Family First

I left the office with plenty of time to get to the lodge and meet with a few of the brothers before the meeting. This is nothing out of the normal except this time I knew when I got in the car that I wasn’t going to be able to stay for long. Because of some other unavoidable occurrence the only thing that I had time for on Thursday night was to check the mail and hand everything off to my assistant for the night. It is an odd feeling every time that I have had to do this and especially since this is the first time that I would be missing multiple meetings in a single year. However, in the end, the brethren understand that family has to come first.

It is during these moments, above all others, that I am glad that I have an assistant that I can count on to take over and whom I trust with the various duties during the meeting. Each time that I have had to leave early for personal reasons I was able to hand everything off, run through the agenda, and get out the door to see to other obligations. At no time have I wondered if something was taken care of in my absences. The past couple of years in particular, knowing that I can count on this brother for the information that I need has been an invaluable resource and I greatly appreciate the assistance of my former mentee.

With that said, I have made it a point to follow up the following day to see what I missed and if there were any action items that I needed to address. More accurately, see what action items I needed to address. Each time that I have made that call I was given a clear rundown of what was accomplished the night before and what I can expect in the weeks to follow. This makes the following meeting that much easier.

I hate missing any night at the lodge but especially a stated meeting. But, as I stated above and as we all hold close to our hearts, family must come first and I have never received any push back for having to miss a meeting for this reason. And each time that I have made the decision to forego the evening gathering, especially this past meeting, I have been glad that I made the right decision. The brethren rely on me to assistance here and there for the tasks that fall under my purview and occasionally for general council but my family needs me during difficult times.

Saturday Afternoon Detour

Final decision... Smith & Wesson M&P 9C

On Saturday I alluded to a stop that I made on the way back from Scranton with my mentee. Well, it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone, at least anyone who has been reading this blog for any length of time, that we stopped by my local gun shop. It was actually one of those instances that everything seemed to work out perfectly… we left Scranton earlier than expected, the trip was fast than anticipated, and it turned out that my passenger didn’t have to get back right away and was free for the afternoon. All of those things added up to a slight detour to enjoy looking at a variety of firearms.

It all stemmed from previous conversations that we had discussing additional carry options for him. An upgrade if you will. I kept telling him that we would eventually make it up to Tanner’s Sport Center so that we could take a look around and see what worked for him. This trip put everything into place so that our side trip made sense. We had the time to drive over there and we had plenty of time, up to Scranton and back, to discuss all the things that he wanted in a new carry gun. By the time we got to the shop I had a pretty good list of things that I wanted to show him for consideration.

Now, I want you to keep in mind that I am fully aware that a firearms purchase, especially one that is going to be carried, is a very individual process. Something that works for me, whether it be caliber, size, weight, action, etc., may not work for someone else. I am not a brand loyal shooter. There are too many options and high quality firearms out there that I couldn’t really settle on one brand, model, and caliber. I have my preferences but I am not going to rule anything out (even the cheaper options have their place).

His list was pretty basic: 9mm, smaller, double stack magazine (10+ capacity with larger magazine options as a plus... we live in a free state), and striker fired. Keep in mind that he was carrying a Ruger LCP at the time. So, with those options as a starting point we walking into the gun shop and began browsing the used gun case. While he was asking the sales person if they had a used Glock 26 I spotted a Smith & Wesson M&P 9C off in the corner of the case. While he had a few doubts at first, he soon realize when he put the two side by side that they were the same size with many of the same features. The only real difference is preference in both appearance and feel.

There were also a few single stacks that we pulled out of the case (Walther, Kahr, Smith & Wesson M&P Shield, etc.) but capacity weighed heavily on his decision. What finally pushed him to make the purchase was the various holster options that seemed to work well for him and the extra magazines that were available on the rack. So, in the end, I guess you could say that I helped to guide my mentee in more than just Freemasonry. In both instances, I am really just there to offer advice and guidance with the final decision being his to make. I’m just glad that I am able to help him with two things that he enjoys.

Masonic Day Trip to Scranton

Thankfully I took yesterday off because the alarm began blaring early this morning. By the time I got out of bed I knew that my schedule was probably not going to hold up. I had arranged to pick up my mentee by 7:00 am but thanks to some heavy eyes and a few undesirable drivers on the road, I didn’t pull up to his front door until quarter after. With a MapQuest estimate of 2 hours 30 minutes we got on the road with just about 2 hours to make the stated meeting of the Pennsylvania Lodge of Research in Scranton.

As soon as we got on the highway and began heading north, it seemed as though we had a chance to make the meeting on time. We had a great conversation over the many miles and I kind of surprised myself as to how much I have been able to absorb over the past year that I was able to relay to him. Of course, it was also nice to have a few things in common so that we were able to talk about firearms, politics, and may other topics that would make some other people cringe.

With a few miles to go I glanced over at the clock and was shocked by the time that was being displayed… we had over 30 minutes to spare (yes, I stayed close to the speed limit the whole way)! A couple of turns off the highway and we were turning down the block to find parking near the Hilton which we found immediately across the street for five dollars (all day rate). I can’t remember the last time I turned into a parking garage and found rows and rows of open spots as soon as I turned the first corner. You could tell that Scranton party town on Saturday morning.

Once we were able to stretch and walk around to recover from the drive we made our way into the hotel and up the stairs to the meeting were we found a few other brothers from around the commonwealth to chat with for the last few minutes before the gavel sounded. The meeting itself was in a form that we were well familiar with the presentation of a couple of very interesting research papers that I look forward to reading at a later date. The meeting ended about an hour earlier than we were both expecting and, instead of trying to get a couple of last minute tickets for the hotel lunch, we walked down the block a little bit where we came across the numerous statues that surround the Lackawanna County courthouse.

 

We continued down the street reading the inscriptions and enjoying the different vantage points of the beautiful building.

 

Before we knew it we had gone around the block and passed what seemed to be a common Rite Aid store until we glanced at the plaque just below the high windows of the pharmacy...

 

…that’s right, it wasn’t just any Rite Aid, it was the first Rite Aid.

We walked a couple more blocks, enjoyed the clean streets and some of the very well preserved architecture…

…before stopping at City Café Mediterranean Restaurant just as they were opening their doors for lunch. The food was good, not great but good, and the prices were excellent. It was a great way to conclude our time in Scranton as we were only a half block away from the parking garage. While it took us much longer to get back than it did to drive into the mountain town, there was good reason for our delay but I will write more about that little detour on Monday. In the meantime, I look forward to returning to Scranton. This was my first time there and I hope to do some more exploring the next time I am in town (maybe next time I can go up there during the week and stop by Dunder Mifflin).