1921 to 1973....

nick ......6/8/2011

~Subject: The Train of Life At birth we boarded the train and met our parents, and we believe they will always travel on our side. However, at some station our parents will step down from the train, leaving us on this journey alone. As time goes by, other people will board the train; and they will be significant i.e. our siblings, friends, children, and even the love of your life. Many will step down and leave a permanent vacuum. Others will go so unnoticed that we don't realize they vacated their seats. This train ride will be full of joy, sorrow, fantasy, expectations, hellos, goodbyes, and farewells. Success consists of having a good relationship with all passengers requiring that we give the best of ourselves. The mystery to everyone is: We do not know at which station we ourselves will step down. So, we must live in the best way, love, forgive, and offer the best of who we are. It is important to do this because when the time comes for us to step down and leave our seat empty we should leave behind beautiful memories for those who will continue to travel on the train of life. I wish you a joyful journey on the train of life. Reap success and give lots of love. More importantly, thank God for the journey. Lastly, I thank you for being one of the passengers ~

~ The Train of Life Added on July 15, 2017 ~