From the West – September 2021

“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward” – Martin Luther King Jr.

September is always a special month. The end of Summer and the start of Fall. Back to school. Lodges that went dark are starting back up and the thoughts start to turn to next year for Senior Wardens and planning their calendars for their year as Master, if elected.

I was taught by my mentor, WB Dick Unruh, that the Master is the “caretaker” of the lodge for his year. As the caretaker he is tasked with keeping the lodge healthy and if he can, to leave it growing and “moving forward”.

To accomplish this, sometimes things need to be changed or tweaked and sometimes the Master must make the hard decision that something is not working, and it needs to be discarded and something different needs to be put in its place. Of course, the Master has his officers and the members of the lodge to help and advise him.

To some people these changes may seem silly or not logical. And they resist the change. That’s ok. Not everyone will support the Master 100%. And they will voice their opinion. And the Master should listen to those voices. Not necessarily act on those opinions but at the very least, listen to them.

And finally, please remember that any change or tweak will be made with the lodges best interest in mind. It might not be clear at the time, but there is a reason behind it.

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean

 

WB Jim Van Anda – Senior Warden