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De-Installation Speech, Dec. 29, 1999

Patrick Bailey, 1999 Master

De-Installation Speech

December 29, 1999

Hello and Welcome - I am Patrick Bailey - the out-going 1999 Master, and your host for this evening.

Welcome to the 50th Installation of Officers for Los Altos Lodge No. 712.

Thank you for coming.

This is sure to be an exciting and memorable evening.

The "Plan for the Evening" is to have the formal Masonic Installation here this evening, and then to retire to Mtn. View Lodge in Mtn. View at Church and Franklin Streets - for refreshments, entertainment, and dancing.

As I am given some latitude as your Host here this evening, I thought I would read some Zen Koans - three:

Number 1 - What Is The Sound Of One Hand Clapping?

No one can do anything all by themselves.

I am very grateful that during my year as Master I had the help, assistance, and support of:

• My Team of Line Officers
• The Lodge Past Masters
• Our Brethren
• Our Inspector, and
• the members of Valley Star Chapter 250, of the Order of the Eastern Star.

Number 2 - Hem Lines Go Up, Hem Lines Go Down - And Never Up To Far

(I made that one up...)

Masonry is a volunteer organization. It is the "World's Premier Men's Organization", and endeavors to "Make Good Men Better". In Masonry, we are all doing the best that we can - and we are all taught to support our fellow brothers. What we are not taught, and we must learn by doing, is also to be supportable - that is to be able to allow, take, and to use the support given by our fellow Brothers, Sisters, and Brethren.

With this support, what was left undone this year will be done next year, and what was finished this year need not be done next year. The trick here is to continue to accomplish our chosen goals, from year to year, and hopefully to not have any repeating cycles.

Membership, however, should and needs to continue to go up and up.

(And my favorite:)

3. It's Not The Mountains Ahead That Wear You Out - It's The Grain Of Sand In Your Shoe.

We all make goals. Why are they not all accomplished?

If we do not allow the support of others, they will probably never be accomplished.

And as Henry Ford once said:

"Any problem can be broken down into a number of smaller problems that each can easily be solved."

The only problems that we really face are the "grains of sand" in "our own shoes".

So, by working together effectively, we can accomplish almost anything.

I have enjoyed serving as your Master, and I thank you all for allowing me to have had this unique opportunity and privilege.

As "Los Altos" in Spanish translates into "The Most High", I personally think that Los Altos Lodge is one of the best if not the best Lodge in the entire State of California. I am proud to have served this Lodge as its Master during 1999.

So - The "Last One's", The 1999-ers, or "The 99-ers", welcome you here this evening,

And our Line Officer's here still stand on their motto of:

"Whose Afraid of Y2K!" -

Or just: "YAO Y2K" -

as it says on our pretty blue Officer's lapel pins.

Just as you may have heard the phrase "Yo Momma" in some Masonic Circles, you may in the future hear "Way-O" - and you will recognize that those are the Los Altos Line Officers of 1999 who never feared and survived Y2K!

I will now introduce the Installing Officer's Host, who will introduce the Installation team for this evening.

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