I can still remember the first time my dad used it to ease my growing pains in my shins. They were always would be so painful that the warmth of the ointment would just feel good while Sarge would rub it into my legs and wrap it up with one of his 1970's style long basketball socks with red stripes on the top. Nothing felt quite as soothing as that. Then there was the time my sister swore it cured a child who wouldn't nap (me) by placing it ever so gently on the top of my eyebrows. Sure it worked, I had to keep my eyes closed to keep them from watering. So eventually it did do the trick and I was off to slumber land (THANKS SIS!). I think a lot of the soothing I felt in those moments when I either scraped my knee, or was going through growing pains was not so much from the actual ointment. The actual healing that was happening was the care and concern from the adult giving me the attention needed to make me feel better.
Thing One had been complaining about his legs when he was playing soccer. I brushed it off and thought he was ok. After I had given him a warm bath Mami asked me to bring him to her room. There she had some of her magic healing ointment. I thought they didn't make it anymore! Thing One let her rub the ointment on his shin and then had a nice long sock placed on his legs. He slept peacefully that night. A few weeks have passed since that moment and the Things were outside playing. Thing Two fell on her knees, no scrapes but lots of tears. Thing One ran to me and said "Momma Yiyi needs Abi's cream!" It brought a smile to my face to know that there will be no medicine will be quite as strong as the Mentholatum and Abi's loving touch.
Any of you have special remedies that just don't make sense to anyone else but to your family?
