Mary in the Morning

     A new tradition came into being not too long after Mom's stereo arrived at the house. It took place on Sunday mornings. As mentioned a few times earlier, Dad took his three kids to church every Sunday. It was not an easy task getting all of us ready and out the door each week – especially when we were young. As we got older and were able to get ourselves ready, it became more difficult to get us out of bed – teens like their sleep, you know.

      For some reason, who knows why, I am an early riser – so getting up early any day of the week was never a problem for me – but my brothers, they liked to sleep, and who could blame them for wanting to stay abed on a Sunday morning?

     Dad thought he had come up with a perfect solution – something that would avoid nagging his sons – Dad made breakfast on Sunday mornings! Often he made pancakes on a griddle (purchased with coupons from Raleigh cigarettes years before) and bacon – other Sundays he made eggs and bacon and toast (the butter was always too hard for me to spread on the toast – I was never much good for anything). Dad thought the smell of breakfast cooking would be enough to lure the boys to the breakfast table without him having to wake them up and/or drag them out of bed.

     But the smell of breakfast was not enough to get my brothers up. The sound of breakfast being made in the kitchen was not enough to get them up. Sleeping was so much nicer!

     So, Dad added something new to breakfast. Once the boys' plates were on the table, Dad went to the stereo and put a particular album on the turntable.

     And he cranked the volume up.

     Soon, the tune of John Phillips Sousa's Stars And Stripes Forever was heard throughout the house, probably throughout the neighborhood.

     What a horrible way to be awakened!

     The boys were supposed to be downstairs and at their places at the table by the time the song was finished.

     And they were.

     What a way to start a Sunday.

     My brothers probably look fondly on this memory today.

     Now you are most likely wondering how my Mom felt about all this, since she was also sleeping in on Sunday morning?

     Well the Stars and Stripes Forever did not bother her at all. Most Sunday mornings Mom was awake already when Dad was fixing breakfast, or half-awake and relaxing, still in bed.      The sound of Sousa on the stereo merely meant that the boys had to get up, not her. And after the song was over, Dad would get Mom's breakfast together – there were a few more minutes for Mom to lie in bed – probably the most precious and welcome minutes of her week.

    And when Mom's breakfast was on the table, Dad walked over to the stereo once again. Each Sunday he alternated between two albums and one particular song on each album.

He would put one of the albums on and turn the volume up high.

    Through the house would then waft the tune of either Al Martino singing Mary in the Morning or Ed Ames singing My Cup Runneth Over With Love.

     By the time the song chosen for the Sunday morning was over, Mom would be descending the stairs with a robe on and a slight smile. Dad's own Mary in the Morning.

     It was all just taken for granted back then, but now, remembering and reflecting, I realize, gosh, that was pretty darn special!

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