Setting Ourselves Up for Success

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Randy Sanders

The other day I was reminded to play chess, not checkers.  I heard and used that saying myself, so it came as a shock to hear them used back at me!  Was I not following my own advice?  Did I fail to pick up on whatever opportunity arose from my activities? 

Freemasonry teaches the subtlety of self-realization by way of self-improvement.  In a perfect world I would stop there and just meditate on that above sentence for a couple of weeks.  Unfortunately, who has time to meditate just on that?  Right?  I challenge myself and all who read this to change perception and make this a priority.  Self-realization comes by way of self-improvement.  Success in the future comes by way of developing ourselves now. 

Proper planning, the discipline of defining goals, and maintaining a personal ritual remain very powerful tools in our personal toolkit.  If ritual itself is so important to Freemasons, why do we take it for granted?  There isn’t a question of whether or not there will be ritual, the more accurate question becomes which ritual should we open and close lodge with tonight?  Readers might recognize that some jurisdictions have optional passages of ritual that aren’t required all the time.  We plan ahead for that opening and closing of the lodge, we plan ahead to prepare ourselves mentally to enter a sacred space, and we plan ahead to actively participate even if we sit on the sidelines. 

Proper planning might sound like a lofty goal for someone who tends toward spontaneity, and for some this is a challenge.  I like to use the analogy of the NFL draft in such instances.  If we boil it down to simple terms, we find three pros and three cons to any draftee or in this case any situation.  We write down three pros and write down three cons, then we walk away for a while.  Maybe we move on to another task to return to this planning or decision at a later time.  We find that writing down the pros and cons gives us a chance at an enhanced perspective, and often the decision becomes obvious. 

My version of the NFL draft doesn’t begin to cover the depth of management training, short and long term planning, leadership development, and other such teachings, yet it serves me well for decisions that might have an emotional attachment.  I may want to choose one path, but the perspective of writing down the top three pros and cons for that decision gives me clarity toward which path is best at that time.  This simple mind game of writing down the pros and cons sets me up for later success in making the optimal choice while giving me perspective and time to consider my options.  It allows me to play chess, not checkers, in taking time to visualize my future moves. 

Longer term planning becomes a game of fill in the blanks after we define a timeline or similar parameter.  I know that when a project gets a green light to proceed, that I need a plan in place to make it successful.  I know I need a goal, and maybe I can subdivide that goal.  If the Junior Deacon wants to have a competition Lodge Bowling League for example, the current Worshipful Master would be wise to schedule a few social nights at the local bowling alley.  The current Senior Warden would be wise to plan to set into motion regular bowling practice sessions during his term as Worshipful Master.  Now the Junior Warden implements his plans based on the success set up by the senior officers.  The Junior Warden’s dream of a competition bowling league has a much better chance of success when the plan is created and executed than just springing it on the Brethren after the Junior Warden advances to the Master’s chair in the East. 

The above is a simplistic example.  If your lodge wants to be successful in an event, having people show up and stand around is useless.  Having people show up over time to implement an incremental plan leading into a longer-term goal suddenly sounds more productive.  Well, it does to me anyway.

~RS

Randy and his wife Elyana live near St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Randy earned a bachelor's Degree in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry, and he works in Telecom IT management. He volunteers as a professional and personal mentor, NRA certified Chief Range Safety Officer, and enjoys competitive tactical pistol, rifle, and shotgun. He has 30-plus years of teaching Wing Chun Kung Fu, Chi Kung, and healing arts. Randy served as a Logistics Section Chief on two different United States federal Disaster Medical Assistance Teams over a 12-year span. Randy is a 32nd-degree KCCH and Knight Templar. His Masonic bio includes past Lodge Education Officer for two symbolic lodges, Founder of the Wentzville Lodge Book Club, member of the Grand Lodge of Missouri Education Committee, Sovereign Master of the E. F. Coonrod AMD Council No. 493, Co-Librarian of the Scottish Rite Valley of St. Louis, Clerk for the Academy of Reflection through the Valley of Guthrie, and a Facilitator for the Masonic Legacy Society. Randy is a founding administrator for Refracted Light, a full contributor to Midnight Freemasons, and an international presenter on esoteric topics. Randy hosts an open ongoing weekly Masonic virtual Happy Hour on Friday evenings. Randy is an accomplished home chef, a certified barbecue judge, raises Great Pyrenees dogs, and enjoys travel and philosophy.

To Win Big, Think Small

by Midnight Freemason Regular Contributor

WB Christopher Hathaway 

Photography by  Catherine Lee Balsamello-Rutledge

We have all been in a classroom that had this quote hanging up on the wall: “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land amongst the stars.” While it’s catchy and has good intentions, when we try to execute that strategy, we often miss the moon, miss the stars, and come crashing down worse off than we ever were pre-takeoff. So how do we achieve our wildest dreams? Set expectations low and learn how to win.

Small calculated steps turn into winning big. Innovation, financial freedom, weight loss, all starts with intermediate achievable goals. In Freemasonry, we call this chipping away at our rough ashlar. Our rough ashlar represents our imperfect form. There is a reason we say chipping away. You can’t improve yourself overnight. Chipping away at your imperfections takes patience and persistence.

Many people think success is lucky or inherited, that a million-dollar idea comes out of nowhere. In reality, innovation and new ideas do not happen that way. Jeffrey Lowenstein, one of my professors at the University of Illinois, explained that creativity is a cognitive process that hinges on changing one’s perspective. In other words, the idea of the mad scientist coming up with a brilliant idea due to his sheer intellect is not correct. We can all be creative innovators if we start with the right perspective.

Having studied business and economics, I tend to see things through a financial lens. When trying to win with money, the first step people often choose is getting out of debt via the snowball effect made popular by Dave Ramsey. It is the most successful method because it allows people to get small wins, changing their attitudes and perspectives. Is it the best way mathematically? Not in theory. But it is the best way in practice because it yields the results people are seeking.

Think about your lodge. How many times have people said “we need more candidates” or “we need more help with the degree work.” Those are actually big goals that often lead to disappointment. Start with small wins that get people excited and motivated. How is the lodge doing on landscaping? What was the quality of the last meal? Is the lodge clean and professional? All three of those things are small wins that take little effort and manpower. You would be surprised by the kind of momentum you can gain by doing the small things correctly.

Take a look around your lodge and try to achieve small wins this month or year. Use the 15-minute rule to see what you can achieve in your Masonic activity. Take 15 minutes every day and do as much as you can. That could be studying rituals, sending out emails or phone calls, sweeping a dusty corner of the lodge, or writing down ideas for the next stated meeting. Your brethren will take notice and you can explain how easy it is to achieve your goals by breaking them down into small actionable items.

One of my favorite quotes from Hall of Fame Duke Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is: “Having fun is doing hard things well.” Freemasonry is not easy. It is not for the faint of heart. But when we improve ourselves, our lodges, and our communities, we all benefit. When it’s done well, it’s a lot of fun.

The Bible, one of the great lights in Freemasonry, has this to say in Luke 16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much”. The words trusted and faithful are interchanged depending on translation but the meanings are the same. Do we have faith and trust in ourselves to do the small things right? Can we really expect a man to give his time, talents, and money to an organization that doesn’t pay attention to the details? Not in today’s world. There are too many options. Freemasonry is just one school of moral thought, just one form of social activity, just one branch of charity. I am confident if we go back to the basics and take care of the fundamentals, the best of what Freemasonry has to offer will satisfy our members for years to come.

Who’s with me? Who wants to win big by thinking small?

 

~CJH

WB Christopher J. Hathaway was raised in Catlin Masonic Lodge #285 and is a plural member of Normal Masonic Lodge #673 as well as Bloomington Lodge #43, where he is a Past Master. He belongs to the Valley of Danville, AASR where he is the Most Wise Master of the George E. Burow Chapter of Rose Croix and Membership Chairman.  He is the Oriental Guide in the Divan for the Mohammed Shiners, and the 1st Vice President of the Bloomington Shrine Club. Other appendant bodies include the Gao Grotto and the Illinois Lodge of Research. Outside of the lodge, he enjoys spending time with his wife Taylor and cheering on the Fighting Illini and Chicago Cubs.   

Returning to Lodge: Planning the Trestleboard during a Pandemic

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

Bro. Michael Arce

In Masonic jurisdictions across the United States, Brothers are anxiously anticipating the return to Lodge meetings. Virtual meetings kept us connected through computer screens and cellphones during the virus shutdown. Sure, they were a great fix, but no one would suggest that distance-meetings are a permanent solution to replacing face-to-face meetings. For one, Freemasonry is unique in the ritual performed to open and close our Lodge meetings. The standard of character for each man in attendance, decorum for the room, and respect of the traditions during a Lodge meeting are lost when dialing into a virtual meeting from my kitchen table.

In New York State, the last Lodge meeting I attended was Monday, March 2nd, when we raised two new Brothers in their 3rd Degree. There was talk that evening due to the impending coronavirus outbreak in New York City that it may be some time before we would be able to meet again safely. April 2nd, our Grand Master, MW Willaim M. Sardone, issued a proclamation that postponed all Masonic activities and events until further notice. Looking back at my calendar, Monday, April 13th, was my first "Virtual Masonic Meeting" hosted by Masters Lodge #5 in Albany, New York. I remember thinking there would be five of us that night since this was my first attempt to attend online. As it would turn out, there were almost 20 Brothers in attendance that night! The virtual meetings continued through the end of our Masonic year in June with education programs, discussions, and after-hours conversations that stayed late in the evening.

As the dark months of summer set in, Brothers would check the Grand Lodge of New York State's website, hoping for an update from our Grand Master on when Lodge's could reopen. Like small business owners, those working from home, or Americans furloughed due to the pandemic; we sought even the slightest sign of normalcy in an era of confusion. One tradition I want to share from my jurisdiction that brought relief every evening is the 9PM Toast to Absent Brethern on our District's private Facebook group page. Every evening, a new Brother would honor posting a toast, each putting his personal mark on the event. "To our absent Brothers, may we soon be reunited."

On July 2nd, the Grand Master released his edict authorizing Lodges to resume regular activity. We were allowed to hold a rare member-only (Mother Lodge) meeting over the summer for the sole purpose of the election and installation of officers. Freemasonry was back in New York State! At least, for now... that was the concern, "what happens if we have to shut things down again?" A few days after the Grand Master's letter, I invited the officers of my Lodge over for dinner. We gathered outside on my patio, each Brother sitting six feet apart, for burgers and a beer. This was the first time the five of us had gotten together in months. I'm sure you can imagine what the main conversation topic was that night.

Lodge. Precisely, what would the Trestleboard resemble in September?

The conversation picked up again a week later when the officer line met to plot calendar dates for a second time. This was my second experience working with a Master on his Trestleboard. I can see why it is sometimes referred to as a tracing board, in that, dates and events are often subject to change due to several reasons. The DDGM's Official Visit, weather, degrees... so many factors can affect even the best-laid plans. Since our Lodge meets twice a month, September was easy to plot. The first meeting will be the election and officer installation. Our second meeting falls in October, "we'll do a walkabout of the Lodge," the Master suggested. When we turned the page to November an air of uncertainty was detected. We usually host a Thanksgiving Dinner on the second meeting of the month, which serves as the Lodge fundraiser. "Are we going to be able to plan for food for more than our immediate members this year," one Brother asked. "Are we even going to be able to have a meeting," I said out loud.

A hush fell.

A segment of Masons fall into the category of "at-risk" due to their age or underlying health conditions (or both). And we were aware of the increase of coronavirus cases being reported in July, having experienced the spring shutdown in New York State; a resurgence of COVID-19 was a real possibility. We all agreed that even with the strictest safety protocols in place, following the guidelines of wearing a mask, no physical contact in the Lodge room, physical distancing, and washing of hands - history does not guarantee that we would be able to hold a meeting. Sensing the stress in the group, I asked a question to change the subject.

"Are there any records in our archives or minutes of how the Lodge operated during the Spanish Flu?" All eyes turned to our Past Master, Michael A. Hernandez. He is deeply familiar with the history of Mount Vernon Lodge #3. It was soon apparent that Bro. Hernandez had searched the archives. He looked up and said, "On Monday, October 21st, 1918, the following resolution was adopted. 'Resolved that out of respect of the order of the civil authorities forbidding any public or private assemblage on account of an epidemic of influenza, this meeting should be closed until our next stated communication, unless specially convened.'"

That was it? The Spanish Flu devasted the United States for two years, and, I'm sorry, the only record was one sentence?

Bro. Hernandez understood my surprise. He shared his idea to include a letter and accompanying correspondence to be added to the Lodge's permanent records. Below is a portion of his letter that I found moving.

"While these materials can in no way serve as a complete and comprehensive synopsis of what transpired during these several months, we do hope that it will serve as a memorial and testament to the fact that during this time this Lodge and Freemasonry endured."

In our Old 17th District Facebook group, I asked if any Lodge Secretary had a Lodge record from the Spanish Flu. I want to thank RW Timothy Smith, Secretary of Mount Zion Lodge #311, for contributing this letter. It's dated October 17, 1918. What is significant about this time is that the city of San Fransisco had implemented a shutdown and enforced mask-wearing in public that fall to combat the Spanish Flu spread. The city ended up with nearly 45,000 cases and over 3,000 reported deaths. While Americans were dealing with a pandemic at home, in Europe, our soldiers were fighting in World War I. This communication is with Bro. George Barnes, an Army Corporal, stationed in France during WW1. It is very possible that his unit was part of the Aisne Offensive during the summer of 1918.

In his book, The Life of Reason: The Phases of Human Progress, Spanish-born American philosopher George Santayana wrote the famous line, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." As we look ahead, into the uncertainty that is our future during this pandemic, I find it reassuring that Freemasonry (in some form) has been present before written record. We are students of history who seek to learn the ancients' secrets, collect knowledge, preserve it, and build a better tomorrow. We have been tried and never denied --- we have survived my Brothers. Let us follow the principles of Friendship, Morality, and Brother Love as we consider our interactions and responsibility during these unprecedented times.

I want to include this line in Bro. Hernandez's letter to future Brothers as his words capture the spirit of how we best come together to serve and work.

"As we moved beyond this initial uncertainty and trepidation, many of our Brothers took it upon themselves to reach out to each other and offer any assistance that their circumstances permitted them to offer. Additionally, numerous acts of kindness and generosity were recorded, which manifested in tangible ways the principles and tenets of our Venerable Institution at a time when the world needed them most."

~MA

Brother Michael Arce is a member of Mt. Vernon Lodge #3 in Albany, New York. When not in Lodge, Bro. Arce is the Marketing Manager for Capital Cardiology Associates in Albany, New York. He enjoys meeting new Brothers and hearing how the Craft has enriched their lives. He can be reached at michael.arce@me.com

Remembering our Past Masters - Revisited

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB Adam Thayer

Last year at this time, I was lucky enough to receive permission to share my lodge’s Past Master’s Remembrance ceremony with you HERE. At the time, I wrote it from the viewpoint of the Master of the lodge, with more of a cold, analytical point of view, so that I could provide you with the script and staging instructions to hold your own ceremony. Now I’m the junior Past Master in my lodge, and would like to discuss the why, instead of the how.

As you read in the linked article, the junior Past Master is responsible for the planning and execution of the Past Master’s Remembrance ceremony. They arrange the dinner, manage the printing and mailing of the invitations, the programs, and present the speech given. This is considered their last official act as Worshipful Master, and to say that a lot is riding on it is an understatement.

Heading into the day of the event, I worked hard (under the direction of our long-suffering Tiler) to get the room set up properly and test the projector to be certain that all of the deceased PM pictures would appear in the proper order. We also arranged to have an Oriental Chair draped at the entrance, to further drive home our reason for being there. Before walking out of the lodge, we cranked the air conditioner to as low as it would go, in the hopes that the room would be cooled off in time for the ceremony. (Author’s note, this is called foreshadowing, don’t forget that we did this)

I mailed the invitations at the end of April, which should have provided plenty of time for them to arrive, however a number of people still haven’t received them as of writing this article. We are experiencing a similar issue with donation requests that are being sent out from one of the foundations that I work with. As an aside, if anyone knows a solution to getting first class mail delivered reliably, please email me at adam@wcypodcast.com and let me know!

Because many people didn’t receive the invite, turnout was significantly lower than expected, especially among the Past Masters. Out of the 31 living Past Masters in our lodge, there were only 7 in attendance (including myself), and attendance rates among the members and the widows was very similar. Very important lesson learned: while mail is good, you can’t put your entire hopes on it arriving. If I could advise future junior Past Masters planning this event, I would tell them to take a multi prong approach, by mailing the invite, then following up via email or phone.

The dinner itself was good, if a bit overpriced by the caterer, and I fear I may have driven our secretary into a minor mental breakdown when he saw the bill. One of the only positives that came from such a low turnout is that we’ve enough leftovers for our business meeting next week, and so one meal was stretched into two. I know, I’m stretching a bit to justify the cost. Very important lesson learned: try not to spring a large surprise bill on the person who will be writing the check.

After dinner, we retired to our lodge room for the ceremony itself, and I have to say that after having been out of the East for so many months it was a bit nerve-wracking being back up there. Even though I had practiced, and checked to make sure that everything would run smoothly, I was still back to being as nervous as I was at my first meeting as Master.

Ten minutes before the start of the ceremony, I returned to the lodge room, and turned the air conditioner off. Our air conditioner is an older system, and in addition to being slow to respond to changes, it is incredibly noisy. It is also incredibly complicated, as it has independent controls in three different rooms, and if they aren’t all set correctly it won’t turn on… or, as the case was last night, turn back off! Even though I was nearly shouting through most of the ceremony, part of the room couldn’t hear a word I said (except, of course, for when I mispronounced a name). Very important lesson learned: no matter how hard you try, some things will always be outside of your control, and you just have to learn to live with that.

The ceremony itself was as beautiful as always, as the original author had a way with words that I can only aspire to. I have been lucky that, through my Masonic journey, I have been forced into public speaking at every turn, and so I was able to actually look at the people gathered there instead of “talking to the podium” as I’ve seen done so often. More importantly, for me, is that I was able to watch as each of the 104 carnations was laid, one for each deceased Past Master, and so able to honor them by remembering them, and in this I learned the most important lesson: never forget the people behind the ceremony. It’s so easy to get caught up in worrying about all of the details that we forget the reason we hold the ceremony to begin with.

After the ceremony it was time for tearing down and cleaning up, presenting carnations to the widows, and thanking the current Worshipful Master for allowing me to have his lodge for the evening. Of course, we also had to go out for pie afterwards (for more information on the importance of pie, see my article HERE), and everyone talked about how great the evening was, but for me nothing will top the honor of getting to honor the 104 men who faithfully served our lodge in life before laying down their working tools and attaining peace at the last.

~AT

WB Adam Thayer is a grumpy-ish past master of Oliver #38 in Seward, NE and Lancaster #54 in Lincoln, NE. He continues to be reappointed to the Grand Lodge of Nebraska Education Committee, as well as being an occasional host on the Whence Came You Podcast. He may be reached directly at adam@wcypodcast.com or summoned by placing a certain number of lapel pins in a special pattern around a petition for an appendant body.

Planning Your Year As Worshipful Master

by Midnight Freemason Contributor

WB. Adam Thayer

It has been my experience that the difference between a successful year as Worshipful Master and an unsuccessful one is due in large part to advanced planning. As one of my managers taught me early in life, if you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail!

In many states (my own included), we are preparing for installation for the ensuing Masonic year, and as such many of us are setting their sights on putting their plan into place. I myself am moving from Jr. Warden to Sr.Warden in one of my lodges, and have already begun the process of planning to be Worshipful Master in 2017. If you’re in a similar boat, here are some “on the ground” tips I’ve found that have helped me significantly.

First and foremost, decide what you want to do in your year. What do you want it to be remembered for? Pretend you’re in a lodge where you will never be Worshipful Master again (that’s easy for me, as my lodge has not repeated a WM since the late 1890’s); if you only have the one chance to impact your lodge as WM (Worshipful Master), how do you want to do it? Make a list of everything that comes to mind, no matter how outlandish, because at this point of planning there are no limits. The theme for my year is bringing Masons back to the lodge. I’ve found that roughly 10% of our members are active, and I’d like to find ways to bring some of the 90% back.

Now look at the list and add in any traditional or required events from your jurisdiction. My lodge, for instance, traditionally holds a very nice dinner in memory of our Past Masters, perform a full lodge proficiency exam for the degrees early in the year  and a more recent tradition involves the lodge attending a baseball game. I’m sure your lodge has events like this as well; check with your secretary to see if you’ve forgotten some, and add all of those to the list.

Next, ask some of the members who have been there a long time if there are

any events that used to be very successful but have been forgotten in recent years. One that I’ve been told multiple times is a card tournament; our lodge used to hold an annual cribbage tournament, with the winner receiving a nice plaque and a portion of the entry fees. Many of the older members have fond memories of the event, so I added it to the list too.

If you’re like me, at this point you have a few pages of events written out. Don’t let that bother you yet; you’re going to be removing quite a few of them!

The next step I took was to contact our secretary and our treasurer to get a lot of details; I’m a detail person. From our secretary, I got the full membership list, sorted by location. Using this, I can target those members who are close enough to attend lodge, and young enough to be physically able.

From the treasurer, I obtained the total income and expenditures for the past five years. With this, I can set a pretty clear budget, which will tell me how much I can spend without hurting the lodge. This is one of the most valuable pieces of information you can have access to and I highly recommend you make it the largest tool in your planning arsenal!

So, you’re finally ready to start planning! Go back to your list, and start to eliminate events that are too expensive, will require more work than your lodge is able to perform, or will not have any positive impact toward your goals. To aid me in this, I worked out a budget for each event, including mailing costs, food costs, and every other foreseeable expense related to that event. This was perhaps the most difficult part for me, as I had fallen in love with some of the ideas and had a difficult time admitting that the cost to perform them was too high for the benefit we would see in return.

Hopefully, you now have a list which is significantly more manageable. At this point, you should grab a calendar for the year you will be WM and start seeing how your events will fit together.

If you’re really lucky, your lodge owns your building and you are the only tenant, so you may schedule your events whenever you choose. Our lodge shares the building with a number of other lodges, an Eastern Star, and some youth groups. Because of this, we are restricted to one night a week (Friday in our case) without requesting special permission. So, I have 52 nights available to plan events on. You may have more, or less, depending on your situation.

Out of the 52 nights available, 12 of those are claimed by business meetings, and one by our Grand Lodge’s Annual Communication, bringing me to 39 nights left. Our availability for events is quickly dwindling!

In my lodge, and I suspect in yours as well, it is nearly impossible to hold any event after Thanksgiving, as most men are too busy with family events to come to lodge. This removes an additional five nights, and now I’m down to 34! Again, your calendar almost certainly will vary, but the process is very similar.

My next step was to add into the calendar those “unwritten rule” type of events. For my lodge, this used up another 8 nights, bringing me down to only 26 nights left out of an original 52! In those 26 nights, I need to accomplish as much as I possibly can, and let’s not forget that we need to leave some room for degrees and for practices!

So, I narrowed my list further, and chose the five “big” events that I felt will most impact my goal (which, again, is bringing inactive members back to the lodge). You may choose more or less, but whatever you choose you need to be fully committed to them!

Because you don’t want to overload your lodge, it’s important to spread the events out across the year. Looking at the nights you have available to your lodge, you will want to pick dates that are far enough apart that your members won’t feel that you’re putting an undue burden on their time, but still close enough together to keep them excited about what is next!

In addition, remember that your event is almost certainly going to take more than just showing up; you may have performers or lecturers to work with, caterers to line up, and mailings to send out in advance to drive excitement. Now is a great time to start planning these details with your line officers, and getting their feedback on your plans. Not only will they help you see things you may have missed, but it is important to get buy-in from the people who will be supporting your vision when the rubber hits the road.

One big caveat should be mentioned here: let your officers do their jobs, without micromanaging them. Trust your stewards to plan the dinners without asking them what type of napkins they’re using; I promise, they will surprise you at how hard they will want to work to make everything a success, but only if you treat them with respect for their office. My instructions to my stewards was simple; I have one meal that I know specifically what I would like served; everything else is up to their imagination and our budget.

Of course, all of the planning in the world doesn’t mean your year will go perfectly; you will need to make adjustments as you go, all year long. Some unexpected situations will arise, and when these happen, you and your advancing line will need to deal with the situation at that time. With good planning, however, it will be much easier to deal with these situations when they occur, and it won’t leave you in the bad position of constantly playing catch-up!

Hopefully this has helped you to get a handle on the planning of your year, but please don’t let your education on the topic stop here. Your Grand Lodge almost certainly has reference material at your disposal, as will your secretary. Even more important, don’t forget to consult with your Past Masters on this; not only does it make them feel valuable, but they almost certainly can give fantastic advice based on their own experiences. Learn from the mistakes they made, and capitalize on their successes, and everyone will think you’re the genius for it!

Now, how good are you at the ritual work? Maybe you should start practicing…

~AT

Bro. Adam Thayer is the Junior Warden of Lancaster Lodge No 54 in Lincoln (NE) and the Worshipful Master of Oliver Lodge No. 38 in Seward (NE). He’s an active member of the Scottish Rite, and Knight Master of the Lincoln Valley Knights of Saint Andrew. Adam serves on the Education Committee of the Grand Lodge of Nebraska. You can contact him at adam.thayer@gmail.com