Returning To Action

I always feel unprepared when returning to the lodge after being off from labor the entire summer. I find myself trying to look back to made sure that I am not missing anything from the past meeting in June that will carry over to the current month. It is also when I know I am going to get questions about the activity during the summer and what the plans are to close out the year. My mind is kind of all over the place when I walk through the doors in September.

While I shouldn’t be surprised, the meeting went as smoothly this month as I could have ever hoped for. Well, almost. It would have been nice of the weather had cooled down a bit and to have more brothers in attendance so that we are not playing catch up before the next meeting but I can’t really complain (too much). However, because of the heat and the absences, my night did end up being a lot shorter than I was expecting.

With the summer holding on to the calendar for a bit longer, the heat of the day carried over into the night and turned the lodge room into a sweat box… this was especially true for those of us who are in a tux during the meeting. Essentially, we were able to have a meeting, reconnect with each other, and lose a few pounds by the time we adjourned to the hall to finish up our program. This is the first time that I can recall (in my very short masonic career) finishing the meeting downstairs and it certainly was a welcomed change by everyone in attendance.

It is while we were in the air conditioning that we were all able to get a better understanding of most of the appendant bodies within freemasonry. Most of us are members of some body beyond the blue lodge but we are all still a little in the dark regarding some of the other bodies (there are exceptions to this as well). The most interesting part of this educational evening for me was learning about each of these bodies directly from the respective officers. There really are a lot of opportunities and different experiences within freemasonry that I hope to enjoy at some point in the future.

The biggest take away for many of us is very simple. While there are numerous appendant bodies and opportunities to join across the wide spectrum of freemasonry, they all trace back to the blue lodge, our home lodge, this small group of committed brothers that work each and every day to help the fraternity in some small way. We all have this same foundation and we each decide what kind of structure we build upon these three degrees. I am looking forward to seeing these buildings progress each meeting and every year.

Filling The Masonic Calendar

One of the things that I have really been noticing as I have combed through the various emails and papers for the lodge summer newsletter is all the events that are taking place in the fall. While the lodge itself has a number of things on the schedule, there are a slew of other places where brethren will be congregating. From Grand Lodge to appendant bodies, there are countless dates and times that I am having to sift through… while I would like to include everything, it is becoming less and less likely that all of these events will be represented on the calendar.

So, with the long list in hand, I have had to figure out a means of prioritizing them. First, our lodge. This is pretty self-explanatory. We need to make sure that all the brethren are aware of all the events that we have planned for the remainder of the year. This includes an open house, blood drive, various programs, and all the usual meetings and fellowship nights that we have all become accustom to seeing on the calendar. While the last two aren’t really necessary (as we all know this part of our masonic schedule), it is a helpful reminder for all of us and it demonstrates the importance of these regular meetings.

Next on my list are the variety of events of which I have received notice from the Grand Lodge. In addition to the quarterly and annual meetings at the end of the year there are also other events such as a corner stone laying ceremony in September. Grand Lodge events are a great way to meet brethren from across the Commonwealth. I have enjoyed every one of them and always encourage new brothers to do so as well. Personally, I have not been able to attend a cornerstone ceremony so I will be sure to mark it on my personal calendar along with the others.

Things are already starting to fill up the remaining months of the year. Here is when I look to the other district and family events. They are both, theoretically, close to home and also provide each of us the opportunity to bring our families to dinners, picnics, Autumn Days in Elizabethtown, and other events. I always enjoy the opportunities to share these great times of fun and fellowship with my family.

Here is where things kind of go back and forth for me when working on the calendar. With hardly any space remaining, I have to be careful as to what I can fit on the page and what has to be disseminated by other means. There are youth events as well as other appendant body events that are vying for space. Generally, I usually select those with the closest ties to the lodge. If there is a brother being honored by an appendant body (i.e. Shriners, Scottish Rite, etc.) I put that event on the calendar. If there is a youth event beneficial to those pursuing the Master Builder Award, I include those events. Other Master Builder optional events follow.  

By this time the calendar is almost certainly full. If there is a space or two left I usually put in a couple of things that I am interested in attending. It is by no means a perfect system but it seems to have served me well and I have yet to field any complaints. After all, you can easily get caught up in all that is happening in the fraternity because, for some, freemasonry only requires one night… seven days a week. We have to keep our balance, measure our days, and choose wisely when it comes to creating our own masonic calendars.

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.

Long Night At The Lodge

Simply put, yesterday was a marathon. 26 hours without sleep isn’t very good for the system but it is great for getting things done. What began with my night job quickly transitioned to my new day job. After that I was able to spend a couple hours with my wife before staggering back out the door and off to my stated lodge meeting.

I was already tired by the time I got into the car and the driving did not help the situation. However, as soon as I pulled into the parking lot my eye lids seemed to lift and the weight was removed from my sluggish legs. By the time I got out of the car I was ready to go for the rest of the night and it’s a good thing because it was a long night.

The crowd seemed a little light and everyone looked like it had already been a long week but we all took advantage of the opportunity to catch up with our brothers. It was also a great time to chat with the District Deputy Grand Master (DDGM) who was there in an unofficial capacity and so it was a much more laid back affair. Dinner always goes quickly and soon enough we all began making our way up stairs for the meeting.  The one problem… where was the Secretary?

I knew that the Assistant Secretary was out of town but I was expecting to see all the officers there for the meeting. If he didn’t show up it would have been my turn to sit in the chair and I had very limited experience and really nothing to work with as I don’t have access to the locked office. This had the potential to be very interesting.

With ten minutes to spare, all officers were present and getting ready to go. Our meeting got underway on time and we made a quick night of the agenda to leave ample time for the Shriners presentation to follow. With the meeting over and the presentation concluded it was time to finish up a few things in the office and head across the street for a quick beer.

A small group of brothers gathered around an upstairs table talking about the goals for the following year. It really isn’t too early for such conversations. There are a few great ideas and shifts in mentality that I am looking forward to being a part of when I take office in December. It really is shaping up to be a great start to what I hope will be a longstanding tenure at the lodge.

We all made our way back to the parking lot while still continuing the free flow from our earlier conversation until the only two people we left were me and the DDGM. Unfortunately for him, I can talk. By the time I got back in the car it was about 11:00 PM, dead tired, and excited for both the following day at the office and the following year in office. It was a long day but a great one!