Thursday

A quiet day, Except for the dogs barking. With the windows open every noise outside sets them off and they feed off each other. Bailey got his leg caught in the recliner when I went to get up and boy did he let me know that he was hurting. I don't ever consciously hurt him. And he was hurting. His leg was up and he was walking on three legs. I picked him up and held him and loved him and eventually he was able to walk OK but he really had me scared.

I ran some errands and got ready for lodge tonight. The Za Ga Zig Shrine Past Masters came to Arcadia Lodge and put on a costumed Third Degree. Our own officers did the first section and they did the second section. It was as fine a degree as I have ever seen. The candidate was very grateful and we, of course, are happy to have him as a new member. There were 40 Brothers present and it was a very good evening.

There is a lot of discussion on some of the lists about Masonry and its place in today's world. We are seeing a lot of young men joining our fraternity. (The average age of Arcadia Officer not including two of us older guys is 33.) You can see some of our new members here. This is after a period of time when we did not have many men petitioning our Fraternity. Some men come for reasons of brotherhood and fellowship. Others come for more esoteric reasons. The Grand Lodge has a paper called TEN REASONS TO BECOME A MASON

1. A place where you can confidently trust every person and trust your family with them also.

2. A place where, within moral and civil guidelines; free thought, free speaking and the spiritual growth of man, can grow into its fullest potential.

3. A place to meet outstanding individuals from all walks of life, that a person would not otherwise have had the opportunity to know and call brother.

4. A place to be part of an organization which has for its principal tenets – Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth.

5. A place that provides self-development opportunities, leadership training and experience, and to improve public speaking skills.

6. A place you can go to seek support as well as give it.

7. A place where moral virtues are taught and through these teachings a regular reinforcement of the moral virtues is experienced.

8. A place to spend time with a group of brothers, who by acting as good men, make me want to become a better man. Not better than others, but better than I would have otherwise been.

9. A place to become better equipped to serve Church and community.

10. A place to meet with established members of the community and to become a part of the community.

There are some who would criticize our Gentle Craft. To them I say look at those who have been members. I could list names here of men who I admire because I have gotten to know them through Masonry. I know that every Brother is not perfect and all have their own reasons for being a Mason but for those who stay and participate there is a growing and building of character that improves their quality of life. For me that is enough. Perfect today. Be Happy! j