Aunt Jo and I drove to Des Moines tonight to pick up Lee and Amy who flew in from Dallas. Lee's plane landed around noon and he just hung around the airport until we got there. Amy wasn't due in until 9:00.We picked up Lee and took him to the Chef's Kitchen for dinner. Jo and I both had prime rib sandwiches that were more than we could eat. Amy got the left overs. Lee had a chicken dish. As usual it was really good.
Lee kept checking on the plane and we knew it was delayed but eventually Amy got here. She got her luggage and we got back to Ames about 10:30. She kept remarking on the snow. I told her we imported it especially from Nebraska for her. (We import all of out weather from Nebraska.) They will be here until Sunday and I will take them back. We had a good visit on the way home and while we waited for Amy's plane to land.
Their little dog, Harley has diabetes and Lee has to give him an insulin shot twice a day. I love Harley and don't think it is fair for him to have to have this sucky disease.
*******************************************************************
My friends Fredrick and Kurt have both earned their Ashlar Awards from the Grand Lodge. The Ashlar Award provides recognition and is a guide for a new Mason as he starts down the path to Masonic education and enrollment.
There are three sections to the award and the Mason must earn points in each area.
Section I: In this section they are introduced to the elementary parts of Masonry. They are asked to attend Lodge and become familiar with the form and function of their Lodge. They sign the by-laws as a Masonic record of the covenant they have with all Masons, but more especially the Brothers of their Lodge.
Proficiency in the Enlightenment Course provides a solid foundation to work from on their Masonic path.
Section II: Attending the degrees will reinforce the symbols and lessons contained in each degree. Over the years each time they see or participate in a degree they will find more and more is revealed. A Lodge of Instruction deepens the understanding of the details that are incorporated in each degree. Visiting other Lodges begins to spread the Masonic bonds of Fellowship and Friendship that bind us all together as Brothers.
Section III: This section involves specific study of the parts of Masonry that hold particular interest to the member. After learning more as we seek further knowledge in Masonry, it is only natural to want to share that knowledge with our peers and family. Attending a Grand Lodge Cornerstone Laying, Rededication, Reception, Communication, or other event
allows us to continue to build the bonds that cement us all together. Donating time is an outward and visible way of expressing our desire to improve our community.
Section IV: In this section he shares his knowledge and leadership skills to benefit others. He finds a great deal of satisfaction when he completes this program. However, this is only the beginning of his Masonic Journey.
Each Brother who amasses 380 points and submits the application receives an “Ashlar Award.” The top ten Award recipients each Masonic year are recognized at the annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Iowa.
One of those top ten will be selected by the Grand Master to receive the “New Mason of the Year” Award.
Congratulations Brothers, I am proud of you. ARTYAL, Hugs, j
2 comments:
I had a cat with kidney failure. We had a regular IV bag with saline solution hanging on a hook over a bench in our entryway. Once a day we were supposed to jab the monster needle into the back of the cat's neck, and hold him still while 100 ml of room temperature solution slid in and filled the region between his skin and his shoulders. Then pull out the needle and hold pressure on the area for a minute or so until the fluid didn't just squirt back out the hole. This needle was HUGE. And the skin on a cat's neck is tough. You had to really force the needle in. After the first three or four times, the cat knew what you were planning as soon as you picked him up. Struggled. Cried. Not fun. I finally decided it was better to let the poor cat live naturally as long as he could and then help into the next world, whatever that is for a cat. I think a simple insulin shot would have been a breeze. Still a sucky disease though.
The Ashlar Award is one of the best things that the Lodge Service Committee of the Grand Lodge of Iowa has come up with. Not only does working toward the award help enroll the new member into the fraternity, and teach him a whole lot about it at the same time, it also requires him to enlist his new brothers to help him. The help that he gets them to provide is the very help that we would like to TELL them to give all new members. But if we tried that, you know what they would say. But when asked by a new brother, they generally bend over backwards to help him. Pretty tricky, huh. Sometimes a carrot beats the heck out of a stick.
Post a Comment