Working On My Masonic Calendar

It is that time of year when the calendar seems to scream at me begging for mercy as I strap its legs to a wooden block. It is a process that repeats every fall as we emerge from the ease of summer. And while there are already enough events, projects, and other commitments on my personal and work calendars, it is the lodge calendar that seems to put things over the edge every year. This year has proven to be a particularly difficult one to balance.

Even something as basic as the stated meeting schedule is already met with at least one conflict in December. That was discovered even before I took a closer look at some of other blocks on the calendar. At this point, and this is by no means the end of events coming to the fore, there are certainly going to be some difficult decisions that have to be made moving forward.

Extra meetings shouldn’t be an issue as the schedule someone worked out preventing too many commitments from stacking up in a single week. However, the weekly fellowship will continue to take a hit as I need to limit the nights that I am out of the house while also juggling other events on the calendar… usually I don’t like to be out twice in one week more than once a month (if I can help it). But there are some other events to which I will bring my family such as Autumn Day, the Open House (if it comes together), and the Blood Drive (although there is a conflict that day in December as well).

While I would like to attend meetings at other lodges, be present for appendant body gatherings, and enjoy the fellowship at other communications, it doesn’t seem like that is going to be a possibility this year. I can’t remember a time when my calendar was so overloaded and I am hoping that proves to be an outlier rather than the new normal. Hopefully, the schedule next year will be a little lighter or, at the very least, I am better prepared for the onslaught of commitments.

For now, with so many other obligations I am also having to scale back on my time at the lodge even further this fall as I need to spend time with my family. In the end, family is what has and always will take precedence. Everything else is secondary. And this is something that every brother understands and all of them have supported me in making this decision. After all, our fraternity should make our family stronger.

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.

Summer Preparations

Every once in a while there is an event that comes up during an unexpected time. While there are the unfortunately common times when a masonic funeral service must be arranged within a few days, there are also other, much more pleasant, events for which we must prepare. There have been way too many of the former but, thankfully, I have been able to focus on the latter this week as I did my best to assist with a district picnic scheduled for this weekend.

The casual family gathering was announced in June and we started the many conversations about some of the details that needed to be addressed by the announced date in August but it had been at least a month since any formative conversations had been started regarding the planning. That was until this week when I received a reminder about one of the things with which I was hoping to assist. Actually, the more accurate term would be coordinate.

While it was a bit of a rush to get everything ordered and confirmed, the t-shirts are currently in process and will be ready by the end of the week. Usually I am a little hesitant to make such a claim on a rush order but I know that my cousin will get it done, will get it done right, and will give us a tremendous price at the same time. After all, he has never faltered in the past and I have many brothers and clients that can attest to that fact as well.

Of course, trying to coordinate my own schedule is a completely different matter altogether. I continue to look forward to these kinds of events when I can bring my family and enjoy the time we all spend together. At the same time, there is little flexibility in our calendar and there have been numerous changes as of late that have put many commitments into question. I guess it may be time to pull out the gauge and, once again, measure my days.

It will certainly be interesting as the fall descends upon us and the calendar, once again, begins to fill with various commitments whether they be personal, family, work, lodge, or a myriad of other things. But, for now, it is time to continue preparing for what is my busy season but also my time to enjoy the constant rhythm of work flowing from the office to the lodge to home and beyond. It may be a little odd but keeping busy as the weather slowly cools is what relaxes me.

Final Month Of Preparations

It is always surprising how quickly the summer goes by and how short the respite is from many of the lodge duties that occupy the rest of the year. With less than a month to go before resuming our meetings, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done so that we can have a strong finish to the year. That being said, while the summer is usually a time for me to take a step back and relax for a few moments, I haven’t had the time to do so which makes this final month all that much more difficult.

This is the reality of the balance that we all must strive to achieve between our work, personal, and fraternal lives. While there is one part of me that wants to try and avoid some of the lodge duties for now while I try to catch up on personal and work matters, there is also a side of me that is looking forward to each and every activity, request, and email as they, for some odd reason, tend to balance out the chaos in other areas of life.

That is what we must remember and what many of us forget about the role that freemasonry plays in many of our lives. It is not just a means for fellowship and education, it is a way to bring structure, routine, and ritual to the hectic times in life. It is the regularity and measurements that it brings to our days that can sometimes be the most important role that our fraternity plays in our lives. And sometimes a part of that routine and regularity is the work that is required of officers.

With so much happening in my life right now there is an odd solace in the tasks that are asked of me as Secretary. I know what needs to be done and what projects, events, and meetings lie ahead. But I also know that there are going to be things that will come up now and again that I don’t expect. To believe otherwise would be a fallacy. I guess you could say that is what makes this routine unique and prevents monotony from setting in. So it is with this final month of the season that we prepare for the fall, enjoy the fellowship of our brothers, and return to the foundation of our work.

And The Phone Rings Again…

Another week and another unpleasant phone call. I was in the middle of my workday when my phone rang out from my shirt pocket and when I pulled it out and looked at the screen an unknown number was displayed on my caller ID. After the second or third ring, I answered the call not really knowing what to expect as I have made so many calls the past several weeks that it could have been a call from any number of companies or publications. Well, as Monty Brewster would say, it was from none of the above. It was, in fact, one of those call that I dread but also comes with being the Secretary of the lodge… another brother has been called off from labor.

Unfortunately, over the past few years I have spoken with a variety of funeral homes in the area as well as families of brothers who have been called off from labor. It is never an easy conversation. In fact, it is just as difficult now as it was the first time I answered one of these calls. After all, we are losing a brother not just a number in our membership… a member of our lodge, our masonic family, is no longer with us and all that knowledge that they had attained is forever silent.  

However, I am appreciative of the opportunity that the family has given us to honor our brother one final time. Too often I have found myself finding about a brother’s passing long after the fact. I consider the request to conduct a Masonic Funeral Service as a gift from our departed brother and his family to big farewell and thank him one final time for being a member of our fraternal family for over 65 years. The least we can do is honor this final request.

It is with great melancholy that I write this knowing that these events will be repeated again and again as our brothers continue to advance in age. It is a sequence of events that has become near ritual in recent years. However, as we hear of each brother being called off from labor, we can look to our lodges and see our new brethren take those initial steps in Freemasonry. The same steps that our departed brother took decades prior when their journey was just beginning. Such is the cycle of life and how we honor our brothers past, present, and future.

Quarterly Debriefing

This past weekend a few of the brothers from the lodge made their way across the commonwealth to attend the Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. While I have attended this meeting the past two years and I was considering making a day trip to Pittsburgh, I simply did not have the time to attend. These meeting are always an interesting gathering of brothers from around the commonwealth and I enjoy reconnecting with many of them whom I have gotten to know a little during previous meetings. However, the real motivation which made the decision of whether to attend rather difficult was that, for the second year in a row, our lodge was being recognized with the Grand Master’s Award.

There have undoubtedly been a few obstacles over the past few years and moments when quite a few of us have questioned whether we could continue but we have always pulled together and pushed through those barriers. And that is the real reason why we have been able to achieve such recognition recently. Not only have we been surrounded with brothers of great tenacity but, more importantly, we have brothers in the lodge that can clearly see what the end goal is and what we need to do, or fix, to reach that goal. Thankfully, this seems to be a common thread among many of the brothers that have joined our lodge over the past few years as well… a few of which have already become tremendous leaders in our small part of the fraternity.   

Having now been recognized with two award there is no doubt that the lodge has undergone a drastic change over the past few years and now we have set a new precedent for ourselves to continue the progress that we have made during this rather short period of time. The truly exciting aspect of this is that we have the leadership and new members that not just make that a possibility but a probability. I am not going to predict another Grand Master’s Award for this year but there will definitely be at least one more presentation made in the near future. After all, we have already accomplished a great deal and seeing the brothers continuing to invest in the lodge and in one another makes this almost a sure thing.

But, as was the case in the past, awards are not our point of focus. Education, fellowship, participation, and leadership are what will bring about the change that we all hope to achieve. If we can focus on these four foundation principles while maintaining our motivation there is nothing that will stop us from making our lodge the jewel of the district and one of the leaders in our jurisdiction. Do this and the rewards will be a natural result of our transformation.  

No Shoe For You!

The last couple of years we have been able to round up the brothers and converge en masse in Conshohocken to take the shoe for the remainder of the year. It seems as though, like many things, time has gotten away from me a bit and the reminders weren’t as frequent as they have been in the past. This was clearly an issue last night as our turnout to the last official district visitation of the year wasn’t nearly what it had been during our previous efforts. Because of this we all got in our cars knowing that another lodge would be holding the shoe until the calendar changes.

However, while we may not have walked away with the shoe, it was a great night when I was able to reconnect with some brothers I had not seen since this same meeting last year while others I was meeting for the first time… at least I think it was the first time. It was during these moments of re-acquaintance that some of the best conversations of the evening took place and I was able to find many more commonalities with a few of my brothers which I had not realized previously. Of course, as usual, there were also moments when I realized more clearly just how much more I have yet to experience in the fraternity.

The meeting itself is always a little odd for me as I am used to sitting in the east for the duration and actively playing a role in all meetings. Sitting on the sidelines for the entire meeting is something that I am simply not used to doing. I can’t tell you how many times that I nearly stood up when I heard only two raps from the gavel. That being said, there were things that I was able to observe from this perspective as I watched another secretary take charge. There were some things that I didn’t prefer while there were other items that I will certainly incorporate moving forward.

However, there was a singular moment that caught me completely off guard. As the names of those brothers that were suspended was read to those in attendance, my mind stuttered a little when I heard a brother who shares my family name was no longer in good standing. I guess this year my work will have to go beyond my lodge and I need to improve my communication not just with the brethren but within my own family as well. After all, no matter you endeavor, which is how we learn and that is how we band together both as brothers and as a family, separately and together.

Fellowship… With Horseshoes

It was nice knowing that when I arrived at the lodge last night that there were no emergencies, no meetings that needed to take place, and nothing that needed to be completed that night. It was an opportunity to go to the lodge and enjoy the fellowship while casually discussing topics that happen to come up in conversation. What I didn’t expect was that those conversations would be happening over a game of horseshoes in the back yard.

I honestly can’t remember the last time that I tossed a horseshoe across the grass in the hopes of hearing it ring on the post. It has probably been at least fifteen years since I flipped the steel from my fingers so there was quite a bit of relearning taking place throughout the evening. Of course, the last time that I recall playing was simply as a fill in while one of my uncles took a break so there wasn’t much of a technique to be found in my past either.

The most important part of the whole evening was that fact that we could enjoy the fellowship with our brothers without an agenda to be mentioned and we were able to get to know one of our newly raised brothers a little more and in a relaxed setting. While we have had conversations in the past and I have spoken with him at great length, there is something to be said about seeing a person’s personality during a casual competition. Safe to say, more so than I was before, I am glad to have this new mason as my brother.

It is this type of environment that I would like to see constantly fostered and built upon as we move forward. This is a return to the way brothers used to interact with one another all over the world not just at lodges here and there. This is what we need if we are going to see our lodge and our fraternity as a whole thrive in the coming years and decades. Brothers of all ages and experiences simply going to lodge to enjoy the fellowship found in our fraternity.

Nights like this are part of why I decided to become a mason. It is not just about learning something new and striving to be better men, it is a brotherly bond that you share with your fellow mason, with whom you truly enjoy spending time with at the lodge and beyond the confines of the building. This is certainly something that I have to improve upon and embrace as I rarely see the brethren outside of a masonic setting. I guess I have another goal for the summer.

Different But Similar

There have been several occasions when I have heard people compare the first meeting with a candidate with that of a sales meeting. I wholeheartedly disagree with this premise. Meeting with those men interested in becoming masons should never involve any kind of sale whatsoever and should never come across as such. Meeting with a candidate for the first time should be a time to answer questions and start and interesting conversation. At no point during such conversations have I had the goal of getting a petition signed… my objective has always been to have a great conversation.

By approaching the process in this way it allows all the cards to be put on the table. The potential candidate gets to know me and I get to know them. We find our similarities and, sometimes, we discuss our differences. While I do my best to answer any questions they may have about freemasonry and give a very broad overview of the lodge, the fraternity, and the process of becoming a mason, it is a very open and broad conversation as a whole. Right or wrong, this is how I approach these opportunities to meet interesting people from the community.

This was the case last night as I had previously coordinated a time to meet with a prospective candidate last week. After a brief introduction and welcome, we made our way into the hall and sat at one of the dining tables to simply have a conversation and to get to know one another. Over the course of the evening there were a number of other brothers who introduced themselves and joined the conversation and by the end of the night we had discussed a wide range of topics. However, the most important part of the evening was that we were able to learn a little about him and he was able to learn a little about us as individuals, the lodge, and freemasonry in general.

As we talked about our families and the reasons why freemasonry piqued our interest there were a number of commonalities in our perspectives and in our lives that wouldn’t necessarily be evident to someone who would simply see the two of us talking. The reasons for our interest in the fraternity are nearly identical and we are both interested to learn about our grandfather’s lives within freemasonry. However, he did surprise me by the end of the night by immediately completing a petition on the spot. This surprised me both because I didn’t expect him to do so (I never go beyond handing someone a petition and asking them to think about it) and because it is the same way that I would have reacted had I been given the same situation.

Again, I walked toward the parking lot reinvigorated by the night and excited to have another good man interested in joining our lodge and becoming part of this fantastic fraternity. I consider myself very lucky for having witnessed that same passion and excitement so many times in so many good men over the years (especially over the last several months). There is a lot to be thankful for and a lot to look forward to during the second half of the year.

A Shared Journey

As I sat at my desk and opened my lodge folder, I couldn’t believe that it had been over a year since I found myself participating in a degree conferral. At the same time, I was excited at the prospect of being able to attend extra meetings throughout the remainder of the year. There have been some good men who have already entered the fraternity and a number of other men who have demonstrated interest. Additionally, we have already had some great brothers transfer to our lodge. It is quite the interesting group that we have brought together but also a group of brothers passionate in their own ways about the freemasonry and eager to do their part to improve the fraternity.

I have always enjoyed extra meetings as it is a time when we all come together to continue someone on their masonic journey but it is also a time when we are a little more relaxed when beyond the outer doors. The same can be said about fellowship nights but there is something about the purpose and importance of degree nights that resonates on a much deeper level for me. The simple fact of the matter is that we are all choosing to be at the lodge and participate in these important occasions not just because we believe it to be expected of us but because we enjoy the company of our brothers.

Throughout the night there was a welcoming atmosphere felt by all, newly passed brothers and all others sitting in chairs and on the sidelines. To my recollection, this is a completely different feeling than that which I experienced during the last conferral for which I was in attendance. And it was a great mix of masons from those who are approaching 50 years in the fraternity to those who upon which the last bestowed. All of us present for a singular purpose… to further our collective progress on our respective masonic journeys.

These are the nights when I walk back to the car and drive home feeling as though I have helped to accomplish something… I have participated in something much great than myself. While this is certainly part of stated meetings as well, it is a much more pronounced emotion following the conferral of degrees. What is additionally satisfying about these nights is that soon the men whom I witnesses advancing to the next degree may be the ones conferring those degrees in the future. After all, while I wasn’t present for the meeting, I know that it has already happened once during my short time as a mason.

Busy On Two Levels

When I arrived at the lodge last night I was not surprised to find that I was the first one to pull into the parking lot. Somehow, despite having left the office a little later than usual, I made it to the lodge in nearly record time… why can’t this be the case on meeting nights? After saying goodnight to my son and making my usual stop at the post office, I unlocked the double doors, turned on the lights, and immediately headed for the coffee maker. Still reaping the benefits of making that donation!

After getting a few more things done on the computer and with the coffee cup nearly at half full, I took a break from the illuminated screen and headed out the front door to enjoy the fresh air and the congested sounds of the modern main line. Like many nights before, it was only a couple of minutes and a few phone calls later that our first candidate turned the corner and made his way up the stairs. I really enjoy seeing a motivated candidate at the lodge on these nights.

It is great to get the updates from their perspectives as well because we need to know not only if we are doing our jobs in preparing them but we need to know how everything is being perceived. After all, anyone who has participated in degree work know that it is a combination of substance AND presentation (which includes the ritual). These are the first experiences that a man has as a mason and a memory that will last a lifetime so we need to take the time to make sure that we are on point.

Over the next ten minutes or so, many more brothers walked up and into the building filling the social hall and lodge room with the sounds of good work and education being done. The lodge has come a long way from when I first started attending these fellowship nights soon after being raised. The attendance is certainly up and the dedication in many of the brethren is clear. We have always had a few that put forth the time and energy to guide candidates and now we have many all shining lights on the path.

What is even more reassuring is the fact that we also have other candidates in process and at least one more petition that needs to be read. We are moving forward and there is a difference that can be felt among the brethren. There is a passion in our ritual, a dedication in our words, and a heartfelt commitment in our actions… this is the true difference between a lodge maintaining the status quo and one that is a living and breathing fraternity inspired by the light in each of our fellow brothers. And those lights are getting brighter.

Third Masonic Birthday!

While I usually write about what is currently going on and sometimes complain about some of the things that have come up during the previous week, this post is a little different. This is not a post about the lodge, this is a much more personal essay as today I celebrate my masonic birthday and look back at the drastic changes that have taken place in my life over those past three years. It is hard to believe that it has already been three years but, at the same time, it seems like I have been a part of the lodge for much longer and known the brethren for my entire life.

I can still remember the day in the summer of 2012 when I decided to take a chance and I walked through the doors of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania to inquire about becoming a mason. I had just finished my morning meetings and I decided to finally act on my desire to learn more. That meeting was the turning point for me as I was no longer simply thinking about becoming a mason but was actually doing something about it.

In the following weeks I sat down with my uncle both to ask a few questions and to have him sign my petition. This was soon followed by a meeting with one of the trustees of the lodge (coordinated by the Grand Lodge) who both took the time to get to know me and gave me a tour of the lodge itself. As the months passed things slowly fell into place as I sat down the committee of inquiry (along with my wife) and simply talked about life and why I had decided to become a mason.

My reasons were quite simple… Freemasonry is a part of my family history and it is something far greater than myself. The connections that we have as brothers is something that I have been seeking for some time and something that too few people truly appreciate. Additionally, it allows me to be myself, strengths and flaws, while still being supported by my brothers. But, at the same time, we are held accountable for our actions and guided by one another to ensure that we continue to follow the right path. We are equal but unique and all striving to be better men.

Unfortunately, due to the chaos that was my work schedule at the time, it wasn’t until the one day class on April 27, 2013 when I was finally able to receive my degrees. However, I did make it a habit to join the lodge for dinner every month leading up to my degree conferrals. I will never forget having my uncle sitting on one side and my mentor (with whom I had been speaking with for months prior) on the other. It was a feeling of having my family with me and a means of introducing me to an extended family… all over the course of a Saturday morning.

As soon as I was raised, I began getting more and more involved at lodge. I immediately starting pursuing my Master Builder Award, received my 32^nd degree through Scottish Rite, and was elected Secretary in December of that same year. It was already proving to be quite the journey and quite the change all within the first 8 months of becoming a mason. And while it has been difficult at times to get up to speed on certain things (especially since I was a participant in a one day class), the support I immediately received from my brothers constantly reassured me that I made one of the best decisions in my life when I decided to become a Mason.

Throughout the past three years, I have been proud of my association with Freemasonry and the work that we have done at the lodge. This fraternity has introduced me to experiences, people, places, and events that have proven to be invaluable moments in my life. It is also something that has given me a greater purpose both during those first few months when life was a bit up in the air but also in the years since as I have continued to look for ways to include my family and in my attempts to leave at least a small legacy for my son.

While there are certainly times that I have been guilty of complacency and there have been moments when I have had to make tough decisions, there is not much that I would change about my life. And while most of the moments in my life that I will continue to cherish involve family there are also many moments that meet that criteria that would have never been possible had I not taken the chance and decided to take action by walking into the Grand Lodge that day in the summer of 2012. Most Masons know that it is the first three that form the foundation to your masonic life. Well, I am now three years in with decades to go!

Unable To Commute To Lodge

While I usually am at the lodge on the Tuesday before a stated meeting, this month it was impossible to maintain that routine as I was in Atlanta for the first half of the week. However, unlike those nights of preparation in the past, it is a great feeling knowing that there really isn’t much that I have to concern myself with for Thursday night. The notice is out, the notes are typed, and all the documents, communications, petitions, etc. are neatly organized in my folder. The only thing that is lacking is the usual stack of bills that need to be read… this is an ongoing issue with the post office to which we are working on a solution.

This year, for the first time in a while, I have been consistently looking forward to being at the lodge. Of course, there are minor things here and there that still have to be worked out and the work load seems to be growing exponentially as of late but it is a different feeling at the meetings and there is a different overall demeanor to those in attendance. With many things smoothed out and petitions once again coming in, there is an optimism present that was hard to find at times in the past.

With next month being our official visitation, I am looking forward to welcoming the brethren from around the district to our lodge. We have made progress since the last substantial gathering and I am proud of the work that we have done to improve the lodge and the building. It really is a testament to those men that I am fortunate enough to call brother as there have been countless hours devoted to improving our small part of the fraternity. This is all due to the brothers who have taken on additional responsibilities and made the effort to thrive in their new roles.

Of course, this would not have been possible without those masons who have at time held the lodge together and in other periods, such as we are experiencing now, encouraged the growth of the lodge and the initiatives of motivated brothers. All of these brothers have made this a worry free business trip for me and I am thankful for this sense of freedom between meetings. I just hope that we can continue this growth and involvement not only this year but for years to come and but the looks of things that will be a reality, our new reality.

A More Complicated Petition

Well, it should be no surprise to anyone who read my post yesterday that I didn’t make it to the lode last night as I was recovering from my second serious car accident in the past ten days. However, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been working on a few things for the lodge. In fact, I have been working on a rather interesting petition as of late that has been an ongoing project since the last stated meeting. While most petitions are pretty straightforward, this one in particular has had a number of details that have made it a great learning process both for the petitioner and also for me.

The situation is rather simple in that the candidate already petitioned another lodge which presented said petition at their last stated meeting. Following dinner last month at my lodge, he expressed a desire to join our lodge which is more convenient for a multitude of reasons. Following that meeting and after confirming his intentions, I circled back with the original lodge in possession of his petition. This is when things really got interesting as having not found myself in this position previously, I made sure to copy both District Deputy Grand Masters. After all, I always want to make sure that decisions such as this are by the book and as transparent as possible.  

Fast forward and I now find myself in a friendly back and forth trying to confirm many of the details of the process and double checking the conclusions with both my District Deputy Grand Master and the petitioner. It has been a process to say the least but it has also been a great learning experience and we will have a solution to the situation in short order now that the broad strokes have been taken care of. However, the most important thing that I have made sure not to lose sight of is the simple fact that a good man has shown a desire to become a mason.

In the end, it doesn’t really matter where he receives his degrees (although I have my preferences), the important things is that the fraternity is gaining a solid member. Too often lodges lose sight of this fact and focus on what is best for their lodge. While the betterment of your home lodge is hugely important, we can all agree on that fact, the growth of our fraternity, of Freemasonry as a whole, needs to take precedence. We have to keep in mind what is best for the brotherhood and for the man who desires to become a brother. If we do right by these two, things have a way of coming back to us both as a lodge and as a mason. We must do what is right.

Maintaining The Brotherly Bonds

There is currently a vibrancy at the lodge that I haven’t seen for some time. I have been fielding emails and calls for weeks wanting more information about different programs, dates of when events are scheduled, offers to assist me with some of the initiatives underway, and some are just interested in meeting and learning more about the fraternity. Many of the brothers at the lodge are either active or looking for some way to increase their contributions. I can’t recall a time like this happening over the past few years but I am glad to be a part of it and fortunate enough to see the desire to contribute displayed by the brethren. And I have found that one of the best ways for those brothers to actively participate is to reach out to other brothers.

It is a given that this time of year will bring about names of those which we haven’t seen at lodge in months or years (NPD time) but that tally keeps getting smaller and smaller every time I check the mail and for every brother I find on that list, there are ten brothers willing to reach out to find out what is going on. And that is a big change from the last couple of years. Now we have brothers wanting to be active and wanting to share this masonic experience with other brothers that may have, for one reason or another, lost their connection with the fraternity.

This is a hugely important endeavor for any lodge as we should make sure that all of our brothers should experience the feeling of inclusion that many of us take away from our monthly and weekly gatherings. Furthermore, the effort should also be put forth in reconnecting with brothers that, for one reason or another, have been suspended in recent years. While there are explanations given at the time of suspension, we should never assume that we know the reasons behind our brother ceasing to be included in the membership rolls.

Lastly, and most importantly, we need to maintain constant contact will each and every member of the lodge. This is an undertaking too large for one brother to manage himself but, as a lodge, it can easy be accomplished. Whether a brother moved out of the jurisdiction or is simply of advanced age, they are still our brothers and members of the lodge, and they should be treated as such. The last thing that I ever want to see happen is a brother showing up to lodge and not know anyone. While I don’t expect them to have the same connection that many of the regular attendees enjoy, they are still our brother and they should be familiar as a member of our fraternal family.

Committees And Headlines

At the beginning of the year the lodge basically conducted an overhaul of the building committee with some help from the District Deputy Grand Master. More than anything else, it was done as a means to both streamline the process and add some additional transparency to the decisions being made and options explored. It is an undertaking to say the least and I am grateful to the brothers that are making this happen and getting things in line for the improvements that need to be made to the building.

This past week was the first meeting of this relaunched committee and given the fact that I haven’t heard anything over the past few days, I am glad that this process is under way. But, this new endeavor brings to light an important lesson for the lodge as a whole. Each and every one of us needs to be involved on some level. Some will be officers, committee members, and mentors while others need to be involved by just showing up. It all begins with the stated and extra meetings of course but we also need brothers to be present at committee meetings such as the one that was just held.

And we also need to take things a step further and simply communicate with one another. The lodge needs to communicate with members and members should talk with one another. Not just about the business at hand but also enjoy the company and fellowship offered to you by your brothers. We are a fraternal family and we should take a vested interest in our fellow brothers, help them, work with them (inside the lodge and professionally), support them always, and, when needed, protect one another.

The recently thwarted attack in Milwaukee is something of which we should all be aware. A radical Muslim man was planning on attacking the Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic Center believing that he would be doing G-d’s work. And the sad thing is that there are many in this world that believe that they would be doing G-d’s work should they cause harm to freemasonry. While not as extreme as this recent threat, there are many groups, predominantly “Christian”, that wish to see the demise of freemasonry. It is odd to me not just because of the venomous nature of their words and planned actions but because we, as brothers, welcome all faiths with the common bond of a belief in a Supreme Being, a belief in G-d.

But, rest assured, there is more light in a single lodge than darkness in this world spewing hate in our direction. And, for me, I can promise that I will defend my faith, my family, my fraternity, and myself against such evil not with violence but by continuing to make good men better including myself. By supporting one another, the lodge, our fraternity, and the community as a whole we can ensure our success and that the light of freemasonry remains bright in this word. This is how we win. 

Third Term

It was rather uneventful when the new Masonic year started on Sunday. The long weekend was coming to an end when I received a rather exuberant text message from the outgoing Worshipful Master. It was at that moment when it really became clear to me the nature of my office. When I took the oath and stepped in as Secretary in 2013 I did so not to simply serve a year and move on. I made the commitment to myself as well as other brothers in the lodge that I was going to serve the lodge for the foreseeable future with six years being my goal.

When I made that commitment I knew that I would see officers move through the chairs and Worshipful Masters come and go. I wanted to be the constant that the brothers could count on being at my desk in the east year after year. And while I didn’t fully understand what I was getting myself into when I agreed to take the office, I have come to appreciate both the rewarding and challenging aspects of the job.

And that is what this office really is… a job. I work month after month not just to keep things running as smoothly as possible but, at time, I am also serving as mediator among the brothers, adviser to the officers, and, on occasion, ambassador of our lodge. This is both a behind the scenes position and one that calls for me to be in the spotlight. I guess you could say that there is a certain amount of politics that one has to accept when they decide to sit at this desk.

It is with this at the forefront of my mind that I make the conscious decision each and every month to do the best job I possibly can to try and make a positive impact, no matter how small, on the lodge. Obviously, this has not gone unnoticed and I have been honored to have been reelected for a third term. And the confidence that the brethren have shone in me is certainly something that I appreciate and carry with me each and every day and why I am determined to really make an impact this coming year.

This year, as I mark my third year in office I will also be celebrating my third masonic birthday. It is certainly an oddity to have assumed this level of responsibility so quickly and it is something that I am proud of having accomplished. Three years ago I was still waiting to hear back from the lodge about when I would be receiving my degrees (I ended up participating in a one day class in April) and now I am on the other end of the conversation inviting potential candidates to join us for dinner before our meeting.

Everyone Contributes

Every month I record the donations made to the lodge. The amounts vary but there is a pretty consistent flow coming in through the mail of brothers looking to help boost either the general fund, various projects, or the Change for the Troops program. These are pieces of mail that I am happy to receive and checks that I gladly record in the ledger. And there is an even greater flow of donations going out at the same time. However, while the financial contributions of many are welcomed and greatly appreciated, it is the other donations that truly make a difference.

Over the past year we have received donations of various equipment for the lodge to use. The largest of these contributions was of an entire keyboard and speaker arrangement that we are now using to accompany both the stated and extra meetings. Recently we also received two laptop computers to replace the antiquated tower languishing in the basement office. Not only are they newer models but they are also, obviously, portable allowing us to conduct business throughout the building. We also came into procession last fall of an industrial copier/printer formerly used in a political campaign that has been a tremendous help turning out dozens of copies whenever we have needed them.

However, the greatest donations that we receive is of time and expertise. There have been countless instances during the course of the year when professional council has been received to address both issues that have arisen as well as to move projects along. These brothers have given of both their time and expertise to further the lodge (our kitchen renovation is a perfect example of this generosity). We have also had many brothers contribute their time to help man events, clean out sections of the lodge, hold offices, mentor other masons, and just get things done. Time is an all too precious commodity for many of us and the number of hours that have been donated to the lodge is truly staggering.  

I guess the most important thing that many of us need to remember is that financial contributions are appreciated but donations of time, energy, and expertise are what lodges really need to thrive. It is not only a means of getting things accomplished but it also brings us closer together as a masonic family when we work as one toward our goals. We may not all have the monetary means to support various efforts but we have time and skills that hold much greater value in our fraternity. After all, we all become richer people when we truly value ourselves, one another, and the fraternity.

Not In The Newsletter

It is that time of year again when we take a few minutes over the summer and let the brethren know about what we have planned for the rest of the year. It is a very similar process to the monthly notice but in an unofficial format and capacity. This is the time when we have a little bit more leeway with what we include. The lodge is closed, most of us are on vacation, and communications are in the form of t-shirt and shorts rather than a tux.

When pulling this mailer together I am always surprised by both all that we have accomplished so far this year and the variety of events and activities that await us when we turn the lights back on at the lodge. It never really seems like that much when you take it month by month but when you step back it all adds up to quite the full year. And, of course, at this point it doesn’t include the things that come up right before and during the meetings… there is always and extra event or five that I hear about during that first week of the month.

However, unlike last year, I am looking back at the year so far and I am surprised by the number of events of which I was unable to participate. There have been a lot of changes at the lodge and a tremendous amount of changes in the lives of many of the brethren (including myself). I guess you could say that many of us have a completely different perspective this summer when we look back at the first half of the year and we make plans for the second half. We all have new commitments and responsibilities that impact (and in many cases enhance) our masonic experience.

Along those lines, this summer project also serves as a personal reminder of what I need to get done over the next several months (all the things that aren’t listed in the newsletter). There are so many small and large things alike with some having become a bit more complicated than they used to be. And, just as there are a variety of events that are brought to our attention each month, there are also a lot of projects that I know will be crossing my desk. Some I have a good idea what they will entail while others are definitely going to be a surprise.

Those are the things that are not found in the newsletter but are what will require my time and attention. It is something that I can’t really prepare for but I can be ready for the shift in my priority list. Those projects that fill in the limited spare time I have after family and work… another portion to be measured out in my day.

  

Lodge Via Email

This is actually pretty similar to what the lodge computer looks like. 

The past week has been a bit of a blur with countless emails having passed by my eyes. We may not have our next meeting until September but the work most certainly has continued. It actually might be the most emails that I have received in a single week between the canceled fellowship last Tuesday to my inability to attend this evening. With not being able to make it there tonight, this means that, due to other commitments, I will not walk through the doors of the lodge for at least another two weeks.

No worries, everyone knows that I am accessible at all times. Sometimes there are periods when we can’t make it to the lodge especially those of us that neither live nor work in the area. Things will continue to move forward without my presence because the lodge, as many of you know, can’t be run by a single man. There are numerous brothers that make the lodge work and ensure that things move along smoothly. No one person needs to be there.

With that said, it is nice to be able to catch up and make sure that various projects are being taken care of. We all check with one another and make sure that the tasks that we set out to accomplish are completed. This is why I get so many emails from within the lodge, the district, and from other lodges across the commonwealth. We all check in on one another, offer assistance, and seek advice on various problems and projects. We work together as a single, unified, fraternity.

However, nights like this I do miss driving down to the lodge and meeting with the brethren. The fellowship is something that I continue to look forward to each and every time that I am able to participate. This has only been amplified over the last couple of years with the increased involvement of new and old brothers alike. It is a great time at the lodge and a great time to catch up on life.

But everyone knows, no matter how active you are in the lodge, you have to have a balanced life. I am still working to find that balance between family, work, and the lodge. Modern communication does help in this regard but it is still far from perfect. I don’t think this is going to be taken off of my list of things that I need to work on in the foreseeable future. But, I will continue to measure my days and do my best to balance my hours.