Resting Before The Labor

This day is one that is interesting to think about as our families were built by men (and women) for whom this day was originally conceived to honor. While some things have changed for a few of us in recent generations affording us the ability to work at a desk throughout the day, there are many, past and present, who make their living in various trades. However, for all of us the day has taken on a lesser role in our lives as the primary means of celebration is that of having the long weekend to enjoy as we please. For us, this is a perfect time to get together with family.

This day is also the unofficial end to the summer which brings hope of cooler weather, convoys of school busses, and the promise of a blazing landscape. The seasons will soon begin to change and talk of the holidays will soon be heard on the radio and seen on the television and in store displays. The day marks a time of annual change beyond the original parameters of the Labor Day holiday as is outlined on the US Department of Labor website:

“The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday.”

While I don’t recall having seen such a format in my life, the means by which we currently celebrate the day seems apropos… we mark the day by not working. However, the irony of it all is that many of the professions and professionals for whom this day was designed to celebrate, find themselves at work. Such is the effect that retail has had on the calendar and the lives of some in this country. A sale is a powerful draw and bringing that business in is what keeps people working. Some might call this a vicious cycle. Of course, I say this knowing that I am not one to turn down a deal and I too have taken advantage of the “Labor Day Sales” that are becoming more and more plentiful as the years pass.  

The seasonal change is certainly upon us and all the sights, smells, and sounds are beginning to permeate the air. It is a time of annual transition which is certainly something that we are anticipating as our plans continue to develop over the next few months. A day off of labor to prepare us for the work that needs to be done for the remainder of the year. That pretty much sums it up for me.

Sunday Search: Planning For 2020

Five years seems a long way off but if it goes by as fast as the last half decade (and especially the last six months) it won’t be long before we are all, once again, heading down to Virginia for another reunion. Over the last couple of months (yes, it has been that long already) I have been thinking about different things to include the next time around and what I would like to see organized by the next time we get together. Some of these things are general ideas while others are specific items I want to finally check off my list (a number of these things I have been meaning to get done for some time now).

Bear in mind, these are things that I hope to do in order to enhance or build upon the fantastic work that has already been done in previous years. We are a big family and it is similar to herding chickens when it comes to getting us all together. Each reunion, from what I have heard since I have only been to two, has been a great experience for all in attendance and a tremendous success overall. Like putting the pieces together in the family tree, I hope to build upon what has already been done.

So, let’s start with the general, yet specific, things that I hope we are able to arrange. The first big one is a project that I am not spearheading (but I will be happy to assist) which is getting the family tree (all branches) loaded onto a website where all family members will have access and can notify us of any updates. This will also be a great place where documents and pictures can be shared and enjoyed by all. I really hope to see this up and running well before the next reunion.   

Personally, I hope to coordinate tours of some of the towns and places where our family once (and still does in certain instances) lived. This was a great experience when we walked around these places over the summer and I hope to have a larger group next time around. Additionally, I hope to have a listing of the local cemeteries where we can find our cousins, grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. Hopefully, we can add a few names to this list as well before the next reunion. Lastly, it would be nice to have access to the local records offices so that we can have basically a group research project. It should be a lot fast with each of us searching for pieces and putting them together at the end of the day.

Of course, there are also numerous goals that I hope to reach by the time we meet again. First and foremost are the applications to the Sons of the American Revolution and the Monacan Indian Nation. The former is purely a formality as we have more than enough documentation to satisfy the membership requirements. The latter is proving to be more difficult as specific documents need to be found in order to prove lineage. It is not an impossible task just a tedious one. However, it will all be worth it in the end.

In addition to the above, I hope to secure some donations for the raffle and coordinate what I hope will be some fun activities. As I think about it, Genealogy Jeopardy or Six degrees of family history could be interesting games to play. Pursuing raffle items could be interesting as well given that there are a variety of books that pertain to our family history, memberships and application fees that would be great auction items, as well as prints and other items that would be great to create (although I don’t think we could do better than the quilt that was raffled off this time around).

I am also curious to pursue various possible partnerships. It would be great to partner with a site like ancestry.com to add another dimension to the gathering. I hope to have mutually beneficial things like this coordinated so that we get some great insights into the family research while they (ancestry or some other site/group) have a perfect opportunity for a case study. After all, many of us are on ancestry already and can tell our family story through the leaves on the trees and the items that we have personally uploaded.

In the end, the most important thing for me to do personally is to keep working on the family history. Not just searching for and collecting the facts, documents, and photos but telling the stories of the family on this blog. Who knows, maybe I can pull enough stories together over the next few years to publish a book. The stories are certainly plentiful, it is just a matter of sitting down and recording the family history.

Returning To Action

I always feel unprepared when returning to the lodge after being off from labor the entire summer. I find myself trying to look back to made sure that I am not missing anything from the past meeting in June that will carry over to the current month. It is also when I know I am going to get questions about the activity during the summer and what the plans are to close out the year. My mind is kind of all over the place when I walk through the doors in September.

While I shouldn’t be surprised, the meeting went as smoothly this month as I could have ever hoped for. Well, almost. It would have been nice of the weather had cooled down a bit and to have more brothers in attendance so that we are not playing catch up before the next meeting but I can’t really complain (too much). However, because of the heat and the absences, my night did end up being a lot shorter than I was expecting.

With the summer holding on to the calendar for a bit longer, the heat of the day carried over into the night and turned the lodge room into a sweat box… this was especially true for those of us who are in a tux during the meeting. Essentially, we were able to have a meeting, reconnect with each other, and lose a few pounds by the time we adjourned to the hall to finish up our program. This is the first time that I can recall (in my very short masonic career) finishing the meeting downstairs and it certainly was a welcomed change by everyone in attendance.

It is while we were in the air conditioning that we were all able to get a better understanding of most of the appendant bodies within freemasonry. Most of us are members of some body beyond the blue lodge but we are all still a little in the dark regarding some of the other bodies (there are exceptions to this as well). The most interesting part of this educational evening for me was learning about each of these bodies directly from the respective officers. There really are a lot of opportunities and different experiences within freemasonry that I hope to enjoy at some point in the future.

The biggest take away for many of us is very simple. While there are numerous appendant bodies and opportunities to join across the wide spectrum of freemasonry, they all trace back to the blue lodge, our home lodge, this small group of committed brothers that work each and every day to help the fraternity in some small way. We all have this same foundation and we each decide what kind of structure we build upon these three degrees. I am looking forward to seeing these buildings progress each meeting and every year.

Firearms Friday: Backyard Family Fun!

 

These days I rarely have time to head out to the range and practice. This is not something I like to admit but it is simply the fact of the matter. However, there have been a few rare occasions when I have found myself looking down the sights at a small target. One of these instances, at the very beginning of last month, kind of surprised me. Not at first… it was a rather ugly beginning… but I was content with the results at the end of the day.

While my wife and I were visiting my sister’s family (only about 90 minutes away from us) my brother-in-law, who enjoys the same relaxing hobby, invited me to take an older single shot rifle in the back yard for some plinking. I was completely unfamiliar with this 22 rifle (it fires 22LR, 22 Long, and 22 Short) and so the initial results were less than pleasing. After about 20-30 rounds, I had walked in the shots and was fairly satisfied with the results. 22 short at 25 yard off hand hitting a quarter size target… not a bad way to spend part of the afternoon.

It really came down to a remembering the fundamentals. The sights were poor on this particular rifle with little adjustment possible. After all, it wasn’t my rifle and we were trading shots every ten rounds (between a right and left handed shooter). Also, I don’t shoot a lot of 22 short. All of these are minor things if you just step back and keep the basics in mind.

The first ten shots were really just fun rounds and the results (or lack thereof) showed that fact quite clearly. After that I went through my range routine a little more deliberately than usual. Getting a solid, locked, and quiet stance, lining up and stabilizing the sights, controlling my breathing, and slowly pulling the trigger straight back. After that, with little ability to actually zero the rifle, it was a matter of tracking the shot, watching for the impact, and adjusting the hold accordingly on the follow up.

It is with this extra focus and routine that I was back to relaxing at the makeshift firing line. After all, most of the time it really isn’t about what you are shooting but on the shooting itself. When you focus on that the results will follow. After all, that is what many of us look for when we seek relaxation at the range.

The Gifts Keep Coming

It felt like this for a while. 

During the course of the year we have received countless gifts from friends, family, and coworkers for our son. Having now lived through this, I can say that this is the time in life when you see the greatest amount of generosity. The first couple of months of the year saw the greatest deluge of packages and envelopes, but there is still a light trickle of gifts even as we head into the fall. It is pretty amazing the amount of items we have received over the months and we continue to be thankful for each and every item that we receive (even the ones that we return or exchange).

Admittedly, it can be a little daunting at times with the amount of stuff that has accumulated in our house but, in the end, it is all stuff that we have had to purchase anyway. It is interesting to think about the number of things and boxes that we originally moved into the apartment four years ago, the increased amount of stuff that we moved from the apartment to our current house, and the volume that will have to be packed and moved to our next home. And I am sure that the accumulation won’t stop there either.

I wish that I was as thoughtful as many of the people that we have in our life. Time and again, I have been presented with the same or similar opportunities and for one reason or another (usually finances or forgetfulness) too long a time passes and the opportunity is gone. I certainly have to get better at this as it is also a time to pay it forward and show the same generosity that has been shown to us. Hopefully there are many more opportunities coming up.

Sometimes I forget about just how great many of the people in our life are and this experience has been a clear reminder of quality of people that we have in our life. And don’t get me wrong, it is not about the numbers. Some of the greatest (and many time most useful) items have been the small thoughtful things that served us well during this learning process. Sometimes it wasn’t even a gift. There have been many times when the help or a willing ear have meant a great deal when we needed them. The gifts have only proven even more how much others car about us and our son. That is what it is all about and that is what we try to convey to our son each and every day.

Progress And Questions

Don't let this be your last question!

With the notice having gone out at the beginning of the week, I felt much better heading down to the main line to take care of a few things before the stated meeting this Thursday. I got to the lodge a little later than usual last night having had to run a few errands after work. By the time I arrived, the lights were on, the doors unlocked, and the brethren were already hard at work moving a few of the heavier items out of the kitchen. As soon as I walked into the small space I knew the best thing that I could do is stay out of the way and sort through the freshly collected mail.

The kitchen has been the primary lodge improvement project while we have been away during the summer and things seem to be progressing nicely. Actually, the space is looking completely different having been gutted, painted, and upgraded thanks to many of the brothers who have campaigned tirelessly to get the work done. It is the first of many on a long list of improvements that need to be made and, thankfully, the trustees have a schedule already formed as to when all the items will be checked off the list.

Once the heavy lifting was completed, I was finally able to catch up with a few of the brethren whom I haven’t seen all summer. We have all been at the lodge at various times but never at the same time until last night. There was a long list of things that we needed to talk about and it was nice to finally have the time to discuss many of the situations that we dealt with throughout the summer. This was also a time that afforded me the opportunity to discuss some potential projects with brothers who know what the heck they are doing rather than someone (me) who doesn’t have the background to go beyond the idea stage. This is only the latest of such situations/conversations.

And this is something that we sometimes lose sight of during the course of the year. The brothers with whom we spend time with every month (or every week) are not just family, they are professionals from all different lines of work. While certainly far from the focus of our fraternity, it is important to remember that there are always brothers with different experiences, occupations, backgrounds, and training who are willing to help no matter if it is personal, work, or lodge related. All you have to do is ask. Sound familiar?

TMI Tuesday: What Rhymes With Poop?

Well, the poop hit the fan last weekend! As last week came to an end, we were all tired. It was a long week at the office for me, my wife returned to work after doggedly pursuing the last document she needed from a former employer, and our son had his first experience at daycare (he spent three days there). We were all ready for a quiet weekend spent at home taking a break from the chaotic days that seem to have dominated these days off during the summer. Well, that was the plan…

We had noticed that our son wasn’t feeling well later in the week and my wife had taken him to the pediatrician on Friday to get checked out. We followed the directions they gave us and we put him to bed with a little Tylenol (per the instructions we were given), a cold air humidifier in the corner, and the head of his bed slightly elevated. A few hours later, with my wife and son now both asleep, I was at my computer sorting through my neglected emails when I could hear what sounded like a wounded cow near the top of the stairs. When I turned the corner to walk toward the bedroom there was my wife holding our moaning child. Something wasn’t right.

It wasn’t long before we were all in the car on our way to the emergency room. Thankfully, it was a slow night and I was able to hold my son in the hospital bed shortly after our arrival. In the end it wasn’t just a cold as the pediatrician told us earlier, he had Croup. Almost immediately after he was given the right medicine the groans stopped and we could both tell that he was beginning to feel better. An hour after we arrived we were back in the car and on our way home. We were all exhausted and soon after our return assumed our positions from before this whole ordeal began.

Obviously we all slept in on Saturday as we resumed our plans and took it easy allowing our son sleep as much as he needed and my wife and I trying to relax, order dinner, and spend some time together. Well, dinner was a mistake. By Sunday morning our son was returning to his normal happy self while my wife and I were struggling to do just about anything. After my wife reluctantly cancelled her plans for the day, we knew that this wasn’t going to get better without some help so we both headed over to the local Urgent Care once my mom arrived to watch our recuperating baby.

Fortunately, the doctors knew exactly how to treat food poisoning and so after some medicine and two IV bags, we returned to the house feeling a lot better than when we left. While we were both nowhere near ‘better’ we both felt good enough to return to work the following morning and our son, no longer contagious, returned to daycare. It was a long weekend after a long week and I hope we never have to go through that again!