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.

Where Did That Come From?

Every week on the calendar slowly builds until you turn the page and see the stated meeting on the first Thursday of the month. That was definitely the case this month as we have been working since the beginning of the year on the program and outreach for First Responders Family Night at the lodge (an excellent program initiated by the Right Worshipful Grand Master). It has been months of calls, emails, meetings and overall coordination to bring this night to fruition. I am glad that the night is behind us but I am also proud of the work that we did to make it happen as everything went as it should (even with the extra 45 minutes added to my commute getting to the lodge) and all those present went on their way happy to have been a part of it.

All told, we had seven departments represented during the open meeting totaling over 235 years of service to the community (keep in mind that one brother served an astounding 70 years). What made the night even more special was the fact that of those men honored, two were members of the lodge, one became a member that night by way of transfer, and one approached me beforehand looking to transfer in. That is a pretty special honor and a tremendous compliment to the lodge that we are being sought out by these men.

Personally, I noticed a change in myself during the meeting as was later confirmed by one of the more senior brothers in the lodge when he stated that something must have changed because he could hear everything that was said throughout the evening. For the first time since I took office back in December, my voice was absent of any hesitance and I was presenting in such a way that commanded attention. I found my Masonic confidence. It wasn’t a conscious decision on my part it was just something that seemed to come out. Hopefully it came out in the right way although it seemed to have as the reviews were positive beyond the aforementioned volume aspect.

So it seems that last night was a turning point both for me but the same seemed to hold true for the lodge as well. We have been seeing a gradual increase in interest over the past few months, maybe even the past year, and now things seem to be accelerating into summer. And while we usually have a two month respite during the depth of the heat laden months, I hope that we remain busy, continue to pique people’s interest, and head into the fall with a group of brothers and candidates eager to get involved and contribute to the great work being done in and by the lodge, our lodge, my lodge.