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Like the struggling artist who toiled through life and found no success until he was dead, we rarely hear all the good there is to say about a brother until he has passed to the Grand Lodge above.

The character of a Masonic lodge clearly reflects the nature of the men who have knelt at her altar. Leaders among these men, many of whom may never accept an appointment to office, remain the driving force behind any lodge that is apt to meet its potential.

Ok, I have been slacking. I made a promise to write frequently and have fallen short. There are a million reasons. Each acceptable and each merely an excuse. That is the way I find life is often, I am always busy but is it always fulfilling.

It is impossible for anyone to know precisely what a candidate is searching for when he approaches the lodge room door for the first time. Nor will he have a clear idea of that for which he seeks, given that we of the brotherhood go to such great lengths to ensure that he does not know what goes on inside.

Thought for today, inspired by Oliver Sack's memoir, Uncle Tungsten:

So nice to have Pedro, Adam, Iain and Lee out to my deck on a lovely summer evening. I asked Lee to make a snack run, and he arrived laden with an immense feast. That's the way, uh huh, uh huh, Lee DOES it.

The occasion was conceived as a farewell to Bro. Ken Sparks (who is off to Houston this weekend) but Ken was just too busy to make it. I hope everyone who reads this makes a point of saying goodbye to Ken personally, as I know Exemplar will miss him. His phone is 232-4703.

As of late my mind has been pondering the purpose and the goal of membership and participation in the Craft. What is is that we get out of it? It takes a great deal of time, effort and resources.
Why do we continue? I know that some meetings I walk out of feeling refreshed and ready for action. Other meetings I am left wondering if I would not have been better off staying home and catching up on some reading.

Well, for the first time ever (since becoming a Mason), I missed the Ft Edmonton BBQ. Coming on top of a rare missed meeting (June 6), I know some of you have been wondering what's up. Some have called or written e-mails, but for the rest of you, rest assured, it's all good.

As some of you know I have taken a position working with the schools supporting children suffering from disabilities. A number of the students I am working with suffer from FASD, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. As such I have been reading a lot about it. I am going to be posting a little bit about what I have read in this BLOG. It’s my BLOG and I will write about what I want to. Keep in mind that FASD is a blanket term describing a number of alcohol related issues and is not a diagnostic term. It is a category of diagnostic terms.

"Forewarned is forearmed" --Peter Vincent

Why does a man become a Mason? Is it the call of Brotherhood from Masons he knows? Is the wonder of the unknown? Is it the lure of Hidden Riches and Ancient Mysteries? For each Mason the answer is different. For each it is equally right.