Is This The Beginning Of A Masonic Renaissance?

Time seems to be back on our side!

Things seem to be getting out of hand a little bit at the lodge lately. Our extra meetings are going longer, there are more entries that need to be written in the ledger, a lot of campaigns and projects that are running or being organized, and more brothers that are attending meetings. While it is a little more work than in previous years, all of these things are great for the lodge.

Last night was a perfect example of all of these things converging on a single evening as I found myself running around the lodge for about 5 hours trying to keep up with everything that needed to be done. It was a long degree night with three scheduled and completed. The blood drive signup sheet got a few more names listed. And the ledger was filled in a little more than most nights.

I enjoy the nights when we are doing degree work as I am able to partake in the fellowship that eludes me during the stated meetings. Last night was a mix between the two as I was well prepared for the evening but all the other things that we have going on carried from one conversation to another. Some nights, some months, there is just too much that needs to be done to sit down and eat. I remember the meals when I had not yet received my degrees and while enjoyable, I prefer my current hectic routine. Everything has to be on the go right now because I don’t want to be the one to hold things up even for a little bit.

As this was happening I caught a glimpse of a new petitioner helping with the meal and conversing with his future brethren. It is because of this quality of candidates that we are slowly turning things around and growing the lodge not just in the basic membership numbers but with regard to the participation of the brethren. However, thinking about that time in my masonic life, it seems as though that was the start of this new trend and the growth that we are currently experiencing.

While I am certainly not the reason for this shift (far from it in fact), I am proud to play a small roll in welcoming new brethren to the fraternity and welcoming back brothers to the lodge. There are many masons that I have seen come in and I am excited by the quality of character and desire to learn that each one of them has demonstrated. This is why we are pushing forward and working hard because if we can keep things moving forward this could potentially be the beginning of a Masonic Renaissance.

Party Time In Old City

I prefer a beard!

I was the last to leave the office on Thursday, turning off my computer at half past three and rushing out the door and doing my best to keep the car in the approximate vicinity of the speed limit as I made my way to the apartment. Moments after pulling into the parking lot, changing my shirt, and putting on a sport coat, my dad walked around the corner and I was once again in the car. We arrived in old city just in time to watch everyone strolling down the street to the nearest bar after a long day at the office. While I too was walking into a bar, I headed upstairs to the event room at Prime Stache to help my colleagues prepare for our party.

It seemed like it was only a few moments before our guests began to arrive (including my dad who walked around a bit so that we could prep). We all quickly dove into different conversations with the same thought running through all of our minds… we couldn’t believe that it had already been a year (a little longer for most of us). It was a night to celebrate our success and, more importantly, the hard work and long hours that we all put in to ensure that this day would come. We all took a bit of a risk joining a new venture but it never seemed like a risky move as we have remained confident in both our abilities and our leadership.

Over the past year, primarily over the last several months, I have had to learn to pull back a little from work and spend the time needed with my wife. While the night was going well, my dad and I left a bit early so that I could spend the evening with my wife. Not part of the original plan but something that needed to happen that night. There were still people coming and going when we walked back down the stairs but the drive back out of the city was much faster than it would have been later given the fact that we were driving right at the very beginning of mischief night.

Once I met up with my wife in Bryn Mawr, we settled in for a night of doing pretty much as little as possible. While we didn’t wind up going very far we did manage to entertain ourselves by watching the constant flow of police walking by with teenagers in tow. After a quick trip to Wawa (the Gobbler is back) we settled in at the apartment and rested for what was going to be a hectic end of the week for the two of us.