Some Meetings Sneak Up On You

As last week came to an end I finally got around to looking at the calendar for the following month. After filling in a few other plans I surveyed my schedule which is when I realized how quickly the next stated meeting was approaching… I really don’t like it when the stated meeting is on the first of the month. So, after a long summer respite, I found myself behind on preparations for the lodge. To say that I kicked things into overdrive would be an understatement as the notice was yet to be completed, the minutes were in shambles, and the bill summaries had yet to be completed.

Fortunately or unfortunately, I have been in this situation many times before and getting some of these things done quickly has become a somewhat regular occurrence. So, first thing on the list was to get the notice done. I know where to look for all of the information and the messages are pretty cut and dry so this was completed quickly.

Since there was little time to spare I had to forego my usual submission to Staples so the printer at the office was working overtime. Address labels were next which just take time even when working at a fast pace. Stuffing everything made for a long night but it was finally done. Of course, the completion of the notice also coincided with updating both online databases. Yes, we are still dealing with this issue.

The minutes and bill summaries are simply a matter of recording all of the notifications and occurrences which are then put into a specific format. While it takes a little time making sure that everything is done correctly, it is a rather painless process that can be accomplished quickly. By the time the weekend had descended upon us, all of the necessary items were either completed or updated. Last night, a few more updates were made and a call-em-all was scheduled. All caught up… for now.

Now it is simply a matter of pulling together the other materials that I need for the meeting and making sure that everything is ready and in order for when I have to speak to the brethren. All the petitions, communications, and various other pieces of paper are ready to go. All that remains is to reconnect with many of the brethren tomorrow night and beginning planning for the October stated meeting. After all, I don’t want to find myself in the same position next month!

The Family Masonic Bible

There have been countless times when I have been sitting at my desk in the lodge room looking up and down the sidelines wondering where my grandfather used to sit during meetings. It is a connection that I have with my grandfather despite never having the chance of getting to know him while growing up. Lodge is something that we have in common and I am always reminded of that when I see his ring on my finder and, now, when I look at the family Bible which I have been using recently for my genealogy research.

When I was raised just over three years ago, my mom pulled me aside and handed me my grandfather’s Masonic ring. She knew that I would appreciate and take care of it. She also knew that I was one of the few people in the family who would actually use it as there are not many masons in my family. The ring meant a lot to my grandfather, it means a lot to my mom, and it certainly means a lot to me. Now, just over three years later, my mom again pulled me aside and told me that she wanted to give me my grandfather’s Masonic Bible. The ironic thing is that my grandfather was presented his Bible just over three years after being raised and now I am being presented with that same bible just over three years since I was raised.

Not only was this the Bible presented to him by his lodge but it has also served as the family Bible with my grandparent’s marriage having been recorded in its pages and my grandmother having recorded many of the births and deaths throughout her life. Between the covers there are names across many generations from the death of my great great grandfather all the way through the birth of my niece... my name can be found in these pages too. All written in my grandmother’s hand.

I remember seeing my grandmother with the blue binding on her lap flipping through the book and pulling out the papers tucked between the pages. This became a more and more regular occurrence toward the end of her life. It was also one of the few things that my mom wanted to hold on to after my grandmother passed away. I know how much this Bible meant to my grandmother and I know how much it means to my mom. I am being entrusted with its safe keeping and it is not something I take lightly. After all, this is not just an item that resonates with me as a mason, it is a connection to my grandfather, my grandmother, and my mom.

And The Phone Rings Again…

Another week and another unpleasant phone call. I was in the middle of my workday when my phone rang out from my shirt pocket and when I pulled it out and looked at the screen an unknown number was displayed on my caller ID. After the second or third ring, I answered the call not really knowing what to expect as I have made so many calls the past several weeks that it could have been a call from any number of companies or publications. Well, as Monty Brewster would say, it was from none of the above. It was, in fact, one of those call that I dread but also comes with being the Secretary of the lodge… another brother has been called off from labor.

Unfortunately, over the past few years I have spoken with a variety of funeral homes in the area as well as families of brothers who have been called off from labor. It is never an easy conversation. In fact, it is just as difficult now as it was the first time I answered one of these calls. After all, we are losing a brother not just a number in our membership… a member of our lodge, our masonic family, is no longer with us and all that knowledge that they had attained is forever silent.  

However, I am appreciative of the opportunity that the family has given us to honor our brother one final time. Too often I have found myself finding about a brother’s passing long after the fact. I consider the request to conduct a Masonic Funeral Service as a gift from our departed brother and his family to big farewell and thank him one final time for being a member of our fraternal family for over 65 years. The least we can do is honor this final request.

It is with great melancholy that I write this knowing that these events will be repeated again and again as our brothers continue to advance in age. It is a sequence of events that has become near ritual in recent years. However, as we hear of each brother being called off from labor, we can look to our lodges and see our new brethren take those initial steps in Freemasonry. The same steps that our departed brother took decades prior when their journey was just beginning. Such is the cycle of life and how we honor our brothers past, present, and future.

Short Break

Now that a multitude of projects have been wrapped up and most of our usual fellowship attendees spending the month in Paoli at District School, it is time for me to take a brief break and step back for a few days. While there are calls that need to be places, emails that still need to be answered, and bills that need to be paid (at least not for a while at this point) this is the time of year when I am afforded the opportunity for a summer respite from my duties. This is also a season when I am able to look back at what we have already accomplished and begin to look forward to all that is just peeking over the horizon. After all, it won’t be long before elections are held and a new Worshipful Master takes his station.

This is also the time when I am finally able to sit down at my desk and focus on constructing the list of things that need to be accomplished both before the next stated meeting in September as well as the projects and events that are planned toward the end of the year. And, of course, there is a particular need this year to simply take a deep breath and prepare myself for the plethora of plans and projects that will find their way onto my desk in the coming months. As is the nature of the job and the primary reason why you don’t hear about contested elections for this office.

At this point, the remainder of the year looks good. We have some candidates ready to receive degrees, some that still need to be interviewed, and one or two more that are just starting their journey and with whom I hope to soon meet. There are also a couple events that will undoubtedly sneak up on us including the Masonic Picnic in August, Veteran’s Night in November, and the Quarterly Communication in December. They seem like they are a long way off but they really aren’t.

There are also the seemingly never ending membership audit processes, data migration to and revision of the new online portal, and now the additional audit of the old database that needs to be completed. The latter of the three projects resulted from a rather disappointing conversation I had with the past Secretary a couple of weeks ago. However, there are also some great opportunities for the remainder of the year including assisting brethren with award submissions, continuing to develop leadership I the lodge, and seeing some of the planned improvements to the building taking shape. This, of course, is in addition to an excellent schedule of meetings and busy fellowship nights. And maybe some more horseshoes.

Fellowship… With Horseshoes

It was nice knowing that when I arrived at the lodge last night that there were no emergencies, no meetings that needed to take place, and nothing that needed to be completed that night. It was an opportunity to go to the lodge and enjoy the fellowship while casually discussing topics that happen to come up in conversation. What I didn’t expect was that those conversations would be happening over a game of horseshoes in the back yard.

I honestly can’t remember the last time that I tossed a horseshoe across the grass in the hopes of hearing it ring on the post. It has probably been at least fifteen years since I flipped the steel from my fingers so there was quite a bit of relearning taking place throughout the evening. Of course, the last time that I recall playing was simply as a fill in while one of my uncles took a break so there wasn’t much of a technique to be found in my past either.

The most important part of the whole evening was that fact that we could enjoy the fellowship with our brothers without an agenda to be mentioned and we were able to get to know one of our newly raised brothers a little more and in a relaxed setting. While we have had conversations in the past and I have spoken with him at great length, there is something to be said about seeing a person’s personality during a casual competition. Safe to say, more so than I was before, I am glad to have this new mason as my brother.

It is this type of environment that I would like to see constantly fostered and built upon as we move forward. This is a return to the way brothers used to interact with one another all over the world not just at lodges here and there. This is what we need if we are going to see our lodge and our fraternity as a whole thrive in the coming years and decades. Brothers of all ages and experiences simply going to lodge to enjoy the fellowship found in our fraternity.

Nights like this are part of why I decided to become a mason. It is not just about learning something new and striving to be better men, it is a brotherly bond that you share with your fellow mason, with whom you truly enjoy spending time with at the lodge and beyond the confines of the building. This is certainly something that I have to improve upon and embrace as I rarely see the brethren outside of a masonic setting. I guess I have another goal for the summer.

From Boy To Man To Mason

June meetings are always interesting as you never know what the turnout will be like and what motions will be made before the summer break. It is also a time when I have to make sure that everything is up to date so that nothing gets delayed until September. However, the last meeting before the summer break this year was a little bit different and a welcomed change from the previous years. Attendance was average, motions were minimal, and I was able to get everything off of my desk. But that wasn’t the best part of the night.

While we previously held this large gathering a bit earlier in the year, this time around the last meeting before the summer vacation was Scout Night. Not only is it a great opportunity to see the lodge room filled with so many people (masons, parents, and scouts of all ages) but the engagement between many of the people in attendance is great to see. Contract to what many people think, there is a tremendous masonic influence on the foundation of scouting in the United States and bringing all of us together is a tremendous opportunity to share a little bit about each of our respective organizations.

Further, there are a lot of masons (many of which are serving as officers) who were members of the scouts when growing up. Correction, there are many masons who are scouts as it is something that never leaves them. Of those brothers, quite a few have continued their involvement with scouting while adults whether through guiding their own sons or serving as a mentor for a pack or troop. It was particularly interesting to hear a few of those brothers explain what scouting meant to them growing up and how freemasonry has served to continue those principles and comradery that shaped their lives early on.

By the time the evening came to an end, there was a great atmosphere that was magnified by the evening and the conversations which stemmed from the presentations were fascinating to hear. And with a clean slate for the summer, I was eager to join those remaining in the lodge and enjoy the tremendous success that we have all experienced thus far in the first half of the year. While by no means perfect, I hope that the many achievements that we have fostered over the last several months continue to be a part of our new routine rather than simply a small fortunate period of success.

The program served as a great way to enter into the sweltering months and it should carry over into the fall as we look to complete another fantastically smooth year. And with all of the required tasks completed before the weather turns, we are in a great position to initiate some other projects that have been lagging behind for some time now. The lodge may be dark for two months but the light within remains bright and continues to grow brighter with every passing week.

A Shared Journey

As I sat at my desk and opened my lodge folder, I couldn’t believe that it had been over a year since I found myself participating in a degree conferral. At the same time, I was excited at the prospect of being able to attend extra meetings throughout the remainder of the year. There have been some good men who have already entered the fraternity and a number of other men who have demonstrated interest. Additionally, we have already had some great brothers transfer to our lodge. It is quite the interesting group that we have brought together but also a group of brothers passionate in their own ways about the freemasonry and eager to do their part to improve the fraternity.

I have always enjoyed extra meetings as it is a time when we all come together to continue someone on their masonic journey but it is also a time when we are a little more relaxed when beyond the outer doors. The same can be said about fellowship nights but there is something about the purpose and importance of degree nights that resonates on a much deeper level for me. The simple fact of the matter is that we are all choosing to be at the lodge and participate in these important occasions not just because we believe it to be expected of us but because we enjoy the company of our brothers.

Throughout the night there was a welcoming atmosphere felt by all, newly passed brothers and all others sitting in chairs and on the sidelines. To my recollection, this is a completely different feeling than that which I experienced during the last conferral for which I was in attendance. And it was a great mix of masons from those who are approaching 50 years in the fraternity to those who upon which the last bestowed. All of us present for a singular purpose… to further our collective progress on our respective masonic journeys.

These are the nights when I walk back to the car and drive home feeling as though I have helped to accomplish something… I have participated in something much great than myself. While this is certainly part of stated meetings as well, it is a much more pronounced emotion following the conferral of degrees. What is additionally satisfying about these nights is that soon the men whom I witnesses advancing to the next degree may be the ones conferring those degrees in the future. After all, while I wasn’t present for the meeting, I know that it has already happened once during my short time as a mason.

Welcome Back Extra Meetings

It has been too long since we had an extra meeting. Thanks to the work of many brothers at the lodge, we resumed degree conferrals last night for the first time in over a year. While we have had a few transfers and reinstatements since the last extra meeting, I hate to admit it but it has been that long since we welcomed a new brother to the lodge. Things are changing once again for the better and it really is a credit to many of the brothers who have taken a leadership role in the lodge.

While these are my favorite kinds of meetings to attend I was, unfortunately, unable to attend once again due to family commitments. It has been one of those periods when other unavoidable occurrences seem to be part of the regular routine. Actually, I haven’t been able to get completely caught up from the last stated so I now find myself two meeting behind with an official visitation looming in the near future. It is going to be a trying remainder of the month for sure but I am confident that I can, with the continued support of the lodge, make it through these tenuous weeks.

Even though I wasn’t able to attend the meeting, I did manage to stop by the lodge before the meeting and make sure that the candidates were present and that everything was relatively in order for the night. It may have been the most relaxed that I had seen the brethren before a degree conferral in a long time and I hope that this pattern continues as more and more petitions are received and read. Seeing this also reassured me that I was making the right decision to be with my family last night as my only concerns were at home.

By the end of the night, before heading off to bed, it was a great feeling adding three brothers to our roles following the transfer of one brother and the initiation of two others. While I don’t expect a drastic increase in membership, I hope that we can repeat our slow and steady growth from 2014 (2015 was an off year) and build upon these additions to the lodge. At the very least, it will be great to see new masons pursuing the Master Builder Award again along with mentors pursuing the newly established Master Craftsman Award (or Master Pillar Award for that matter). It will take time and effort, but we gladly give of ourselves as these meetings and pursuits will certainly pay dividends in the future.

Unable To Commute To Lodge

While I usually am at the lodge on the Tuesday before a stated meeting, this month it was impossible to maintain that routine as I was in Atlanta for the first half of the week. However, unlike those nights of preparation in the past, it is a great feeling knowing that there really isn’t much that I have to concern myself with for Thursday night. The notice is out, the notes are typed, and all the documents, communications, petitions, etc. are neatly organized in my folder. The only thing that is lacking is the usual stack of bills that need to be read… this is an ongoing issue with the post office to which we are working on a solution.

This year, for the first time in a while, I have been consistently looking forward to being at the lodge. Of course, there are minor things here and there that still have to be worked out and the work load seems to be growing exponentially as of late but it is a different feeling at the meetings and there is a different overall demeanor to those in attendance. With many things smoothed out and petitions once again coming in, there is an optimism present that was hard to find at times in the past.

With next month being our official visitation, I am looking forward to welcoming the brethren from around the district to our lodge. We have made progress since the last substantial gathering and I am proud of the work that we have done to improve the lodge and the building. It really is a testament to those men that I am fortunate enough to call brother as there have been countless hours devoted to improving our small part of the fraternity. This is all due to the brothers who have taken on additional responsibilities and made the effort to thrive in their new roles.

Of course, this would not have been possible without those masons who have at time held the lodge together and in other periods, such as we are experiencing now, encouraged the growth of the lodge and the initiatives of motivated brothers. All of these brothers have made this a worry free business trip for me and I am thankful for this sense of freedom between meetings. I just hope that we can continue this growth and involvement not only this year but for years to come and but the looks of things that will be a reality, our new reality.

New Faces And Awards

Something all new masons should strive to achieve! I wonder what the new awards will look like. 

Shortly after arriving at the lodge on Thursday night I was greeted by a few familiar faces as well as some men that I had only met just recently. This is quite the change from the past year as those new faces were those of petitioners and prospective candidates with whom I had primarily spoken with via email. In addition to this mix of men conversing just outside the front door, there were also numerous visitors to our lodge this week. Overall, the makeup of people at the dinner and during the meeting clearly demonstrates the growth of our lodge not just in numbers but in the quality of masons actively participating on a monthly basis.

Leading up to our monthly gathering it has been quite the task juggling the emails and phone calls that have occupied many of my days but it is the great kind of busy that really doesn’t feel like work. While it does take time to reach out and connect, the conversations that I have had over the past month have been very interesting and felt much like catching up with a long lost friend rather than a simple inquiry. While we already have many great masons in the lodge, that number is certain to grow given the interaction that I have had with many of those interested in joining the fraternity.

This convergence of good men striving to be better is what this is all about and I am excited to see how the remainder of the year will progress. We will, of course, be encouraging our new brothers to earn their Master Builder Awards and now we will also have many members of the lodge pursuing other awards that were recently launched… similar to that which is earned by first year masons but with a few differentiators. It will be great to see new brothers and their mentors striving to achieve these recognitions as they learn from their experiences and form a stronger bond as they simultaneously meet each of the requirements for their respective recognition.

At the same time, other lodge projects are moving forward. Some are through my office and others are completely separate from my duties (and I am absolutely okay with that). The whole situation really has me curious to see what we will be able to accomplish this year and the strong position that we will find ourselves in heading into 2017. But, I am definitely getting ahead of myself. The key takeaway so far is that it is going to be a busy year and, more importantly, an active year at the lodge and I am proud to be a part of this masonic experience.

What Would You Do With $1.5 Billion?

For much of the week the entire country was obsessed with the Powerball jackpot which, by the time of the drawing on Wednesday night, had climbed to $1.5 Billion. Yes, there is a ‘B’. It didn’t matter what your line of work or where in the country you called home, the lines at the local gas stations, 7 Elevens, and any place that sells lottery tickets were long and the stacks of tickets that people were buying were high. Even those who seldom gamble, and that is what this is, disregarded the long odds and bought tickets. And I was one of them because ‘eh, what the heck.’ Actually, I got two for myself and contributed two dollars to the office pool as well.

One of the interesting things that happens to anyone when they get a lottery ticket in their hand, especially with such a high potential payout, is that you can’t help but think about how you would spend the money should your numbers match. Most of the people I have talked to over the years and what seems to be common in the stories that you read about or watch on television is that a new house, car, and some outrageous vacation are where at least some of the money goes. Well, while tempting and at the same time not eliminating the possibility, it is not what I have on my list. When looking at the $1.5 Billion payday, here are some of the things that came to mind. Here is how some of my initial expenditures broke down in my mind:

·         $10 Million as emergency funds for my employer.

·         $2 Million to each of my 10 coworkers (under the condition that they continued working).

·         $10 Million each to various family members (siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, etc.).

·         $20 Million to my parents.

·         $20 Million to my lodge.

·         $10 Million to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.

·         $5 Million to my masonic district / district school.

·         $1 Million to each of the other lodges in the district.

·         $5 Million to Help for Heroes Fund.

·         $1 Million to various friends (we have a list).

·         $1 Million into college funds for our son and each niece and nephew.

·         $10 Million to each of our undergrad and graduate colleges.

·         $2 Million to the NRA.

·         $10 Million to the Rotary Club of Bala Cynwyd – Narberth.

·         $3 Million to pay off all debt and for some intense splurging throughout the rest of our lives (houses, cars, vacations, etc. would have to fall into this).

·         $20 Million Trust Fund for our son.

·         $10 Million each to Nefesh B’Nefesh and the Jewish Agency for Israel.

·         $10 Million to each of the Synagogues that have welcomed us and supported us over the years.

·         $5 Million to cancer research.

·         $1 Million for hiring genealogists to research all family lines.

·         $5 Million to the Monacan Indian Nation.

Adding all of these up it comes out to approximately $350 million. So, if you do a little calculating, it breaks down in the following way. When you look at the $1.5 Billion Powerball Annuity Jackpot, the lump sum option was approximately $900 million. Out of that $900 million you have to assume that you are going to lose about half to various taxes leaving you with $450 million. Once you subtract the $350 million in distributions above these leaves a total of approximately $100 million in the bank. It would be nice to sit back and relax never having to worry about finances again (especially without debt and with splurging already included into the budget).

New Project For A New Year

One of the ancillary benefits of being a mason and knowing most of the brothers at the lodge is that, over the years, I have gotten to know most of the professions, occupations, skills, and connections that can be found among the brethren. This past year, especially over the last six months, I have leveraged that knowledge and called upon my fellow brothers for their assistance and I have been tremendously happy with the experiences that I have had thus far. Heck, I don’t think that our real estate search or estate planning would have gone as smoothly had we used anyone else.

The hard work that my fellow masons have put forth on those personal projects is why I made a point to stand at our last stated meeting of the year and make their assistance and talent known. We are here to help one another. Sometimes it is in a direct manner serving as a realtor or attorney, sometimes it is about giving advice which I have done from time to time, and other times it is simply making the expertise known to the lodge or introducing brothers to one another who may not have had the opportunity to meet otherwise.

It was with this last concept in mind that I decided to start a new project for the coming year. Of course, I got the idea approved and made sure my assistant was on board as he will be doing the bulk of the work. It is a rather simple endeavor which is to pull together a lodge business directory which we will make available, physical and digital copies, to all the brothers of the lodge. This way when any of us are in need of a service or advice we know who to call. Unlike the general listings in the Yellow Pages, we know for certain that we can trust the person on the other end of the conversation and that they truly have our best interests at heart.

And I’m not even done trying to find brothers with which I can entrust some personal projects (mainly house work). I am in touch with a few other brothers to take care of some finishing work that needs to be done and I am looking forward to endorsing them as I have done for other brothers in the past. So, my advice to other brothers reading this post (or anyone involved in any kind of organization for that matter) is to take the time and get to know everyone and pull a similar directory together to share among the members of the lodge. After all, you never know when you might be in need of a brother’s help, aid, or assistance.

One Keurig At A Time

Lately there have been a lot of things that we have looked to move around at the lodge. Some are simply plans that we hope to follow through on in the future while other projects are well underway and will hopefully be completed by the end of the year. Of course, one space where a lot of moving around needs to be done is in the office… this is something that falls under both the former and, time permitting, will soon be a part of the latter. Frankly, I am not concerned with the space itself, although there have been talks regarding the moving of the office itself, it is more of a matter of all the stuff that has accumulated in that half of the basement.

Know in the middle of my own packing and sifting at home, I am really not looking forward to the monumental undertaking that will be required at the lodge. It really isn’t about how much stuff that needs to be moved as the room isn’t all that big. It all comes down to the fact that we have to go through each and every item, ever sheet of paper, and basically get approval to dispose of all the items that are unnecessary. At least at home I can, for the most part, take care of this pretty quickly as I know almost immediately what stays and what goes… the lodge is another story altogether.

I guess a bonus for my own move is the fact that there are a number of things that we have either replaced, plan to replace, or simply don’t need any more at the new house. While many of these things have been donated over the last couple of months (primarily shoes and clothes) there are a few other items that I am happy to donate to the lodge and some of the brethren. I always enjoy this part because it is a means for me to bring a little comfort to the lodge for all of us that use the space. While computers are completely practical and do a lot to accomplish this, having a Keurig in the new kitchen should be that little extra for some of us that makes it that much more comfortable.

I am sure that there are other things that would be beneficial to the lodge (there are definitely more important and pressing needs) but sometimes it is nice to satisfy that need for creature comforts. After all, we want the brethren to feel comfortable in the space. We want our families to feel comfortable in the space. And we want all of our guests to feel welcomed in our space. The lodge consists of the men who are members of the community with a common meeting place, the building is not just a home for those brethren but also a part of the community as a whole. By providing a welcoming lodge, we support a welcoming community.

Alumni Update

I received a few emails a couple of months ago from the Endicott Alumni Association asking for updates from my graduation class. It has been interesting reading the scattered responses and ever since the request came in I have been planning on sending an update. The problem has been that over the past decade there have been so many changes (heck, over the past year) that it is difficult to know where to start. Well, here is my attempt at providing a summary of what life has been like since I received my degree from Endicott College ten years ago…

It is hard to believe how quickly ten years can simply evaporate and I am sure that there are very few of you that were even close when you thought about where you would be as Dr. Wylie handed you your degree. I sure didn’t expect to be where I am today working as a PR Account Executive outside of Philadelphia focusing on the tech industry. I guess you never know where you will end up (especially for those of us who were English majors).

So, how did I get here? With my degree in hand I returned home to the Philadelphia suburbs, published some work in a few literary journals, magazines, anthologies, and pulled everything together in a short collection of poetry which was released by Pudding House Publications. Local readings followed including one at a local Barnes & Noble where I met my wife. After a year away from academia, I couldn’t help myself and soon enrolled in the MFA program at Rosemont College. While studying at Rosemont I was also pursuing a greater spiritual endeavor which led me to my conversion to Judaism a month before receiving my graduate degree.

Here is where things really started getting hectic. That same summer I was offered a Business Writer position at a PR firm in midtown Manhattan. By the fall of 2008 I was living in Brooklyn riding the F train to work every morning. By the spring I found myself in a difficult position as my Fibromyalgia was getting the better of me forcing me to take some time off before my wedding in June. My wife and I were married in Philadelphia in June of 2009 and spent over a week in Jerusalem with a couple of days in London tacked on at the end. It was a life changing trip that followed a life changing event.

Now living in Metuchen, New Jersey, and with my Fibromyalgia in mysterious remission, that fall I was faced with the reality of a diabetes diagnosis. It was a moment that made us assess what we really wanted to do with our lives. The following summer, after visiting Endicott and showing my wife the beauty of the campus, my wife and I started on another adventure that would take us back to the Middle East. A year later, in July 2011, my wife and I made Aliyah. However, some things aren’t meant to be and we soon after found ourselves returning back to the United State (although we will always be Israelis). This would later prove to be a 

2012 was a difficult year having moved back to the Philadelphia area, Bala Cynwyd to be exact, to be close to family and, by doing so, putting our careers on hold. It was tough working overnight shifts, living paycheck to paycheck, and watching our debt slowly climb but we made it through that tough time and we both found ourselves back on track in the professions we are truly passionate about by the fall of 2013. This tough time also afforded us the opportunity, the freedom if you will, to explore much of Pennsylvania as well as get involved in a few local community organizations. It was during this time when I became both a Rotarian (former President Elect) and a Mason (currently serving my second year as Secretary). And given the monotony of the hourly position I held, I was also able to start a daily blog, Time To Keep It Simple, to which I continue posting on a daily basis. Finally, it gave us the time to explore our roots as we worked to pull together the dispersed details of our family trees and finding out where we come from and exploring the details of each generation. Again, this is something that we still enjoy doing when we have the time.

There are a lot of other things that have happened in the 10 years since I walked through the door of Trexler Hall one final time but I have already written more than you were probably expecting to read (if you even made it this far). So I will end things rather simply. Today, my wife and I are doing our best to enjoy every minute that we have with our eight month old son. We live a bit further from the city than our previous places of residence, but we are still close enough to see our families on a regular basis. We are busy, sometimes too much so, but we are happy. It has been a busy decade but I am sure it will pale in comparison to the decade that is unfolding before us.

Lodge Via Email

This is actually pretty similar to what the lodge computer looks like. 

The past week has been a bit of a blur with countless emails having passed by my eyes. We may not have our next meeting until September but the work most certainly has continued. It actually might be the most emails that I have received in a single week between the canceled fellowship last Tuesday to my inability to attend this evening. With not being able to make it there tonight, this means that, due to other commitments, I will not walk through the doors of the lodge for at least another two weeks.

No worries, everyone knows that I am accessible at all times. Sometimes there are periods when we can’t make it to the lodge especially those of us that neither live nor work in the area. Things will continue to move forward without my presence because the lodge, as many of you know, can’t be run by a single man. There are numerous brothers that make the lodge work and ensure that things move along smoothly. No one person needs to be there.

With that said, it is nice to be able to catch up and make sure that various projects are being taken care of. We all check with one another and make sure that the tasks that we set out to accomplish are completed. This is why I get so many emails from within the lodge, the district, and from other lodges across the commonwealth. We all check in on one another, offer assistance, and seek advice on various problems and projects. We work together as a single, unified, fraternity.

However, nights like this I do miss driving down to the lodge and meeting with the brethren. The fellowship is something that I continue to look forward to each and every time that I am able to participate. This has only been amplified over the last couple of years with the increased involvement of new and old brothers alike. It is a great time at the lodge and a great time to catch up on life.

But everyone knows, no matter how active you are in the lodge, you have to have a balanced life. I am still working to find that balance between family, work, and the lodge. Modern communication does help in this regard but it is still far from perfect. I don’t think this is going to be taken off of my list of things that I need to work on in the foreseeable future. But, I will continue to measure my days and do my best to balance my hours.

Common Questions

I guess it is just a baby centric week for me. When the week started I had a few topics that I was thinking about writing something but sometimes you just have to go with what you are motivated to write about. All it takes is seeing my son, watching him smile at me, and his infectious laugh and I really have no other option than to write another post about him.

Every other day it seems I am asked the questions of “how are you adjusting to being a dad” or “what it is like to be a father” or some other similar query. Well, there have been times when I have wanted to pull my hair out when I am either inundated with texts at the office or I am unable to comfort him. While there is nothing better than seeing him smile, there is nothing worse than watching that bottom lip slowly protrude. What can I say, I’m a sucker.

Things have certainly changed over the past year. Our schedules have changed, our lifestyle has been greatly altered, and are priorities have shifted. I am spending more time at home and making sure to spend as much time as I possibly can with our son. Sometimes, I admit, it has been to the detriment of spending quality time with my wife. This is something I am still working on.

It has been a great motivator knowing that we are the ones to care for and raise a child. I begin the day (still not a morning person) with greater purpose but also do my best to minimize the amount of work that I bring home with me. It is a complete shift in how I used to go about each day. I still work a lot but I try to segregate that time and get those other things done after he has gone to bed for the night.

It really is an amazing feeling seeing my son in the morning and being the first one he sees some days as he turns his head and rubs his eyes. Again, that smile is the best way to start the day. It is hard to leave in the morning and say goodbye but I also have a family to look forward to seeing as the sun slowly sinks behind the trees in the evening.

Each and every day, there is something else that I look forward to sharing with my son. It varies each day. Sometimes I see something interesting, find a family document, visit or remember a picturesque place, or even something as simple as going to lodge or attending some other event. We have the plans in place already to share these things with him but the list keeps getting longer and longer as our memories are collected on paper. And this weekend (and this summer), we will continue sharing those experiences with him.

So, to go back to the question, I think I am adjusting pretty well to being a father. Sometimes I just have to hold on and enjoy the ride but there are moments when I am able to collect myself and make necessary changes. There are a number of things that I still have to work at but I hope to do a better job as both a father and a husband as time goes by. After all, there are a lot of things that we have to cover in a short period of time (which is already going by way too fast).

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.

The Other Conversations

Thankfully we didn't find this many keys.

Having finished up the notice late last week and getting the email sent the day before, it was time to head to the lodge to make sure that everything was ready to go before the stated meeting on Thursday night. Of course, I had to make a few stops on the way to Ardmore (more about that in a later post) so I was a little late in my arrival. Heading into the evening, I knew of several brothers who would not be able to make it so I was prepared for a very light turnout when I walked through the door.

While it wasn’t a large group, I was pleasantly surprised to find a small group of us discussing some of the other things that needed to be addressed both before the meeting and over the summer. Sometimes it is in these free flowing conversations when you can really find the passions that drive the masons who make up the membership. These casual nights are a great time to discuss and sometimes debate a variety of topics or changes that some of us would like to see happen.

That is the really interesting thing about some of these fellowship nights. While everyone has an equal voice during the meetings, many times there are a slew of things that have to get done that night, presentations to be made, and motions to be proposed. Sometimes those things that you would like to discuss can get lost in the lateness of the evening. At the same time, it is good to discuss ideas before a meeting so that they can be more fully formed before presenting them.

Of course, these nights are also perfect for the various scavenger hunts that highlight the year. Last night we were in search of some elusive keys to the display cabinets. We thought that we had completed the thorough search a couple of months ago but, somehow, another possible location was brought to our attention last night. So we all headed back down to my office, walked over to the corner, and pried open a large steel box which has remained sealed for the past several years.

Inside we found the keys that we were looking for and others that we were not looking for. So now a new hunt begins as we try to figure out which keys go to which locks. All the while there will be casual conversations among brothers about anything and everything. Sometimes it will have something to do with lodge and other times it will be a means of continual bonding between members or our fraternal family. All of this because we take the time to show up on Tuesday nights, enjoy the relaxed fellowship, and work together to accomplish even the smallest of tasks like trying to find a key.

From Shrine To Lodge

Here is a photo of the Lu Lu Shrine from above. 

I originally started my day doubting that I would make it to the lodge last night but, just in case, I told my son not to wait up for me. While many doubt his comprehension of this fact, it has been useful to let him know if I am going to be out late that night. If I don’t let him know he tends to stay up refusing to go to sleep until I walk through the door. What can I say, he’s an advanced child. Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

Toward the end of the morning I began getting emails and texts regarding a check that, upon further review, was supposed to have been drafted after the April Stated Meeting. However, once I was able to speak with the Treasurer over the phone, we came to the realization that the check was never made out. This was an issue as we were now faced with the issue of having no check written that we were supposed to present the following night, Wednesday, at an event in Norristown. Further complicating matters, all three of us that are required to sign checks were not planning on being at the lodge.

So, after a few emails, texts, and calls back and forth I had my route for the night. After work, I got on the highway and headed toward the lodge… this time with a little detour along the way (two actually thanks to the closure of Plymouth Road). For the first time since I attended the one day class and became a Mason, I pulled into the drive way of the Lu Lu Shrine and proceeded to the back door where the Treasurer greeted me with check book in hand.

We filled in the check according to the amount previously approved during the meeting and we both signed it. Having a few minutes to space before having to leave, I got a brief refresher tour of the Shrine. While I don’t have the time or finances to become a Shriner at the moment, I plan to do so in the future. In the meantime, I look forward to bringing the family to a few of the events that are coming up over the summer and toward the end of the year.

From the Shrine I drove to the lodge where I had a number of quick discussion with a few of the brothers. Some related to the lodge while others were far from masonic in substance. A few minutes later the Worshipful Master pulled into the parking lot. We are all limited on time these days so I handed him the check to sign and bring with him the following night.

After checking the mail and finishing up a few conversations I looked at my watch and noticed that I had made pretty good time. So much so that I was able to get in the car and get home in time to see my son smile at me, help my wife give him a bath, and put him to bed. It was the best ending I could have hoped for what turned out to be a hectic day.

Returning To Normal

The last couple of month have been a little odd at the lodge with a rather testy meeting taking place in February and a postponement of the stated meeting in March. Thursday was a welcomed return to normalcy even if I was still running a little behind schedule in my duties… most notably in getting the monthly notice in the mail which I would much rather have sent off a week prior rather than a few days before.

Of course, I wasn’t sure if this would be the case as I was rather pointed in my message this month in the notice. It wasn’t about calling anyone out, it was simply a means to try and get everyone back on the same page so that we work together as a lodge rather each person pulling the rope in a different direction. Sometimes things need to be said and thankfully, as it turns out, it was received in the way that it was intended.

The meeting itself ran smoothly with the agenda run through quickly and the discussions limited to updates and information. There weren’t any of the unpleasant tones that existed in previous meetings. Progress is being made on most fronts and the projects that at one point looked like they might be stymied, are once again moving forward.

However, there is one area where we seemed to have stalled. With no petitions having been received so far this year, we will not be having an extra meeting until September at the earliest. This is the complete opposite of last year when the petitions were plentiful and the extra meetings frequently consisted of multiple candidates. Not a good time to hit a lull but it happens.

Thankfully, the new brothers that have made up the most recent wave are continuing to remain active and we are continuing to move forward with award applications for those first year masons. While I may not have been able to make it to the lodge every week, each one of them has been present and has learned both from one another and from the more experienced masons that join them for the evening. While the petitions may not be flowing in like they once were, the quality of the new brothers that have joined us is outstanding and their continued involvement is exactly what every lodge wants to see.

Now that we have returned to the quick and uneventful, it is time to prepare for next month as I refuse to fall behind once again. We expect a packed lodge due to it being both our official visitation as well as first responders night. It is a lot of work but, as was proven last year, it is well worth the effort and a meeting that I have been looking forward to for months. I guess I could say the same thing about most meetings.