Remembering Denver

It was so sad today to see this post.

Denver the Guilty Dog 

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard"

-Winnie The Pooh

So sad for us to tell you that we said goodbye to our girl Denver yesterday. She lived a fabulous life and her story has touched hearts and souls around the globe. To her friends and fans: Our family is forever grateful for the love and support you have provided over the years. Denver entered our lives and changed everything for all of us. That's a good girl..... ❤️❤️

-Denver's Family

(WJBF) – Canine social media star, Denver the Guilty Dog, died earlier this week.

Denver became a hit on YouTube and social media after her owners posted a video of her grinning after being caught eating cat treats.

She also had her own children’s book, The Adventures of Denver the Guilty Dog.

Denver made appearances on numerous shows including Good Morning America and Ellen, to name a few.

Her family says that they are forever grateful for the love and support she received from fans and friends.

I sat today, with tears dripping down my cheeks.  I loved Denver's posts. 

 

An Empty Chair at Lodge

Tonight I drove to Story City to preside at a Masonic Funeral Service for Brother Richard "Dick"Keech. He was not a member of my Lodge but the Brothers in Story City asked me to help them out and I was glad to do so. I have known Dick and his wife for a long time. Dick was a past master and he will be missed.

It got me to thinking about those empty chairs at lodge. When I was addressing the letters for the DeMolay Legion of Honor meeting I noticed a number of the Brothers who were still on the list but have passed to the Grand Lodge above.

First on the list was Brother Lyle Johnson, P.G.C.; Laverne Clary, P.G.M., Glenn Brown, P.G. M.; "Pete" Paschal, P.G.M; Dwaine Johnson, P.I.G.M. I knew each of these men and admired and respected them a lot.

I was also working with the data base for the pancake day which Ascension Commandery will have in March and noticed several names which I had to remove including Gene Moray, Adel Throckmorton, Robert Onstot and Jim Hoffman. I did the Masonic Service six times this year and I was proud to be able to do this last service for my brothers.

The service I use is one of hope. It speaks of the Brother going to receive his wages from the Master Builder. It says that he has gone with the workmanship of his Masonic character into the presence of a loving father, whose goodness and mercy know no bounds. It finishes with these words:

Soft and safe to you, my brother, be thy mortal bed; bright and beautiful be thy rising from it. With fragrance eternal may the sprig of acacia here flourish; May the buds of spring unfold their beauties over your resting place, and there may the sweetness of the summer's last rose linger.

I have been told many times how much the family appreciates these words. They are not mine. I put them together from other ceremonies but I did choose them and I am glad that their message of hope is comforting to the family and brothers in attendance.

Their chairs are now empty but our hearts are full with the memories we hold of them. I am so glad that I belong to this fraternity which has allowed me to know and have them as my brothers. Remember you are loved. Hugs, j

A visit with Jack

John Harris Watts is the Grand Secretary of the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Masons of the State of Iowa. He is also the Grand Recorder of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters of the State of Iowa and when I was Grand High Priest (self-plug there) he was the General Grand Master of the Cryptic Masons, International.

We have been friends for years. He lives in Grand Junction, Iowa where he maintains the Office of the Grand Secretary Recorder. I had some books to take to him. (He is the recipient of many of my old books when I have finished with them and he always enjoys getting them.)

I e-mailed him the other day to see if I could come over to bring him books and we could have lunch. He doesn't reply by e-mail but when I got back from errands there was a message on the answering machine to come over.
We had a nice visit in his office before going to eat, and he showed me some of his treasures. He has been head of several national organizations and belongs to more things than I do so he has a lot of "stuff" and it was fun to see them.
The above is one of the neatest things he has. It is a Past Grand High Priest Jewel presented to Homer Hewlett Hemenway for service 1866-1868 - Iowa. It was presented to the Grand Chapter Royal Arch Masons of Iowa by his great-grandson, Robert Earle Hawthorne of Colorado Springs Colorado in 1986. I really enjoyed seeing Jack's treasures.
Jack has a lot of books on his shelves and he has many mementos displayed in front of them. It was fun to see some of the things that had been given at grand sessions. I recognized a lot of them. Jack gave me some old Chapter Medals from sessions and I appreciate them.
We went across the street for lunch and they had home made Chicken and Noodles. And I mean they were home made. Also had some home made apple crisp. Excellent. Not from "frozen food city" where many restaurants get their food. I decided to play with the salt shaker since it was the kind we used to play with when I was a kid...(Yeah I know what do I mean "was") - I can still do it. Balancing it on the edge is tricky. You are supposed to blow the salt away but I wanted to get the picture.
This is the restaurant. Not much business but good food and a nice waitress. I enjoyed myself.

That is the view down the street with Jack's Jeep in front ot his office. A small fut friendly town and I always like to visit there. - As I left the town I saw the tree in the picture below. You can tell it is just beginning to change. I imagine that a week from now they will be in full glory.
I hope you had as enjoyable a day as I did. Hugs, j-bear

Two Heroes

Sherry Allen is a very brave lady and her husband Bob is one of my heroes. Bob is a Past Grand High Priest of Iowa and has done a lot of work in Masonry. I would probably have never known them if not for Masonry.

Several years ago Sherry began to have trouble walking and was diagnosed with MS. Since then her body has been slowly suffering the ravages of this disease. But Sherry’s spirit has grown and she has never given up. Those of us who know her admire and love her for who she is and for the battle she fights.

Bob has been her helper and has been her principal caregiver and I admire him for his dedication and love.

This summer has been a rough one for the Allen’s. First Sherry had a heart attack. Now you have to know that Sherry has been in a reclining wheel chair for several years and Bob is the one who helps her in and out of her bed and chairs and all of the other duties that go along with this illness. Then a sore on her leg would not heal because of poor circulation and she has just had her leg amputated.

At the York Rite meeting last night the Companions wanted to do something for her as she was due to return home from the hospital so a discussion was held, a motion was made and action was taken

As per the instructions of the York Rite I went to the Stam Chocolatarie on Main Street and purchased a large box of chocolates. I am not sure who is going to eat them but it's a big enough box so that they both can have some.

I had telephoned ahead so they were expecting me. I had a nice visit with Bob and Sherry. She is doing great and is much relieved to have the pain gone from the sore that was on her leg. They are having a little problem with the shifting since her "stump" (as she put it) was hard to keep her in her sling. While I was there her son from Boston called and they had a nice chat.

I picked up a card and wrote "sweets for a sweet lady" as Doug described her at last night’s meeting. Sherry has never given up and she is an inspiration to all of us. And as I said Bob is one of our heroes. We are keeping them both in our thoughts.

So if you want to visit she is up for it but I would call first to make sure she isn't napping and if you want to send her a note Bob’s e-mail address is rdallen68@msn.com I am sure he will print them off and give them to her.