New Year – Time to Start Blogging Again

Time to wipe off the dust of the blog From Darkness to Light, and start G*A*S*P blogging again, so to begin things I will give a quick update.

I returned from Afghanistan on 3rd of November, I wasn’t expecting to leave the country for another week when I received a phone call from PERSCO telling me I needed to be out in the next 72 hours. When I got into Baltimore and smelled the fresh air and the clean airport, I realized how much I missed the states.

After a week of trying to recoup, get demobilized and get my wits about me I decided to return to my mother lodge for their stated meeting. I have to be honest that both the fellowship and the meeting were a little uncomfortable. Even though a lot of the brothers come from military backgrounds, we just didn’t click like I did before I deployed. This “reintegration” time is always difficult. I learned that this was the case at my work, and even my reserve unit. Still, I thought somewhere that Freemasonry was going to be different, but human nature, is just that, human nature.

After attending a couple of more meetings, and talking over e-mail things are starting to feel like where I left them, it just takes time to reconnect. The noticeable difference is that since the lodge roof was repaired and renovated the lodge was starting to practice better Freemasonry. We have about 6 candidates going through the degrees, we do community events, it’s amazing that just rolling up your sleeves and fixing up your lodge room can put some wind in your sails.

This past December I had a shock as I was elected to Junior Warden of my Allied Masonic Degrees Council. Considering I am not in a chair in either of my Blue Lodges or any other apendent body, along with the fact that I am not a Past Anything, I accepted this position with great honor and I am looking forward to serving in that capacity.

Hopefully this will be the start of a great Masonic year as 2010 promises to bring renewed faith in a lot of my ventures. I hope I am faithful to this blog and continue to update it regularly on my Masonic journey.

-Bro Vick