Making my Bed - A Reflection

I like to make my bed. Now, I suppose that's strange, as most people I know never do it unless they've washed the sheets. Well, some of them go the extra mile and throw the top sheet; blankets and bedspread back over before going to work. And, I can't blame them. Like, who cares?

But, for me, it's a religious thing, lol! Let me set the scene: I'm 13 years old and living in a second-story dorm. It's a huge space with a ceiling that was maybe 20 feet high. And all that is in it is row after row of narrow, iron beds.

Yes, I am in Sacred Heart Seminary, in Detroit, studying to be a priest. My parents have spent a small fortune to send me here, I know. But, my father's step-brother was a priest and so it was important to him...

And, me? I was adapting. You see, you were forbidden to speak after dinner (and then throughout study hall) until the next morning, after one hour of Mass and then breakfast.

In the morning, however, you were given another sheet and a pillowcase. This was long before there were fitted bottom sheets, BTW. So, what you did was to take off the bottom sheet and pillow case, replace the pillow case, put the top sheet on the bottom, then put the new sheet on the top and cover it with the thin wool blanket.

Unlike the military, nobody tried to bounce a quarter on this, but it was expected you made your bed right. In spite of it being forty years ago, I never got over that...

And, regardless of the outcome of this experience, I still need to make my bed right.