I wasn't too sure what to expect or think of this Investigation committee. Three strangers coming into my home to talk to me and my family. What would they think of me? My life? My home? I was nervous.
It was kind of funny my wife quipped that I was not even as nervous about our wedding! I just explained to her that this was a long time coming, and that I just did not know what to expect.
Before the investigation committee came I went against my nature and tried to prepare by looking up on the web what to expect from an "Investigation Committee". Like the Internet often does all it did was instill more nervousness because all my results ranged from "Nothing to worry about" to "Expect to be grilled."
What I found instead was a group of three Brothers that simply wanted to get an unbiased feel for me, to make sure I didn't have any concerns, and most importantly to make sure that my wife did not have any questions or concerns about this group of men that would be taking some of my time away.
We chatted about my background. A little about what would be expected of me. Reaffirmation that it was what I really wanted. That it would be a lot of work, but worth it. And reaffirmed that I believe in a supreme being.
After about a 45 minute meeting they said thank you, told me that if their report was in favour they would ballot on my petition and told me that I would hear from someone at the lodge, and took their leave.
I felt quite good about the meeting, that it went well, but still in the back of my mind I had a lingering concern "What if one of them didn't like me?"
I knew when the lodge meetings were in my town, and a week after the meeting with still no phone call I started to get worried that maybe they weren't in favor of me joining. Did they find I was not worthy of the mysteries of Freemasonry?
As it turned out, I was informed by my bowling teammate (who is the current worshipful master of the lodge) that there was simply a clerical error made because he and most of the officers were new, that my petition hadn't been posted in the monthly notice to inform the brethren of the ballot, so they could not ballot on my petition that month, but would be at their next meeting.
Phew! I thought it was far worse than that!
Next months meeting came, and the very next day I was contacted by the W.M at my work! He told me that my ballot was in the affirmative, and told me that I was to report to the lodge in two months (June 21st 2011) for my initiation. But that my wife and I were invited to their annual pin award supper. I was absolutely elated!
I will end my story here for tonight as we are rapidly catching up to present day. I will really only have one more post before June 21st, which will highlight that awards night supper. Thanks for reading and good night!
Sunday 29 May 2011
Wednesday 25 May 2011
Steps To The Temple Gate
Last fall my wife and I decided we needed something for the two of us to do that was social and adult. Options being what they were in a small town (curling and bowling) it lead to us joining the local bowling league. Because we weren't on a team, or knew of a team to join we were placed on a team that had two open spot available. It turned out to be a great fit and we quickly became friends with our teammates, and league mates. As the league progressed we got to know everyone a little better but to my surprise on the night of the information night I learned a surprise about one of my team mates.
That team mate was the up and coming W.M of the local lodge! This was a pleasant surprise for me as I was expecting to know no one at the information night! Turns out I knew and was friends with two members of the local lodge! This made it a lot simpler to have two signatures on my petition.
The funny thing about the whole situation is that, I had gone on for a while thinking all throughout the fall that I did not know any lodge members, and was extremely nervous about having to get to know the members, as, I would say, I'm probably not the typical candidate that comes to a small town lodge (27 years old, visible tattoo's, ears pierced etc.) and was kind of expecting prejudgment.
That preconceived notion I had could not have been further from the truth. All the brothers of the local lodge welcomed me in excitedly and did not hesitate one bit to introduce themselves and get to know me a little. It turned out that I had a common acquaintance with most of the lodge members and that acquaintance was Ross. I was touched by how fondly everyone there spoke about Ross and what he did for Freemasonry in Saskatchewan, and how many people knew him!
The last thing the representative from the grand lodge said before he ended his speech about Freemasonry was that "All they could do was give us information on the fraternity and a little about what it is about, the rest is left to us. To leave the lodge and think a little about it, and if and when we were ready to ask for a petition."
I though about it good and hard for about a month and a half after the information night. Not that I wasn't sure that I wanted to petition, but to make absolutely sure I was petitioning for the right reasons.
Just before Christmas of 2010, I asked that team member of mine for a petition, he eagerly gave it to me the next week, with a warning that the process can take time... "Masonic Time". I chuckled and told him that this had been a long time coming, and what was a few more months in the 6 years it had taken to get to here.
When I got home I eagerly filled out my petition, but I ended out catching a winter bug in January and did not get my petition in until February.
The February meeting came, and I was informed that my petition had been read in lodge, and I should be expecting to be contacted sometime before the next months meeting by a very ominous sounding "investigation committee". But that's a story for another night.
That team mate was the up and coming W.M of the local lodge! This was a pleasant surprise for me as I was expecting to know no one at the information night! Turns out I knew and was friends with two members of the local lodge! This made it a lot simpler to have two signatures on my petition.
The funny thing about the whole situation is that, I had gone on for a while thinking all throughout the fall that I did not know any lodge members, and was extremely nervous about having to get to know the members, as, I would say, I'm probably not the typical candidate that comes to a small town lodge (27 years old, visible tattoo's, ears pierced etc.) and was kind of expecting prejudgment.
That preconceived notion I had could not have been further from the truth. All the brothers of the local lodge welcomed me in excitedly and did not hesitate one bit to introduce themselves and get to know me a little. It turned out that I had a common acquaintance with most of the lodge members and that acquaintance was Ross. I was touched by how fondly everyone there spoke about Ross and what he did for Freemasonry in Saskatchewan, and how many people knew him!
The last thing the representative from the grand lodge said before he ended his speech about Freemasonry was that "All they could do was give us information on the fraternity and a little about what it is about, the rest is left to us. To leave the lodge and think a little about it, and if and when we were ready to ask for a petition."
I though about it good and hard for about a month and a half after the information night. Not that I wasn't sure that I wanted to petition, but to make absolutely sure I was petitioning for the right reasons.
Just before Christmas of 2010, I asked that team member of mine for a petition, he eagerly gave it to me the next week, with a warning that the process can take time... "Masonic Time". I chuckled and told him that this had been a long time coming, and what was a few more months in the 6 years it had taken to get to here.
When I got home I eagerly filled out my petition, but I ended out catching a winter bug in January and did not get my petition in until February.
The February meeting came, and I was informed that my petition had been read in lodge, and I should be expecting to be contacted sometime before the next months meeting by a very ominous sounding "investigation committee". But that's a story for another night.
Thursday 19 May 2011
The Path Forward
The rush and pace of life quickly ushered in 2010. My daughter turned one, the sun began to set on the summer and it was time to start re-evaluating my life goals and career aspirations.
As I mentioned in a previous post I operated tow truck in the town I live in. The time commitment (which was pretty much all the time)was starting to really pull me down. I wanted to be available to my family first and foremost, and secondly start living the life I wanted to live.
I'll never say I regretted doing the job I did. I did learn a lot, and got to meet some very good people. One of those people was on one of the last calls I did, I will not forget him, and I do hope that one day I will be able to thank him.
The call was a run of the mill breakdown. I loaded his truck on the tow truck and as I was doing my walk around I noticed he had a Shriner's license plate. Once we got going and chatting I inquired as to weather or not he was a Mason. He chuckled as that was a peculiar question and asked how I knew. I told him I noticed the license plate which he thought was funny as he had forgotten that he had it on his truck. We talked a little about Freemasonry and he told me what it had done for him. The example he had given me was that prior to being a Freemason he would have been a lot more upset with his truck breaking down, and that Masonry taught him to approach situations in life a lot more "level". I told him about Ross and my petition in Saskatoon, and he informed me he knew Ross well. I mentioned I was thinking of looking into petitioning but that I did not know anyone from our local lodge. When we parted ways he gave me his business card, and took my name and number. He told me he would be at the district meeting and would give my information to a member of the lodge in my town. I was astounded that he would do that for me given that he had only just met me.
When I got home I eagerly told my wife about the call and expressed how happy I was that I had met this man and that he was going to help me get into contact with the local Masons!
In the fall of 2010 with the full support of my wife I also moved on to a new career. I started with an entry level position at a pulse processing facility near our home. The pay was less than I was making towing, the work labor some, but something told me it was the right choice to make. Apparently I have a knack for the grain business and my strong work ethic (which I did get from towing) lead to rapid promotion and I am now the logistics manager and grain buyer of the same company!
As I settled into my new job, and more active role in my family, the draw to become a Freemason grew ever larger and larger. I wanted to finish what I started all those years ago. For myself, and because I knew deep inside Ross would have wanted me to.
I still had not heard from anyone at our local lodge so I decided to take a proactive role in seeking out membership. I didn't know where to start so I figured the best place would be to send an e-mail to the the grand lodge in my jurisdiction (Grand Lodge Of Saskatchewan). I told them about my situation with Ross and asked how I could go about getting into contact with someone from our lodge. To my surprise I never received an e-mail back, but instead the grand lodge secretary phoned me back directly! We chatted a little and on parting he gave me the contact for our local lodges secretary.
With much anxiety (because this was a long long time coming) I phoned the secretary and introduced myself, explaining my desire to join and interest in meeting the brothers. He informed me that once lodge was back in session they would be planning an information night and would let me know when it would be (this was in September). By October I had not heard from him, so I phoned him again to reiterate that I was still very interested. It happened to be that he was going to phone me that very day to give me the details, and offered to pick me up on the night!
The information night finally arrived, and with much anticipation I dug my best clothes out of the closet got ready and stepped out the door onto the final path that would quickly lead me to the gate in June. Before I get there I want to highlight a few things about the information night and my petitioning, but that's for another night. As a teaser for the next post I will say that when I got to the meeting I learned that someone I am friends with is a Mason not just any Mason, but the W.M of the lodge!
As I mentioned in a previous post I operated tow truck in the town I live in. The time commitment (which was pretty much all the time)was starting to really pull me down. I wanted to be available to my family first and foremost, and secondly start living the life I wanted to live.
I'll never say I regretted doing the job I did. I did learn a lot, and got to meet some very good people. One of those people was on one of the last calls I did, I will not forget him, and I do hope that one day I will be able to thank him.
The call was a run of the mill breakdown. I loaded his truck on the tow truck and as I was doing my walk around I noticed he had a Shriner's license plate. Once we got going and chatting I inquired as to weather or not he was a Mason. He chuckled as that was a peculiar question and asked how I knew. I told him I noticed the license plate which he thought was funny as he had forgotten that he had it on his truck. We talked a little about Freemasonry and he told me what it had done for him. The example he had given me was that prior to being a Freemason he would have been a lot more upset with his truck breaking down, and that Masonry taught him to approach situations in life a lot more "level". I told him about Ross and my petition in Saskatoon, and he informed me he knew Ross well. I mentioned I was thinking of looking into petitioning but that I did not know anyone from our local lodge. When we parted ways he gave me his business card, and took my name and number. He told me he would be at the district meeting and would give my information to a member of the lodge in my town. I was astounded that he would do that for me given that he had only just met me.
When I got home I eagerly told my wife about the call and expressed how happy I was that I had met this man and that he was going to help me get into contact with the local Masons!
In the fall of 2010 with the full support of my wife I also moved on to a new career. I started with an entry level position at a pulse processing facility near our home. The pay was less than I was making towing, the work labor some, but something told me it was the right choice to make. Apparently I have a knack for the grain business and my strong work ethic (which I did get from towing) lead to rapid promotion and I am now the logistics manager and grain buyer of the same company!
As I settled into my new job, and more active role in my family, the draw to become a Freemason grew ever larger and larger. I wanted to finish what I started all those years ago. For myself, and because I knew deep inside Ross would have wanted me to.
I still had not heard from anyone at our local lodge so I decided to take a proactive role in seeking out membership. I didn't know where to start so I figured the best place would be to send an e-mail to the the grand lodge in my jurisdiction (Grand Lodge Of Saskatchewan). I told them about my situation with Ross and asked how I could go about getting into contact with someone from our lodge. To my surprise I never received an e-mail back, but instead the grand lodge secretary phoned me back directly! We chatted a little and on parting he gave me the contact for our local lodges secretary.
With much anxiety (because this was a long long time coming) I phoned the secretary and introduced myself, explaining my desire to join and interest in meeting the brothers. He informed me that once lodge was back in session they would be planning an information night and would let me know when it would be (this was in September). By October I had not heard from him, so I phoned him again to reiterate that I was still very interested. It happened to be that he was going to phone me that very day to give me the details, and offered to pick me up on the night!
The information night finally arrived, and with much anticipation I dug my best clothes out of the closet got ready and stepped out the door onto the final path that would quickly lead me to the gate in June. Before I get there I want to highlight a few things about the information night and my petitioning, but that's for another night. As a teaser for the next post I will say that when I got to the meeting I learned that someone I am friends with is a Mason not just any Mason, but the W.M of the lodge!
Tuesday 10 May 2011
A Sad Farewell
Upon hearing that our friend was hospitalized, my wife and I felt that we needed to go and see Ross right away. This is a decision I will never regret.
I remember walking into the hospital room, and looking at my wife. Upon seeing Ross, her faced immediately turned red and she started to weep harder than I had ever seen her.
I've always taken this is a testament to Ross' character, friendship, and loving nature because my wife tends to handle these situations well given the nature of her job (mortician).
Even though he was so tired he readily welcomed us in for a visit, so we chatted for a short while talked about life, told him to be strong and said our farewells.
I am glad we got to say goodbye.
Upon leaving the room we got a little ways down the hall and we had to stop because my wife was so upset. I had never seen her like this before and just held her, and assured her that everything would be alright.
At least we got to say goodbye.
About a month later Ross made his trip up to the grand lodge in the sky.
Suddenly my petition didn't seem so important.
I remember being awestruck at his funeral service. As further testament to Ross' character there was about 500 people at his funeral service. Of that 500 about 150 were Freemasons all dressed up in their masonic regalia.
It wasn't until after his funeral that I realized that Ross simply got sick before he could turn my petition in after the summer recess.
I still wanted to become a Freemason but no longer knew how to go about it with the passing of my friend. And once again as life can do, I got swept up in the rapid passage of time. Calender pages began turning and life got busy.
Marriage to my beautiful wife.
Renovations on the house.
The birth of our beautiful daughter.
As these amazing things began to happen in my life. The longing and draw I've felt to becoming a Freemason became stronger and stronger, and my initial decision to join became clearer and clearer. As I settled into my role as a husband, and then a father I was able to ease up on my throttle and start to re look at joining....
This time was definitely the right time...
I remember walking into the hospital room, and looking at my wife. Upon seeing Ross, her faced immediately turned red and she started to weep harder than I had ever seen her.
I've always taken this is a testament to Ross' character, friendship, and loving nature because my wife tends to handle these situations well given the nature of her job (mortician).
Even though he was so tired he readily welcomed us in for a visit, so we chatted for a short while talked about life, told him to be strong and said our farewells.
I am glad we got to say goodbye.
Upon leaving the room we got a little ways down the hall and we had to stop because my wife was so upset. I had never seen her like this before and just held her, and assured her that everything would be alright.
At least we got to say goodbye.
About a month later Ross made his trip up to the grand lodge in the sky.
Suddenly my petition didn't seem so important.
I remember being awestruck at his funeral service. As further testament to Ross' character there was about 500 people at his funeral service. Of that 500 about 150 were Freemasons all dressed up in their masonic regalia.
It wasn't until after his funeral that I realized that Ross simply got sick before he could turn my petition in after the summer recess.
I still wanted to become a Freemason but no longer knew how to go about it with the passing of my friend. And once again as life can do, I got swept up in the rapid passage of time. Calender pages began turning and life got busy.
Marriage to my beautiful wife.
Renovations on the house.
The birth of our beautiful daughter.
As these amazing things began to happen in my life. The longing and draw I've felt to becoming a Freemason became stronger and stronger, and my initial decision to join became clearer and clearer. As I settled into my role as a husband, and then a father I was able to ease up on my throttle and start to re look at joining....
This time was definitely the right time...
Tuesday 3 May 2011
A Bump In The Road
After the lunch I had with Ross we parted ways for a couple of months. I was beginning to think he had forgotten about me, and that maybe he wasn't taking me too seriously about petitioning, when out of the blue late in the spring he called me and asked if I would be willing to have coffee with him and another member. Ross wanted to have me meet another member so we could get to know one another as you need to have two sponsors on your petition. We met at a Tim Hortons (A famous coffee joint in Canada) And had a nice long meeting to discuss my life, my interests, goals and aspirations. At the end of the meeting we filled out my petition. Ross told me he wasn't going to read my petition until the fall (It was May)as it would be a lot easier to go through the degrees in the fall with a few other candidates. I of course was slightly disappointed but was well forewarned about "Masonic" time. They told me to expect a phone call from a very ominous sounding "Investigation Committee"
The Days Come And Go
Anxious Floating In Darkness
Masonic Time
Fall rolled around and still no word from this investigation committee or Ross. Was I deemed unworthy? Why haven't I heard from Ross?
September came and went... No Call
October came and went... No Call
November came and went... No Call
Frustration mounting
December came and went... No Call
January came....
And so did the news that my dear friend Ross was dieing of occupational cancer, and had been in the hospital since the summer....
The Days Come And Go
Anxious Floating In Darkness
Masonic Time
Fall rolled around and still no word from this investigation committee or Ross. Was I deemed unworthy? Why haven't I heard from Ross?
September came and went... No Call
October came and went... No Call
November came and went... No Call
Frustration mounting
December came and went... No Call
January came....
And so did the news that my dear friend Ross was dieing of occupational cancer, and had been in the hospital since the summer....
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