Back Behind The Desk

After the rush to get things done last week, it was nice to return to the lodge for the first, post summer, stated meeting. As always, there were a few hiccups leading up to it but the night went by smoothly so I am not really in the position to gripe. And while it was a much more relaxed gathering (as this particular month usually is) we were able to get a number of things done and make progress on a host of other projects.

Of course, with the heat still lingering from the previous month, it wasn’t the most comfortable meeting of the year (especially for those of us in tuxedos) but it was also fairly mild in comparison to previous meetings and past years. What I did notice was the mix of brethren that were in attendance representing a large span of years among the small gathering. Each sharing stories about their summer over dinner and enjoying the fact that their monthly routine is now back offering a respite from the week.

The meeting went by faster than I was expecting and before I knew it the brethren were offering their final thoughts and thanks. At this point I couldn’t help but take a little jab at one of the brethren by recognizing him for completing the requirements for the Master Craftsman Award. This is especially impressive given the fact that he has been a mason for less than two years, received his Master Builder Award in the fall, and began his journey through the chairs in December. Of course, there are also other accomplishments in this short period of time but I have already done enough to embarrass him.

This is one of the more enjoyable moments as there are a few of us that will go back and forth trying to embarrass the other but in a good way. We don’t make mention of faults or errors but rather accentuate and inflate the accomplishments and accolades. It may seem like an odd contest to some but it is an enjoyable monthly banter and, clearly, an ongoing inside joke.

By the time we shut off the lights and began walking to our cars, I was already running through the list of things that needed to get done over the next week and the other items that needed to be checked off the list by next meeting. At the same time, I was really enjoying the simple fact that we were back and that I will have the pleasure of sharing another Thursday night with the brethren next month. And it is that feeling of comfort and anticipation that brings all of us back and keeps us active in the lodge. It is also what brings many of us back to the lodge between meetings for fellowship. It is a feeling that all brothers should have every month.

TMI Tuesday: Hi Da Da!

Someone call Sting! Our son already knows part of a Police song!

At some point each night, my wife and I try to unsuccessfully prompt our son to say either “ma ma” or “da da”. Every night and every weekend it is the same routine. When our son got really sick with croup some weeks back, he was finally able to call for his “ma ma” which alleviated the pounding in our heads just a little bit. It was that sad and touching moment when the two of them connected. He knew that “ma ma” would make things a little better and my wife was able to tear up as he said it for the first, second, and third time throughout the day and night. It also proved that he knows how to say it but chooses to remain a quiet little boy most of the time.

It is because of this that my wife has been pushing more and more for our son to say “da da” as she wants me to have the same experience albeit without the running nose and constant crying (bonus for me). Of course, it is just like our son to say “da da” the moment we stopped pushing him. It was a moment when we were playing on the couch after having been at the office all day and my little boy was just happy to see me. I forget what I had done to make him smile but soon after he said “da da” in such a way that he wanted me to continue keeping him entertained. It was a spontaneous moment for both of us and an instant reinforced our bond once it happened.

Like many of his achievements thus far he seemed to check it off the list as complete and moved on to the next milestone without any plan on revisiting what he had already accomplished. Hence, I have not heard those simple words since. It was a brief moment but one that will surely remain vivid in my mind for the rest of my life and I look forward to hearing it again when he chooses to do so. Who the heck knows when that will happen again?

I guess this is just another way in which our son is like me, at least that is what my wife thinks. We both tend to check things off the list and almost immediately move on to the next new thing, something that we haven’t done before. With that said, we have our routines and there are times when we both revisit our accomplishments especially when they bring a little happiness to those around us. And this little monkey has certainly made us happy.

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.

What We Have Done And Have Yet To Do…

There is a certain amount of frenetic stress that enters into the picture as a stated meeting approaches and this month that was magnified by the fact that this was going to be our official district visitation. There was a lot of work that went into the meeting which I previously wrote about. Thankfully, everything was taken care of and by the time I got to the lodge the long list of tasks was completely crossed out (due in large part to the assistance that I got from a variety of brothers from the lodge).

Official visitations are an interesting night. There are a lot of different ceremonies and presentations that take place as well as recognition given to those individuals who have earned the honor to be noted in front of all the lodges from the district for their accomplishment. While in an odd turn of events there weren’t any brothers in attendance to be recognized for their long masonic service (we have a number of 25, 50, 60, and 65 year members this year as well as a 70 year member), many of the newer brethren were present.

This group included two brothers who have met the requirements for the Master Builder Award. Having received this honor myself, I know the great sense of accomplishment that comes with this recognition. It continues to be a great mark of achievement for the lodge that we, as the smallest lodge in the district by membership, have nearly twice as many Master Builder Award recipients than the rest of the district combined. This is a distinction that we continue to pursue thanks to the dedication of our new brothers.

However, the greatest honor of the evening was not one presented to an individual. Toward the end of the meeting, the District Deputy Grand Master addressed the lodge with plaque in hand. The efforts of this lodge were being recognized with the Grand Master’s Award. We are the first lodge in the district to receive this award and, again, it is because of the efforts of the lodge as a whole that this was even a possibility. We may be small but we are active, we are growing, and we are motivated to better ourselves, our lodge, and our fraternity.

With all the honors bestowed throughout the night it would be easy to sit back and enjoy what has been accomplished. However, we are already half way through the year and there is still a lot that needs to be done. We have accomplished a lot but, speaking for myself, I know we can do a lot better and I personally can do a lot more. The foundation is here and now is the time when we have to build. 

Encore

While my second term may have officially started late last month, the second year of my service as Secretary of the lodge didn’t really start until the stated meeting this past week. When I look back I am proud of all that we have accomplished as a lodge over the last twelve months and I am glad that I was able to play a small role in ensuring our growth and overall success. Of course, that is all in the past now and we are already moving quickly to get this new year off to a fast start. And during the first stated meeting of the year that is exactly what took place.

We didn’t get the petitions that I had hoped to receive during the meeting but everything else went as planned and the calendar was outline for all the brethren in attendance. There are a lot of items on our list of events, more than last year, and additional support is now in place for new brothers. I guess you could say that it is a natural progression from last year but that is never a guarantee and it was good to see that we are all doing our parts to keep the significant momentum going. Hopefully we don’t have the same kinds of bumps (and drastic detours) along the way that we experienced after this past summer.

It has been a year of mostly highs with a few chaotic moments thrown in to make us appreciate the fellowship and support that we offer one another as brothers. It has also been a tremendous time of learning as there were many times over the course of the past year that I had to step back, take a look at what needed to be done, and educate myself as to the process, limitations, and/or actions that could be taken. In the end, we all came together, grabbed the wheel, and made sure that we turned the corner.

This year there are things that will certainly be easier as I have now done them at least once before but there are also much higher expectations that I am setting for myself as well as my fellow brothers. We need to continue our growth, increase involvement, and make sure that all the processes and programs are set up in such a way that they can be sustained for years to come. Thankfully, given what I have seen from both established and new brothers alike, this new mentality and light that has been found is something that will definitely continue and our lodge will remain a proud example of what Masons can do when they truly consider one another brothers.