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VWB Bob Jensen Deputy of the Grand Master in District 4 of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington for 2001-2003 Mailto: bjjcmj@aol.com 23313 94th Place
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A New Year Dawns in Masonry (January 2003)
I hope you all had a great Holiday season in December and wish you and your Lodge a great New Year. We have so many things going well in the District with new candidates in most Lodges, new officers working hard on ritual and programs that I look forward to every meeting with anticipation and pleasure.
The next BIG event for us is the District Four and Five Joint Reception for our Grand Master James N. Reid Jr. which will take place on Saturday, February 1st at the Ballard Masonic Center- 2006- N.W. Market Street in Seattle. VWB Gale Kenney and I have put together what we believe will be a fun and worthwhile session and dinner. We will begin at 3:00PM sharp and have brief introductions and talks, along with our Grand Master's message and a chance to find out what the fifteen Lodges in the two Districts are doing. This event is for all Masons and I hope you will join us for this interesting and informative afternoon. The ladies are invited and a great dinner will be served at 6:00PM. Pillars of Progress Awards will be given to the Lodges and one individual from each District will receive the Grand Master's Achievement Award. Will it be you? Come and find out. Paid reservations are required for the dinner at $10.00 per person, as there will only be seating for 150 Brothers and Ladies. You may mail your check to me at 23312- 94th Place West, Edmonds WA 98020-5006. As we expect to have about that many at dinner, there most likely will be no tickets available at the door. Pay your money or take your chances. Please make your reservation a week before the event. If you cannot come for dinner, you are still welcome to attend the afternoon session.
I had thought that I was through being a poster old man for Prostate Cancer, but the surgery I had over a year and half ago did not quite do the job. The PSA number rose each three months, and while it was still under one, it indicated that some little gremlin was still inside me and doing damage. Plan "A" did not work, so now we are on Plan "B"- which is radiation treatments every weekday for seven weeks. By the time you read this I will have completed four weeks and hope that the few side effects will not have slowed me down. If this does not work, then we go to Plan "C", which is where they take me out and shoot me. Again I hope that all Brothers over the age of 50 will get a PSA test yearly and catch any problem early. I was amazed at the number of brothers who encouraged me and told me of their experiences with the problem. And if any of you want to talk about it, don't hesitate to call or email me. Experience counts, but I would just as soon have skipped this experience. I hope you can skip it completely.
Our next Grand Lodge meeting in Tacoma in June will have many interesting resolutions and several candidates for Junior Grand Warden. I hope you will plan to attend and learn how our Grand Lodge operates. With all my best wishes for you and your Lodge in the new year. If I can be of service to you or your Lodge please call.
Thanks to both the Deputy of the Grand Master in District 4, and the Masonic Monitor which publishes his articles for allowing us to reprint them. The Masonic Monitor is published monthly (except August) under approval of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington. The Masonic Monitor can be contacted at: 6619 132nd Avenue NE, PMB 237, Kirkland, WA, 98033-8627, USA. Phone: (425) 822-4605 - FAX: (425) 822-2535 - Email: masonicmonitor@earthlink.net.