May 28, 2008. Harper, Texas. My Mother.

My Mother was everything a child could want a Mother to be and as I grew up she became a good friend. Here is a story that was typical of my Mother. Our Songster Brigade,(read church Choir) toured England in 1960. The trip was 18 days, and every day we went to another city to give a concert. We gave three complete concerts, so every third night we sang the same events, including the solos, quartets and anthems.There were about eighty people in the group. We heard these same performances so many times that we could all sing them in our sleep.

Jean S. sang a soprano solo, "Allelula". By the end of the tour we had heard enough of Allelula". We were also not accustomed to being together all day and all evening with these same eighty people. One evening, when we were getting ready for the evening concert,a bunch of us were in the rest room taking turns to use the commodes. One of the toilels would not flush properly and when someone asked my Mother why she was not using that toilet, my Mother bust into song, to the tune of Jean's solo Alleluja,"It will not flush, it will not flush, It will not flush it will not flush", and she continued in the same vein until the end of the chorus. If you remember the solo, the only words are Alleluya. It was very funny, and everyone was laughing very hard, until Jean came in the door. Mother did not see her, as she was singing at the top of her lungs with full arm gestures. Bit by bit, the laughter ceased. Finally Mother saw Jean, went over to her and said, "Jean, the toilet at the end is not flushing so do not use that one." She laughed, Jean laughed and everyone roared together.

That tells everything you need to know about my Mother. Now remember she was Mrs. Brigadier Buckley. She was the sargeant of the Songster Brigade of the Danforth Songster Brigade, at that time the finest singing group in the Salvation Army. One would think she would be a proper person always concerned about the spiritual welfare of the group, and she was. But she was also fun and funny, and only proper in bits and peices.