David Livermore's Tribute to John Harris Watts

David Livermore made a tribute to John Harris Watts, who was a great friend and Brother and Companion to us both.

Sky shot/ New at Lodge/Rant

This was the Iowa Sky over Boone yesterday. I forgot to pull it off the camera. I took it after the Home Board Meeting.

We have something new at the Lodge. Here is the dedicatory plaque. Those of us who have our names on it were not expecting it and are very honored that they did this. You can click on it to enbiggen it to read it better. (If you are interested.
It will be under the glass top (still to be delivered) for this beautiful Amana hand-made table which the York Rite purchased for the Lodge. It has 10 chairs and was delivered today.
The book ends on the middle of the table are made to look like the top of the Leaning Tower.
It is a beautiful addition to our Temple and the York Rite is owed a great big thanks for donating it. Once again this shows how much the appendant bodies that meet in our Temple contribute to our building.
And we have a new Master Mason. This Brother received an excellent degree tonight. Peace and harmony prevailed throughout the meeting and everyone did a wonderful job. I enjoyed being a sideliner.
Steven had BBQ sandwiches for the lunch after. I did not eat as I was still full from the sandwich I had and I don't need the extra weight but I enjoyed the conversation.

Yesterday on the way to Boone I caught a whiff of Pepe le Pugh. Skunk smell along the side of the road brought back memories. I don't mind it when it is a light smell - heavy is different. I kind of liked it.

Some other skunk smells are not so great. That is the skunk smell of individuals who go behind your back and stab you in it. I can understand people who get their feelings hurt and who leave a place or a group of people who they don't get along with for one reason or another.

I used to belong to another Lodge and was made to feel very uncomfortable there. An individual who was one of the ones who drove me away e-mailed me the other day and wanted to know where I was and why I had not been down. Now I haven't been there for a year and a half. A friend of mine is the Master and I like him but the other individual is not my friend. He disrespected me and then apologized to me and I did accept the apology. It does not mean that I like the person nor will I forget. So when I got his e-mail asking me to come back down. I responded that I did not feel comfortable there. And I don't. I was hurt there and I won't go back. It is too bad but I can see most of the people I knew there elsewhere. There is one Brother in particular that I don't see elsewhere and I do miss him but he sends me great e-mail and I guess that is my loss.

But I won't put myself in the position to be hurt again. I just won't. Masonry is a large enough organization that you do not have to be in a Lodge where you do not feel comfortable.

If you want to do something different you can start another Lodge. We started another Lodge in Des Moines and I enjoy it very much (most of the time). A group of Arcadia Brothers are thinking of starting a new Lodge here in Ames. I am not sure exactly why but I have a feeling that the motives are not the same as ours were. I wish them well. I think they may be doing it for the wrong reasons and that bothers me but I am not going to loose sleep over it. The Brothers who stay in Arcadia will continue and they will enjoy the good fellowship that is to be had there. Those who leave will enjoy their association together and I hope they enjoy each others company. However if their purpose is to hurt Arcadia, rest assured that won't happen. Arcadia is a strong Lodge and will continue to be strong.

Our Worshipful Master is one of the best Masons I know and I have watched him do really nice things over the years I have known him. I remember he used to bring a Brother from Story City down to meetings. The Brother was in a nursing home and Dave would pick him up and bring him to Lodge and then take him home. I have a great respect for him not only as a Mason but also as a good person. I am happy with him and I enjoy being a member of Arcadia. I was Master 30 years ago. I liked it then and I like it now.

Other things are bothering me but what else is new. Enough.

Enough babbling. The jokes will be up tomorrow morning.

Harry S Truman

Thanks to Kevin C. for sending me this.

Harry Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made as many important decisions regarding our nation's history as any of the other 42 Presidents. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House.

The only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence Missouri. His wife had inherited the house from her mother and other than their years in the White House, they lived their entire lives there.

When he retired from office in 1952, his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an "allowance" and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.

After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There were no Secret Service following them.

When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it's not for sale.."

Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, "I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise."

As president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food.

Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale.

Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, "My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!

I say dig him up and clone him!!

Good Bye Dinner

Kurt and Trevor and I ate dinner at Cafe' Northwest tonight. Trevor is moving to New York City to attend school. We wanted to have a chance to say good-bye to him before he left. Kurt and I are working on starting the new Specialis Procer Lodge (Link on the left.) The restaurant was Trevor's choice (but I suggested it) and it is one of the best places to eat in Ames. The Masonic Fraternity is in good hands with these two fine Brothers.

Ending the Blog

I do not know what to write about tonight because I have Blogger's Block. I was thinking about tomorrow and announcing that the Blog has ended. I think it has served its purpose. I got a lot of things off my chest and probably need to drop it now as it was/is becoming an obsession. I mean I feel obligated to write something everyday.

I got an e-mail from someone today asking me if I was sick because my blog had disappeared. I don't think it has disappeared. There are a lot of posts up and you could spend a long time reading the 900+ posts from this past year. Case in point. I was directed to read a post on another blog today. It is a great entry over at The Tao of Masonry. But it was written in June of 2006. I immediately felt inferior as to not being able to write as well as the Brother who describes himself as:

TOM ACCUOSTI
Exalted Keeper of the Secrets of Freemasonarianism; Grand Sovereign Pontiff and Secret Exposuer; Ambassador to Zeta-Reticula; Crop Circle Planning & Zoning Commissioner; Aluminum Foil Beanie Fitting and Training Consultant; Team Osiris Obelisk Siting and Surveying; Manager, Dulces/Denver Airport Massage & Day Spa; Cydonia Vacation Resort Concierge; Past Master, Friendship #33.3 AM & FM, Area 51, Atlantis

I mean, is that great or what? So, why should I bother to keep on with this Blog. When I started I called it "The Most Boring Blog on the Internet" - Is it? I feel that way sometimes. I have gotten into trouble with it. Opened myself up more than I should perhaps have done but it is an obsession so I have kept on Perhaps it is time to quit.

April Fool

So here is the real post for today:

The Way We "Help" Each Other.

I got an e-mail from Brother Kurt this morning. He sent me a poem which I will share sometime. It had this line in it.

Where every man's a Brother, and every Brother is a friend.

It did two things. One reminded me that next month is Poetry Month and two set up an idea for this post.

Every Brother is a friend. Does a friend criticize his friend? One of my Brothers told me that he was upset because he heard another Brother saying something negative about him and what he was doing down at the Scottish Rite. It was not said to him to help him be better but as a nasty remark that he overheard. (I wasn't going to say anything about this but he put it up on his blog so I guess it is all right.) I was under the impression that the criticism was leveled at his ritual work. Turns out it wasn't but that does not matter. It still hurt him. He is ready to stop his participation in the work at Scottish Rite. I told him not to let one person ruin his enjoyment of Masonry. A lesson I have to learn over and over.

I know of other so-called Brothers who have attained the exalted positions of Masonic Instructor or District Lecturer by passing an examination to recite all three degrees of the Masonic Ritual. This is quite an accomplishment and they should be proud of their accomplishment. They should remember, however, as my Brother said "Remember that we are volunteers and we don't really need to be at the reunions to get along in Freemasonry."

That is the key. Freemasonry is a volunteer organization.

Brothers want to do good ritual work. They spend hours practicing and working to perfect their ritual. They want to participate. They want to help new Masons become enrolled in the craft. Another Brother told me about the time he went to a practice at another Lodge. There are two MI's over there who used to be members of our Lodge. They got mad and moved their membership. They are excellent ritualists. I also understand why they left. The person they were working with used to come to our Lodge and was very critical of anyone who made a mistake in the ritual. Correcting them openly and without compassion. It did not make for good feelings and he was asked not to do it any more. And he got his feelings hurt and did not come back. However, they are doing the same thing he did. Driving people out. One of my best friends in Masonry told me he would not go back there because of the way ________jumped on him because he said the wrong word. That is just not right. (IMHO)

It is not that you don't want to correct someone when they do something wrong. It is just the way you do it. Quietly and not making a big deal out of it. Being helpful and not jumping down their throat. And with some people you can't even do that. I have one Brother who does not like to be given any suggestions. So I have learned not to help. I just let him go and try to show by example when I can. I am not an M I. I made a conscious choice not to try for it many years ago. I have some regrets about that and I encourage young Masons to go for it if they want. I did not want the pressure. I also didn't think I was smart enough to do it.

So there you have it. My rant for today. Using Honey rather than Vinegar to catch flies. Something I heard a long time ago. If we really want to help the fraternity we will remember that we need to help each other kindly. I have not always done that and I regret the times when I have snapped at a Brother and forgotten my own higher self. To be honest all we can do is try. I get the most upset when I fail to live up to the obligations I am under - I get even more upset when I hear stories where my Brothers are abused by someone who doesn't even try to live up to the obligation to treat each other as Brothers.

So I am going to close with the Ancient Prayer I used to have up on the left had column. I don't always live up to it but it does give me something to strive for.

An Ancient Prayer
May I be no man's enemy, and may I be the friend of that which is eternal and abides. May I never quarrel with those nearest me; and if I do may I be reconciled quickly. May I never devise evil against any man. May I love, seek and attain only that which is happiness and envy none. May I never rejoice in the ill-fortune of one who has wronged me. When I have done or said what is wrong, may I never wait the rebuke of others, but always rebuke myself . . . May I accustom myself to be gentle, and never angry with people because of circumstances. May I never discuss who is wicked and what wicked things he has done, but know good men and follow their footsteps.

Eusebius, 4th Century

So I hope you realize that I try to love each and every one of you. Especially some of you who have grown closer than blood family over the year(s). I mean I love them also but a lot of my fraternal brothers and sisters and friends have become so very close that I forget that we aren't related by blood. And some of my blogfriends are fast approaching that status.

So I am not ending the Blog. The title is merely an early April Fool's Joke. Watch out tomorrow. Make sure your shoe laces are tied. Or leave them untied so the kids you know can have some fun. ARTYAL, Big Hugs, j-bear