| Los Altos Lodge No. 712: | Last Updated on July 2, 2006 |
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As people might have noticed from previous trestleboards, if I don’t think I have anything important to say, I tend to keep quiet. Also, I’m just not that fond of writing. Even when I was a technical writer, I kept my manuals as short as possible.
But, with the Worshipful Master attending to the needs of his family, and with the Senior Warden traveling, I figured I should fill the gap. Please forgive me if this is overly wordy or preachy; I just don’t have the gift of the gab.
On Giving
Here’s an excerpt from a letter I received from the Grand Master on May 5, 2006:
“Congratulations are in order! As of May 5, 2006, Los Altos No. 712 ranked number 11 among the Top 25 Most Charitable Lodges in California. We use a formula that weighs your member participation and the average gift to determine your rank. You have more members making larger gifts than most of the Lodges in this state. Keep up the good work!”
To me, an important measure of the health of a lodge is not what it does with it’s resources, but with what the individual members do with theirs. I think it is far easier to sit in a lodge room and vote money to be given to a cause than it is to open-up one’s own checkbook (or take time out of one’s day). However, I have found the latter to be much more gratifying.
A friend of mine at work, who is considering becoming a Mason, asked me how much money he would be expected to give. He has Masons in his family, and heard about our philanthropic efforts. However he was concerned because of family needs, he wouldn’t be able to give that much. I told him that we are only required to give our annual dues, and any other contributions were entirely voluntary, and that Masonry placed primary importance on the obligations to the family. I also stressed that the giving of one’s time was also of great importance to the Craft.
I’ll close this section with part of a (form) letter I received from the Grand Master acknowledging my gift for this year:
“Your gift will change someone’s life, and reinforce the primary philanthropic values of our fraternity. Thank you for your commitment kindness and generosity.”
On the Health of the Fraternity
Speaking of the Grand Master, I’ve often thought about the comments that he made at the Chicken Feed at Morgan Hill No. 463 back in March. I think that a great speech is like a great book, you find yourself revisiting it over time and finding renewed meaning in it with revisits.
Most Worshipful Sorsabal spoke about the declining membership of the fraternity. This, of course, was not new. But, he also said that it wasn’t a necessarily a bad thing. That being selective was a good thing, and that we’d probably been too lenient on letting folks into the Craft because of our concerns about declining membership. Yes, it was important to get new people into Masonry, but it was also important that they be men of high quality. As the old saying goes, “Masonry makes good men better”.
On Meeting on July Third
As folks will see from the calendar, we’re going to have our stated meeting for July on the third of the month. Because this occurs on what will be for most a four-day weekend, I’m sure that attendance will be sparse. But, I think this will be an ideal time to celebrate the birth of our country with a group of brothers who continue the thoughts and ideals of those who helped give rise to our great country.
Well, that’s it for now. My fingers are tired, and I cannot think of anything else to say. Next month, both the Worshipful Master and Senior Warden should be back, and I won’t need to ramble on as much.
Fraternally
Robert Sohigian, JW
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