Arriving And Departing

Reenactment of a 1857 Masonic Funeral Service
by Jordan-Martin Lodge No. 673  in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

I was a little pressed for time as I arrived at the lodge on Thursday night. Everything was ready for the meeting, and had been ready for a few days, but other commitments and, of course, traffic kept me from having a few minutes to spend some time with the brethren at the dinner table before the meeting. There have been so many other projects, both personal and at the office, that arriving on time and being able to take a breath have been luxuries that have eluded me for much of the year. So why should this meeting be any different.

As I sorted through the pile that I had dumped on my desk, it was nice to see that dues were already coming in as well as a few correspondences from the brethren. These are the two kinds of mail that I actually look forward to receiving so that I can update the ledger and also have some words to share with the brethren at the meeting along with the usual business items. Actually, the only thing that would be better is when I receive a new petition to be read… it has been way too long since I read one during a meeting.

The rest of the meeting was both a continuation of the program from last month by providing some additional information about other appendant bodies and also a new slate of lessons for the new brethren and reminders for the longer standing members. It was interesting to hear about some of the experiences that various brothers have had visiting other lodges in different districts, jurisdictions, and countries. Some of the processes may vary but there are many that are closely tied together which makes the examination process of a visitor an interesting topic of discussion.

The other discussion that we had was on the Masonic funeral and memorial services. While these are open to the public, I have yet to witness let alone participate in either beyond handling some of the preparations required beforehand. This was a hugely important lesson as it is a means to pay respect to a brother who has been called off from labor. It also reminded me to update my form so that if I should pass, my family knows who to contact to arrange for the service… I have seen too many deaths go unnoticed in the lodge because we were never notified having to discover their passing during an annual membership audit.

All of these programs were reviews of information that most of us already know. However, there are some new brothers unfamiliar with these aspects of Freemasonry and the rest of us were definitely due for a reminder. Like many things in the fraternity, we possess the knowledge somewhere in our minds but it is always a good idea to reexamine some of those topics and rituals. We are bound to forget certain details and there is always the possibility of learning something new whether it be the proper way of doing something, the meaning behind it, or simply a different perspective from another brother. After all, we can never know it all and, without practice, we tend to lose what we once learned.

Autumn Day Returns

Last year was the first time that I was able to make it down to Elizabethtown for Autumn Day. As you may recall, it was a very special occasion as many of us converged on the retirement community to attend the dedication ceremony for the Eternal Flame. It was one heck of a day and I enjoyed spending time with many of the brethren from my lodge especially those whom I don’t see often. This year, I was equally excited to be attending Autumn Day but for a completely different reason.

Every once in a while I like to bring my wife and family to various masonic events. We have all been pretty busy this past year but we have been planning for a little while to come together and enjoy the day at Elizabethtown. Not only were my wife and son with me this time but my parents and sister’s family also joined us for the walk around the campus, crafts, food, and other laid back events lining the streets and halls of the Masonic Village. This is what made the day special this year.

The timing of the event worked out well for us as the weather is beginning to cool and our son is enjoying being outdoors and looking at the trees. It was fun walking him around, some pushing in the stroller and some carrying in my arms, and seeing his eyes dart from new sights to new sounds, up and down, and back to mommy and daddy. I enjoying bringing him to these new places and giving him experiences that will hopefully instill in him a desire to see more.

It was also a great time for us all to get out as a family (the first time since the reunion over the summer). This time without the long distance travel and having to stay in an unfamiliar hotel room. We were able to come together for a day trip and have a relaxing (for the most part) day walking around, exploring the buildings and grounds, enjoy some free food, and browsing the arts and crafts the residents have for sale. It was also an opportunity for me to share just a little bit about freemasonry with my family… there are always a lot of brothers in attendance at the event to tell you about freemasonry, their lodge, and their appendant body. This was also a great opportunity for me to find some appendant bodies outside of the city that can save me some commute time.  

For me this was the second year in a row that I have gone down to Elizabethtown. However, I hope to make Autumn Days an annual family trip where we can just enjoy being outside, have great conversations, and watch the kids play in the bountiful open spaces. Something else to look forward to next year (and every year after that)!

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.