Thy Will Be Done!

Before our son was born my wife and I had the conversation that we should really consider getting a basic will put together. It is a subject that has come up from time over the past year but there was always something that would come up to take our attention away from what needed to be done. Finally, at the last stated meeting, I was able to pull one of the brothers aside, who happens to be an estate attorney, and got his contact information. Again, it was a very simple will that we were looking for but something that we now, finally, had the time and opportunity to complete.

The impetus for getting this done really had nothing to do with our financial situation or the possibility of us owning a home in the near future. The motivation was much simpler, we want to make sure, should anything happen to us, that our son would be taken care of by those people that we believe would raise him right and would have his best interests in mind. That is really what we wanted to legally put in place leaving no question as to where he would go and who would take care of him.

The process was actually much easier than we were anticipating as my masonic brother was able to pull everything together in less than a week following my email to him with all the information (names, addresses, special requests, etc.) that were required for these basic drafts. Actually, we had two wills drawn up, one for me and one for my wife. Each mirrored the other as we have been in agreement ass to the contents from the beginning. The only difference being that, motivated by previous discussions at the lodge, I specifically requested a masonic service.

Given how easy it was, the fantastic rate which we were charged, and the simple fact that this brother will go above and beyond to assist us and offer us advice, I have already recommended is services many times over to both friends and family. So now the next stop is to the safe deposit box so that we will not have to worry about misplacing the originals. And I must say that it feels great to have this important document now completed and the worry about what we hope will never happen has now substantially subsided. We are now at ease knowing that, should something happen, our son will be taken care of and will be raised the right way.

Change And Experience

Once again it was unfortunately a bit of a rush to get things done this month prior to the stated meeting but, just like every other month, everything was taken care of with a little bit of time to spare. However, one thing that I did notice when pulling everything together was how little time that I have available to attend some of the masonic events that are on the calendar for the remainder of the year. With all that is going on at work and at home, there just aren’t enough days for me to do everything.

Another thing that keeps coming up and will continue to do so for the remainder of the months of the year is the transition process that is fast approaching. While the last twelve months have been a bit trying to say the least, I will be continuing in my office at the lodge. As I have stated before, there have been moments of doubt but the requests from my brothers to stay far outweigh those moments of frustration. While I am sure that whomever succeeds me will put forth the same amount of effort that I have and do the job just as well if not better, those honest and thoughtful requests leave me no other option than to stay… I can’t let my brothers down.

This approaching change in leadership has also lead to some interesting conversations. There are many brothers that have the desire to give of their time and energy in service of the lodge. It has been great to see the letters of intent come across my desk and the conversations of what many of the brothers would like to see accomplished in the near future have been interesting to say the least. The next few months should be interesting and the subsequent years look to be a time of tremendous transition and growth.

However, while changes can be a good thing there have been some questionable statements and there is a strong desire by many, including myself, to ensure that traditions and more experienced brethren both continue and resume certain offices in the lodge. The knowledge that these men possess and the respect that they command in the lodge is something that I think we need moving forward. I guess this is a situation that many lodges are currently facing trying to find the right combination of the experience of long standing members and the desire and ideology of some of the newer brethren. I encourage both but, as freemasonry teaches us all, there must be balance both in the lodge and in our own lives.