Living the Lesson of the Trowel

This past Thanksgiving was one of the more memorable for me, it was my Thanksgiving before my deployment to Afghanistan, and it was the first Thanksgiving that I shared with a brother. I invited our Tyler and his wife and one year old son out to share Thanksgiving. I am currently Junior Deacon of my mother lodge, and there is something about the relationship between a Junior Deacon and a Tyler, mainly because they are the team that ensures that the lodge is properly tyled. Heck, we even watch out for each other during balloting. Well the Tyler and I have become somewhat close friends and brothers that enjoy the company of one another. Since both of us are Texas transplants, I thought that our families could share Thanksgiving.

We talked over wine and cheese and our wives took a mile and a half walk with the baby while we talked all things Masonic. We toasted to the lodge and the great coming revolution in Freemasonry. We talked about our experiences in the military and his life goals and we capped the feast off with a great Cognac, overall it was a great evening. While Freemasonry teaches us to build spiritual temples it’s the brotherhood that is at the core of the tenants of Freemasonry, the lesson of the trowel is especially poignant regarding the brotherhood:

The Trowel is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to spread the cement which unites a building in one common mass; but we as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to make use of it for the more noble and glorious purpose of spreading the cement which unites us into one sacred band, or society of friends and brothers, among whom no contention should ever exist, but that noble contention, or rather emulation, of who can best work and best agree.

I am thankful for my experience thus far in Freemasonry, and I hope that it continues to be a positive influence in my life.

Tired & Cranky

Normally I don’t complain about my life in this blog, but it does have a Masonic connection. I was Hawaii this past week, now I am sitting in LAX waiting for my flight back, oh by the way it’s 10:45pm, and I won’t arrive home until 8:30 am, with three lay over, hence the title.

My Masonic complaint is that this past week there was a lodge meeting in Hawaii that was holding a raising. I got excited and went and contacted the lodge and in the e-mail I wrote “Please let me know if I may attend your raising”, and I never got a response back. Hence I didn’t go, so my question is for the six people that read this blog, should I just go anyway when a lodge never contacts me back? I feel the digital cold shoulder and I think “Yeah, I shouldn’t go”, I guess if they really didn’t want me there they would e-mail me back, but I have a hang up for some reason. The thing is that this has happened to me several times, and I am sure I missed some great work because of it.

I think I will just show up in the future, even if I get the digital cold shoulder.

Veteran's Day Masonic Education Piece

Tonight I am doing another Masonic Education presentation for my lodge, I am doing it on the Veteran's of our Lodge, more specifically Elmer Sampson, who wrote of a lodge meeting he attended was read as the Grand Master's Address, which highlights brotherly love in times of war.

I am also including a presentation on the Empty Chair Degree that was written by Bro Milo, I think that it's appropriate.

Lastly we are going to discuss the Solders Address which was given to soldiers after receiving their EA, this was removed around the 1940s, but is a good discussion piece.

I hope that we have plenty of Masonic discussion, beyond bills, and repair costs.

-Bro Vick