No Shoe For You!

The last couple of years we have been able to round up the brothers and converge en masse in Conshohocken to take the shoe for the remainder of the year. It seems as though, like many things, time has gotten away from me a bit and the reminders weren’t as frequent as they have been in the past. This was clearly an issue last night as our turnout to the last official district visitation of the year wasn’t nearly what it had been during our previous efforts. Because of this we all got in our cars knowing that another lodge would be holding the shoe until the calendar changes.

However, while we may not have walked away with the shoe, it was a great night when I was able to reconnect with some brothers I had not seen since this same meeting last year while others I was meeting for the first time… at least I think it was the first time. It was during these moments of re-acquaintance that some of the best conversations of the evening took place and I was able to find many more commonalities with a few of my brothers which I had not realized previously. Of course, as usual, there were also moments when I realized more clearly just how much more I have yet to experience in the fraternity.

The meeting itself is always a little odd for me as I am used to sitting in the east for the duration and actively playing a role in all meetings. Sitting on the sidelines for the entire meeting is something that I am simply not used to doing. I can’t tell you how many times that I nearly stood up when I heard only two raps from the gavel. That being said, there were things that I was able to observe from this perspective as I watched another secretary take charge. There were some things that I didn’t prefer while there were other items that I will certainly incorporate moving forward.

However, there was a singular moment that caught me completely off guard. As the names of those brothers that were suspended was read to those in attendance, my mind stuttered a little when I heard a brother who shares my family name was no longer in good standing. I guess this year my work will have to go beyond my lodge and I need to improve my communication not just with the brethren but within my own family as well. After all, no matter you endeavor, which is how we learn and that is how we band together both as brothers and as a family, separately and together.

The Shoe Is Back

You can have your travel shoes... we'll take the traveling shoe. 

As I mentioned last week, it is that time of year again when many of us from Ardmore descended upon another lodge in the district. For me, I have attended this particular visitation in Conshohocken every year since becoming a mason. It has been an interesting trifecta of meetings with something different at each and every one.

The first year that I attended I was one of only a handful from my lodge sitting in the room. In fact, all of us in attendance from my lodge had only been masons for a couple of months at the time. We all wanted to be there and we were all striving to meet the requirements early on for the Master Builder Award. Someone had to stand up and represent the lodge so I found myself standing and speaking for the first time at a lodge meeting.

Last year was completely different. By then I was serving as secretary and had spent the previous few weeks making calls and trying to get as many brothers to attend as possible. For the second year in a row there was a reward at stake but this time it was far more important… this time we were all coming together to support and represent our lodge. By the time we left we had the traveling shoe in hand and the points in the books for the Grand Master’s Award.

This year we are doing all that we can to repeat our previous performance. Unfortunately, I don’t have the same amount of time that I did previously to be on the phone for a couple hours each day but we were all still able to come together. And it was a truly representative mix of brothers from the lodge as there were masons who had only been raised a few months ago and another who was celebrating 66 years of masonic service this month. Officers and non-officers alike were in attendance, working together, and walking out with the shoe as a lodge and with the much need points to possibly repeat in receiving the Grand Master’s Award this year.

It was also interesting this year compared to others in that there was more of a celebratory atmosphere in the lodge room last night. These official visitations can sometimes be a little rigid but this time around all the officers were very familiar with one another and have come to exemplify brotherhood. This allowed for a more relaxed but also more personal experience that brought in all the brothers in attendance as an inclusive peek into the close comradery that exists among worshipful masters in the district.

It was a perfect example of the fact that no two meetings are exactly the same and while lodges may be close in geography it can be a completely different experience in both. This is what really keeps me coming back and looking forward to attending meetings at different lodges. We all have our differences as individuals and as lodges but we are all part of one fraternity, a unified brotherhood. Some of us now just have an extra shoe.

Reaching Our Goals One Shoe At A Time

As some of you may recall, last year I attending a visitation at Fritz Lodge in Conshohocken when the “Traveling Shoe” was awarded to the lodge with the most brothers visiting that particular night. Well, last night I attended the same visitation and, just like that evening early in my Masonic adolescence, there was a huge turnout. This time around, however, the visitation didn’t simply involve showing up, there was a lot of preparation done beforehand to make things a bit more competitive. 

Less than two months after becoming a mason, I was one of four or five brothers from my lodge who attended the meeting, all of us new masons. It was a litmus test for me as I was, due to no officers being present, the one who spoke for my lodge. It was an interesting night and a lot to take in… I was not going to have our lodge represented in such a way for a second year in a row. With that goal in mind, I worked closely with the Worshipful Master (who had the same thought) to ensure that we had a chance this year especially with the next visitation being at our lodge in the fall.

Of course we put the visitation in the notice and highlighted the importance of the night at our stated meetings. However, that is the usual means of communicating an event. This time we took it a step further. Over the past week there have been a series of emails, texts, phone calls, and speaking with brothers at other Masonic events simply to bring us all together to work toward one goal.

Who goes to Conshy for a shoe? We do.

That’s right. Thanks to a combined effort by all the officers, long standing brothers, and new Masons we were able to secure the old shoe. While we were fairly certain of this outcome as we saw one another arrive before the meeting, having the final tally and the presentation made is what made all the preparation worth it. While a minor achievement in the larger view, it was an exemplification of what we can do when we come together not as individual brothers but as a lodge.

I am proud of what we all accomplished together as a lodge and the diverse group of brothers, ranging from a few months to 65 years, who took the time to ensure that we achieved this goal. As the lodge goes dark for the summer, it is something that we can all enjoy and use as motivation for when we enter the final months of the Masonic year upon our return. I am looking forward to all that we can accomplish together as a lodge.

Who Goes To Conshy For A Shoe?

It’s amazing to see the turn out for a district visitation simply to have the honor of taking possession of an old shoe. I guess it’s the simple pleasures (and bragging rights). Regardless of motivation, it’s the fellowship that matters and that is what keeps the Masonic road show going.

Over 80 brothers converged on Conshohocken last night for an evening that was both memorable and entertaining (even without a tiara in sight). With the hall quickly filling up, additional seating had to be brought in to accommodate the capacity crowd. It made it really easy to tell who came in late.

The multigenerational gathering was one that demonstrated the experiential spectrum of the room. Newer brothers were recognized along with those who were celebrating their Masonic birthday all with a wide variety of years as members of the craft. But what highlighted the evening for me were the words spoken by those who were honored for their 25 and 50 fraternal years as it reaffirmed the fact that we are all equal with the same motivation and bond that brought us to Fritz Lodge that night.

It is an honor to hear the words of those with so many years in the fraternity not because of the degrees they may have or the offices they have held but because you can see the lasting impact that the brotherhood has had on their lives. That is a Masonic education that can’t be found in any book and a value that those who have not been raised cannot understand. Those are the words that reinforce the brotherly bond and strengthen the generational ties to each other.

These are the nights that bring to the forefront a connection with the brothers that we never knew and those who are no longer with us. For many of us it also ties us to our Masonic genealogy knowing that the tradition and ceremony has been witnessed and embraced by us all, past and present. And, finally, it shows us the value of what we have, greater than ourselves, that we can pass down to future generations.

I hope that many of you either have experienced this or will experience it in the near future. I encourage all brothers to take the time to reflect on these points both in the lodge and during the normal course of your day. And for those of you who have not accepted the gift of Freemasonry, I encourage you to ask a Mason about their experience and what the fraternity has meant to them. Remember, to be one, ask one.