Visit to the DoctorThe good news is that I got weighed and I now weigh less than 300 lbs. Down 14 pounds since May 14. I have lost 68 pounds since last August. That along with the continually shrinking waist line gives me hope. Perhaps by next year (If I live that long) I will have gotten down to the 190 I would like to be. Then people can ask me if I am ill.
My friend Maryjane who lives in Minnesota sent me this in one of her e-mails:
"It certainly is great to be getting to our
golden years. A guy told me, that the only thing
golden about our golden years, was our urine! I think
he may have a good point"
I told it to the lab technician who took my blood (and other fluids) and she laughed. Maryjane and I are the same age (almost)
Masonic Honors
The only thing I have ever asked for in Freemasonry was to start through the line in Blue Lodge. A lot of good things have happened to me along the way. I was asked to be a District Deputy Grand High Priest and a grand officer later and eventually to start through the line to be a Grand High Priest. Along the way I received the Rainbow Grand Cross of Color, The Honorary DeMolay Legion of Honor, the General Grand Council Youth Medal and especially the Red Cross of Constantine.
My friend, Jerry Marsengill, had been denied that honor and before I accepted it I asked him whether or not I should accept it. Jerry was a great friend and mentor and I still miss him. He told me to take it because they would never offer it again if I turned it down. So I did. He also told me that there were some Masons who would find out what you wanted and do their best to deny it to you so never let anyone know if you wanted something.
Over the years I have watched this phenomenon and I know it is true and not just in Masonry. Be that as it may, I never asked for anything because, quite frankly, I have never cared. There is only one honor in Freemasonry that I care about and that is being called friend and Brother. unfortunately that honor is sometimes taken from me and when that happens it hurts. So I take myself out of the situation.
I have watched as people who want something "suck up" to those in a position to give them an appointment and have been on the receiving end of that situation. It was amazing to me how many "friends" I had who disappeared once I was finished being Grand High Priest. Sometimes, however we make a friend in Lodge who is good enough to stand by you no matter what. I cherish those friends above all others.
The Scottish and York Rites both have a system of "honors" In the York Rite there is an honor called the KYCH. You have to work to get it. It means that you have been the Worshipful Master, High Priest, Illustrious Master and Commander of your local bodies. Sometimes it can take years to work your way through all of these. If you have been the Grand (whatever) you can have a grand Quadrant on your honor. I have seen Brothers who have all four Grand Quadrants on their KYCH medals. That is quite an accomplishment.
There is also the York Rite College Purple Cross and in the Grand Chapter, Council and Commandery there are other awards given out once a year. One in the Chapter is the Knight of the Royal Arch. One of these was presented to Charlie Smithson this year. The other is the General Grand Chapter Bronze Medal. One only is given per year. This year it went to David Dryer. David is a tireless worker in both the York and Scottish Rite. Any honor he gets is well deserved, as was Charlie's. I congratulate both of them.
Another award given is the T.S. Parvin Award I am especially proud of it because I thought it up and gave the first one. It is distinctive because it cannot be given to someone who has gotten a Grand Office or the KCCH or 33rd degree in Scottish Rite. (that was Jerry's idea and I totally agree with it.) Some of the recipients have gone on to become Grand Officers but not before they received the honor.
I get the Message
Sometimes it takes me awhile but eventually I figure out when someone has "dropped" me or doesn't want me to be around. If I like someone I am willing to forgive and forget much. Sometimes I just "don't get" the message and keep trying to be a friend. Eventually I have to give up. I had a person I thought was a friend and she stopped responding to e-mails and so I just quit. If I call her on the phone we can have a nice conversation and I know from what is said that she has gotten the e-mail so I have to drop that line of communication. It is hard to have a friendship die but I guess maybe that person wasn't a real friend after all. Eventually I get it and stop trying. I think sometimes that my only real friend is Bailey. (Stop the Pity Party jay, no one really cares.)
Hopefully everything works out the way everyone wants it and you get all the honors you want and can read all the books you want. (I now have three more Smith books to find) and you can enjoy good music and the love of friends. You are loved, Hugs, j
P.S.
For the Groucho Marx fans, I added some of his one-liners below the You Tube movies. You may wish to scroll down to read them. j
Click above to go to his Web Site
Over the week-end I read three books ( I do that when I need to escape) and the best one was "The Careful Use of Compliments" by Alexander McCall Smith. Over the years I have read many of this Scottish author's books. This one was a great one and gave me a lot to think about regarding friendships, etc. He must have written it just for me. And a higher power must have seen to it that it got into my hands just when I needed some of the ideas in it. I highly recommend his books.Hopefully everything works out the way everyone wants it and you get all the honors you want and can read all the books you want. (I now have three more Smith books to find) and you can enjoy good music and the love of friends. You are loved, Hugs, j
P.S.
For the Groucho Marx fans, I added some of his one-liners below the You Tube movies. You may wish to scroll down to read them. j
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