Greeting from the East
from Wor. Doug Ford
Another month goes by and I can’t believe as time flies by. I guess it’s because I’m busy
Moving right along, as the Master, I pass the educational aspects of the Trestleboard to my Wardens, and I can focus on what’s happening with the lodge and plan it’s future and discuss it’s past.
From our last stated
For President’s Day, the lodge was Dark to allow those brothers who wanted to enjoy a 3-day weekend that opportunity. The following week the officers had a chance to gain knowledge with our monthly OSI meeting, which is always
On February 28th, a number of members from Consuelo showed support to our Rainbow girls by assisting in a Shadow Night. This is where the adults copy the motions of the girls. If the girl tosses her hair, you have to make the same motion as her, whether you have hair or not. It’s a truly fun night for the Masons and the Rainbow girls.
On March 4th, the officers held a practice 1st degree to prep for the expected Entered Apprentice degree if the balloting goes well at the March Stated Meeting. We shall see.
Now then, to let everyone know what’s going on in the future here’s a list of events and activities that you may want to join in on over the next few months.
March 11 –Dinner and Stated Meeting
March 16 – No Doughnuts. Lodge rental is taking it over for the day.
March 18 – OSI
March 25th – Barring any problems, issues, or confusion in the temple – Entered Apprentice Degree.
March 29th – Potluck dinner, good conversations, and games!! The last one was a good success,
Sincerely & Fraternally yours.
From the West
by Tracy Reynolds
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
As Masons, we believe that time, patience and perseverance will accomplish all things. We understand the importance of Charity for funding programs to assist with kids learning to read and write. We support our Public Schools through partnerships and scholarships.
Masons for Mitts is an incredibly fun event that works with Major League baseball teams to provide baseball Mitts for under served Youth in California. I have heard that each year several brothers who cannot attend the games, chip in, buy tickets and then donate them to our youth groups. This practice is growing. If You can’t make it to the game, please consider donating in this way.
There are many ways to change the world for the better through charitable giving. I had occasion to share a meal at a restaurant with some good friends. They quietly shared something that piqued my interest. They quietly told me that they visit this location on a regular basis and pick out a family and then pay the bill for the family’s meal. They said, “see that Dad with his kids over there, the mom is at work and the kids hope she won’t have to work too late tonight.” and pointed over to a table where a dad was having a meal with his family.
The restaurant staff is “in on it”. The family does not know that the bill will be paid until they go and try to pay. We discussed how this hobby came to be and how it could be similar to other events where people have randomly helped someone that they have never met before. I cannot help but believe that his family’s life was changed by this unexpected positive event as were, and are, all the people that are “in on it”.
This story brings to mind an allegory of a calm pond. This is our Lives. A pebble, signifying Charity, is dropped in the middle of the pond and the ripples emanating from that action spread out in all directions. There is not just one ripple. There are many. They go in all directions and they affect everything they move across. If we don’t drop the pebble, nothing will change.
I remember, a long time ago, when I was young, there was a TV show called the Millionaire. It was about an unseen benefactor, who would, each week, give his Lawyer a check for a million dollars to give to someone who was picked, out of the blue somehow, the details of the selection were never really explained as they were really not important to the show. The Lawyer would give the check to the people, and the show would be about how their lives would change, sometimes for the better, sometimes the worse. The show always concluded with valuable
From the South
by Bro. Jesse Middleton
The Twenty-four Inch Gauge
The twenty-four Inch Gauge is one of the highlighted tools of the first degree, and certainly one of the most prominent tools in Speculative Masonry. We are taught that its twenty-four equal parts are emblematic of the twenty-four hours of the day. By it, we are instructed to divide our time into three equal parts, assuring ourselves adequate time for the service of God and a distressed worthy brother, a time for our usual vocations, and a time for refreshment and repose. In many lodges, the twenty-four inch gauge is actually hinged in order to give us that visualization of the three equal parts. These three equal parts can also represent past, present, and future, as well as youth, manhood, and “old age.” But, no matter how it represents time, it’s still a finite resource which we are running out of as every second ticks by.
We are all given the same twenty-four hours of the day. Nobody gets an extra minute, and we will never have the opportunity to replay one of those minutes. Wasting those precious minutes on base pleasures and vices should be avoided. We have more distractions today than ever before, so it is up to you to break off those rough and superfluous parts in order to make the most of the twenty-four hours in our day. When it comes to time, there is no do-over. As each second passes, that is a second you have lost forever. It is what we do with those twenty-four hours that makes all the difference.
As I write this, I reflect on my procrastination, and acknowledge that it’s one of the details of my life which needs the most work. In grade school, I missed out on special events because I would always put off my homework and class projects until the last minute. In college, I missed opportunities because I chose to go out at night, instead of preparing for tests or interviews. As I grew up, I recognized these things, but the distractions started coming in new forms. Still, even now I find myself putting off tasks which need to be done, for a few minutes of menial entertainment. Every day, I have twenty-four hours to fit in my work, my wife, my kids, and find time to sleep. We can all wish for more time in a day, but we’ll never get it, you only have twenty-four hours, and it’s the same twenty-four hours as everyone else, so what are you going to do with it?
Today, eight hours for our vocation, or work, is not realistic. The average person today works more than eight hours in a day, and travels almost thirty minutes in each direction. Let’s say you average a ten hour work day. Maybe, you travel thirty minutes in each direction for work. That’s eleven hours of your day gone right there, but it leaves you thirteen more hours with which to mold and make into what you wish. Let’s suppose we actually sleep, or at the very least relax, for those eight hours which the 1st Degree sets aside for “refreshment and repose.” (But who really sleeps eight hours? I’m happy to get six!) That leaves us five hours with which to make a difference in the world around us.
You will never be able to “find” time, or “make” time, both are impossible in the literal sense. The only option you have is to divide your day, according to what best agrees and works with your priorities. We are instructed to use a third of our time for the service of God and a distressed worthy Brother, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend that time on bended knee or deep mediation. The service of God can be any deed you do out of love. Teaching a child to read, spending time with a Brother, or volunteering your time as a coach or mentor in the community are all for the service of God. It is these actions, along with countless others, that make all the difference in the world.
When we learn to use that twenty-four inch gauge to better manage our time, our lives improve for the better. By using that instrument to measure and layout our day, we can manage our priorities, and make a plan to better ourselves and the world around us. We discover that there is just enough time when we remove the vices and superfluities of our daily lives. The more I study the twenty-four inch gauge, and its deeper meanings, the more I realize just how precious a resource time is, and just how important it is that we use it to the best of our abilities.
A Potluck Dinner will be held on March 29th, 6:30 PM!
All are welcomed to bring something to share with the group!
Games, conversations, and a good time will be had by all!
Open to the Brothers, their friends, families, and prospects!
Please send an email to the [email protected] to reserve a seat for the festivities!
Third Degree Anniversary
| Years | Name |
| 4 | William Gregory |
| 5 | Gregory Cross |
| 10 | Maxwell Shoemaker |
| 10 | Joseph Valenzuela |
| 11 | Richard Stephens |
| 12 | John Gravitt |
| 13 | Leonardo Gonzalez |
| 15 | Colin Bonar |
| 15 | Justin Frazier |
| 20 | Jeffrey Rajhel |
| 29 | Gary Shields |
| 31 | Gilliardo Victoriano |
| 32 | Charles Mayberg |
| 34 | Gerald Madden |
| 36 | William Moore |
| 44 | Michael Mc Cleary |
| 56 | Robert Good |
| 63 | Louis Flaherty |
March Birthdays!!
| Date | Name |
| 03/01 | Randall Brill |
| 03/02 | Arlie Bergman |
| 03/04 | Richard Decker |
| 03/06 | Jackson Cate |
| 03/08 | Roger Parker |
| 03/09 | Cenk Erali |
| 03/10 | Michael Bepko |
| 03/12 | Richard Townsend |
| 03/12 | Robert Tremain |
| 03/14 | William Spicer |
| 03/18 | Bernard Larsen |
| 03/18 | Robert Maze |
| 03/19 | Archie Hollenbeck |
| 03/19 | Fareid Hussainy |
| 03/19 | William Karbosky |
| 03/21 | Fred Nasseri |
| 03/22 | David Bonds |
| 03/22 | Donald Elofson |
| 03/23 | John Crosthwaite |
| 03/23 | Matthew McColm |
| 03/23 | Donald Smith |
| 03/27 | Gregory Cross |
| 03/28 | John Harms |
| 03/29 | Preston Hill |
| 03/29 | Matthew Whitten |
| 03/30 | Timothy Sheets |
| 03/31 | Frederick Schmidt |