Kind of a quiet week for travel, but exciting storms that provided plenty of noise!
The weekend started pretty early on Saturday with a trip to Edmonds at 6am to pick up Grand Orator, VWB Jimmy and then head on down to Mossy Rock for a Corner Stone ceremony at the local Fire Station. I did not have my camera so I did not get any photos from the event, but I would like to thank RW Ed for capturing a great photo of my ear. For some reason the theme from Looney Tunes was going through my head the entire rest of the day! Those that were there will know why.
After the Corner Stone was a very unique installation for me, and I think for many others. Centralia Lodge held its installation of officers at the Centralia fair grounds outdoors. It was an open installation and situated right next the a major road with all kinds of signs and banners promoting the event. It was an opportunity to invite the public and be very visible to let people know we are still here and we are not a secret society.
This is where the storms come in...on the drive from Centralia to Edmonds we kept hearing the buzz over the radio that usually signifies lightning strikes. We never saw the lightning or heard the thunder, but it was pretty clear there was lightning somewhere close by. By the time we got to Edmonds we were starting to see the lightning as we dropped off VWB Jimmy. Then the drive home to Monroe was pretty eventful and once we got home, wow! We watched and listened to one of the most spectacular and loud storms we have ever experienced. There were several strikes that were very close to the house and shook windows and loose items.
I was very glad the storm happened on Saturday evening, because Sunday was the 4th annual Rainbow Color Walk. This year the charity is Feeding America and they raised almost $11,000 and added over 500 items of food to donate. The event is co-sponsored by Sultan-Monroe Lodge and raises money not only for the Rainbow Girls annual service project, but also the lodges education and charitable fund. The numbers are not final yet, but the lodge should receive around $3000 for its funds. Once again MW Jim came out to help add some color to the event, and he did not disappoint! If you want to avoid getting doused with color, avoid Jim, LOL.
Sunday afternoon was a drive down to Lacey to spend some time with my Mother in Law, who is living in a memory care facility and had a bit of a struggle the last few days.
Then Monday off to Everett Lodge #137 where we had the Official Visit of the Deputy of the Grand Master, VWB Larry. I felt like the meeting went very well and I led a discussion on membership numbers. What are the issues and how do we fix them? We all know the numbers are going down, but how do we change that, and as was brought up during the discussion, do we need to? One of the primary goals of Masonry is to make good men better, do you need a lodge room or 30 or 40 masons to make you a better man? With more people involved, you have more opportunity to receive and share those things that make you a better man, but there is also more distractions taking away from making you a better man. One of the major benefits of membership is financial, but the basic foundation of education and fraternalism may not be directly related to the number of people involved. Many hands make the work easier, but how much of the work is truly part of the Masonic institution? We talk about making our members wiser, better and consequently happier. Where do we mention cook dinners, have events, and give away stuff? Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy those as much as the next guy, but are they truly a requirement to make a good man better?
Food for thought, until next time Be All In.
Fraternally,
VWB Steve Martin
Grand Lecturer
No comments:
Post a Comment