Light Night And Heavy Emails

It was quite clear last night that we are indeed in the darkness of the sweltering summer months as there were only two of us who made it out to the lodge for fellowship. Given the travel that I have been hearing about from various brothers, it was not a complete surprise. Also, and I take responsibility for this one, there isn’t much in the way of communication during this season which leads some to simply forget. In reality, it was nice to have a relaxing evening to catch up with one of my brothers, reflect on our recent efforts, and look forward to the coming months of meetings, events, projects, and objectives.

There are a number of us who remain active throughout the year only taking breaks here and there. Lodge is something that we enjoy and that we want to see thrive during our lives in the lodge so we put forth the effort and do what we can, not just to make good men better but to make good lodges better. However, in my position, I have seen multiple instances (through email, social media, casual conversation, etc.) where brothers think that they are doing what is best for the fraternity but, in fact, they are doing everything to undermine freemasonry in general and our Grand Lodge in particular.

I am not one to name names in this instance, and I am not privy to those names in other instances, so let us simply say that there are many brothers out there that are not holding themselves to the same high moral standards of a mason that they should. They speak about brothers behind their backs and they hide behind fake names and Facebook pages that are, to put it nicely, and despicable disgrace. They seem to forget the traditions, rituals, rules, and standards by which we should hold ourselves and others in this fraternity.

While what is being said bothers me a great deal, it is the fact that they do not stand by their own words by attaching their name to their statements. This is hugely important to me as I hold myself to that basic standard when posting these blogs. If I can’t put my name to it, I don’t write it. Although I haven’t really had anything fall into the latter category. There is a time and place for everything and we all certainly have the right to our own opinion but we should also stand strong in our convictions and opinions. We must also remember the rules by which we live our lives and the moral standards by which we hold ourselves and others. We are here to make good men better, our lodge better, and the fraternity better. It is impossible to do so if we undermine all three as some brothers have chosen to do.

More Sleep?

It used to be that I would look forward to daylight savings time either for the extra hour of sleep or the extra hour of work. Either way, the following morning was just a little bit better. This year, things are a little different. While the potential is still there for an extra hour of sleep it was really more like an extra hour to stay up and get work done. And the morning presented a new slate of issues.

A few weeks back, each of us needing a bit of a respite on the weekends, my wife and I each took a day to sleep in. After a long work week, I preferred to take Saturday morning to remain in bed until 10 while my wife took Sunday to get a little extra rest before the week got started. It is a system that should work well but there are a few hiccups along the way a big one happening this morning.

Our son has been having a few issues sleeping during the week which makes him a little extra tired over the weekend. Of course, it doesn’t help that he insists on getting up at the same time each morning no matter what time he fell asleep or if he stayed unconscious during the night. Needless to say, there were a few rough nights leading up to daylight saving time and even though the dial on my watch may have moved back, the timer in our son’s head didn’t get the memo.

By the time I got him out of bed he seemed a bit out of sorts. It may have only been an hour to many but it made a huge difference to us as we were woken up at the old time. While I always enjoyed the extra hour of rest before, I never truly appreciated that hour until this year. That is a long hour when the bonus time was used to stay awake the night before. Turns out, that wasn’t the smartest thing to do.

Of course, the true impact of the time change didn’t really hit our son until this evening when what he thought was bed time was approaching… after all the windows had been dark for a while so it must be time to sleep. That was the longest hour of the day. But there were some lessons learned and mental notes taken for next year. Maybe the same mistakes won’t happen again when we adjust the clocks in the spring.  

Summer Masonic Schedule

The dark months are upon us but the lodge remains active. I think I have received more emails over the past few days (at least ones that aren’t junk) than I have over the past month prior. Attendance for fellowship seems to remain steady as the reports back have been positive from both those instructing and new brothers trying to pick things up. While the petitions may be down this year, the new brothers that we have raised over the past year and a half continue to impress us all.

These ‘dark months’ really show all the minor issues that a lodge may have. Our lodge is by no means perfect, but there are fewer and fewer imperfections that can be seen during the summer. With that said, even if they cannot be seen does not mean that they are not there. The difference is the light which is cast by each brother which overpowers those minor faults and allows them to be addressed. That is what we are now witnessing.

The first half of the year is now behind us and while there have been great moments and not so great instances the lodge remains strong and on track to return to the position of prominence in the district and local community that we once held. We have accomplished a lot in these first sixth months following a spectacular year and the second half of this year looks to be an appropriate encore to the success we experienced in 2014. Maybe not the same kind of success, letter for letter, but a different kind with the common trait of helping us to grow, to strengthen, and to flourish.

As I wrote before, we are already planning for next year but, at the same time, making sure that this current year is full of fellowship and fraternity. There are a roster of events that we are all looking forward to which begin next week when a growing group of us will be attending meetings at other lodges both within the district (shoe time) and on the other side of the Commonwealth. We are going to these meetings as a lodge, not as individuals.

With that said, it is nice to have a little flexibility in my schedule now allowing me to catch up and plan for the fall. Many of these summer events also give me the opportunity to bring my family and not have to choose where I spend my time. It is the best way to spend the summer and something I have been looking forward to all year.

Light In The Dark Months

Throughout this past week I was doing my usual preparations for the stated meeting although the June meeting is a little different. Just like any job that you enjoy sometimes you just need a little break. This is time of year when we hope that the temperature isn’t too high outside and the meeting goes quickly. By June we are all itching for a little vacation.

The meeting on Thursday night was excellent. There were great proposals and others that we will continue discussing in the future… it is safe to say that we are all looking forward to a new kitchen. It was also a slightly more relaxed meeting as June meetings usually are. Finally, toward the end of the evening, I made the motion that everyone had been looking forward to… I made the motion to go dark until the September meeting.

However, there is still a lot of activity that will be taking place during the warmer months. In addition to the continued fellowship there are other meetings to attend, events to bring our families to, and plan that need to be finalized. And, for me, it is a time to catch up on the communications that have been slightly lacking and completing the tasks that will make the rest of the year much easier.

Of course, during this time we all have another job that needs to be done… the number of petitions this year has shrunk significantly from the previous year. We all know good men whom we see every day or on occasion. Now, during this down time, is the chance to talk with them about the fraternity and the opportunity that those good men have to be better.

This is also the time when I think back to the first time that I walked through the doors of the lodge. I had stopped by Grand Lodge the week prior and was subsequently introduced from one of the brothers from Ardmore. In between these meetings I had the chance to meet with my uncle, talk about the fraternity, and have him sign my petition.

It was a sweltering summer afternoon when I met with my future brother at the IHOP half a block down the street. We spent the better part of the lunchtime hours discussing my interest, motivations, and what I am looking to get out of becoming a mason. We also discussed his extensive experience. Our meeting then moved to the lodge where he walked me through many of the then foreign rooms before he took my petition and we went our separate ways.

Many months later I received my degrees but I will never forget that afternoon. That afternoon during the dark months of 2012. It is safe to say that these months aren’t truly dark when you can so easily find masonic light in the pages on the calendar. We may not be convening at the lodge for meetings over the summer but the fellowship, brotherhood, and commitment continues throughout the year.

Putting The Pieces Together

Welcome back from the dark months!

Not long after I arrived at the lodge last night, the windows began rattling and the clouds opened up pounding the pavement just beyond the basement wall with a late summer thunder storm. As the rhythm of the weather played loudly in the background, I sat at my makeshift desk and planned out several overdue tasks. Before long I was joined at the lodge by other brothers trying to get that last bit of work done before the meeting.

In just a couple of days, we will be sitting in the sweltering lodge room resuming our usual meeting schedule after a couple of dark months. Still being new to Freemasonry, I keep trying to think of the different things that I will have to do during the course of the meeting. Tonight was the final preparation before diving back in to the usual program.

The last week or so I have been scrambling to finish up a number of summer tasks and placing overdue orders that will, hopefully, last until this time next year. Actually, since much of the material I am ordering is for new masons, I hope that I have to receive another shipment sooner rather than later. Either way, this crop of invoices should be arriving in the mailbox soon.

Of course, that was only a small group of things that needed to get done. There are other items on my list that kept getting pushed further and further back until late last month and this past holiday weekend. Thankfully, part of the time that I took off from work I was able to dedicate to checking off those items including sending the notice and getting the minutes done from our previous meetings month ago… I really have to get a better routine together for knocking those out as I can’t keep pulling them together last minute.

Even with all the work that had to get done and a hint of uncertainty for this quickly approaching meeting, I am looking forward to seeing all the brothers coming together once again for a meeting. While there is a certain amount of stress leading up to each evening at the lodge, I still find the time within those walls to be a tremendous respite from the everyday grind. Maybe with a better schedule, I will be able to enjoy those nights even more.

So, the dark months have once again come and gone. A whole new set of tasks awaits us in the coming months as we push forward in an attempt to meet the goals we set forth at the beginning of the year. Hopefully, the momentum from late spring was not lost and new petitions will be waiting for me on my desk. It really is an exciting time of year and one that I am looking forward to (even if the lodge room feels like an oven).

A Few Degrees Before Going Dark

 

Extra meetings can become somewhat routine if you let them and in June that feeling is what keeps many brothers from turning out to lodge to witness or participate in degree conferrals. While this isn’t an issue for me (I rather enjoy being a part of a brother’s Masonic journey) I have heard of this and seen this be the case with some of the brothers that I have spoken with or seen at these fraternal milestones… I saw plenty of heavy eyes during my own degree conferral (of course it was a one day class that took up much of the day). There are times however when things are changed up and something a little different is introduced into the evening.

Last night I had the pleasure to watch the Shield & Square Degree Team confer a degree on a new brother. This dedicated group of current and retired law enforcement brothers really know their stuff and the entire degree was not only spot on but you could tell that they really put a lot of work into making the night come alive. It was especially gratifying to witness this degree as the brother who was at the center of the evening first reached out to me shortly after I took office. I have literally been a part of the process from beginning to the times that the DDGM handed him his dues card and I am incredibly proud of that fact. I know he is going to be (actually he has already proven to be) an excellent and dedicated brother.

If that wasn’t enough, we also conferred two more degrees last night. While the late hour and steamy weather (again, no air conditioning in the lodge room) made the evening seem that much longer, it was a night that seemed to end before it really got going. Actually, I don’t know if it was the night or if it was the fact that this was the final meeting before going dark for the next two months but just as I feel I am finally finding my stride it is time to take a break.

Even though there are times when I am constantly running around before heading up stairs, I am going to really miss those meeting nights at the lodge. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of work that I will be doing but the fellowship is what this job is really about. Thankfully, there are plenty of Masonic events that I will be attending and writing about over the summer and the fall looks to be particularly busy. It is for this reason that I can’t wait for the weather to cool down.