VWB Brian B. Hardy Deputy of the Grand Master in District 4 of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Washington for 2007-2009 Mailto: Brian B. Hardy

I hope you all enjoyed a happy and restful holiday season with your families.  Now is the time for many of our Lodges to support new Masters and other officers who are taking up new positions of leadership and responsibility.  Congratulations to you all.

I wish to throw up a challenge for each of you to make up some personal resolutions to support your Lodges in new ways or with renewed effort to make them the best that they can be.  I have some areas I would like you to consider.

Support Masonic Education.  One of the best ways to make men better is to personally become involved in making yourself and others more aware of the true nature of our principles and purposes.  As our lessons in ritual are based on types, symbols, allegorical figures, and hieroglyphics, casual study can lead a man to miss the true meaning of our message.  Don’t just count on others who may have positions in the Lodge to carry the burden of memorizing ritual.  Motivate yourself to memorize more.  The shear act of memorizing helps drill the words into your mind, and thus more positively influences your actions in all parts of your life.  Make time for study beyond the rote of the ritual itself, and then volunteer to mentor candidates and members alike to share your knowledge.

Promote Brotherly Love and Friendship.  Another important aspect of our fraternity is to befriend and relieve every Brother.  Though having gone through the same process of initiation in the degrees draws us closer, but it is not the end of this bonding process - it is but the beginning.  It opens a door for that potential affection to grow.  Recall the Closing Charge - “in the most friendly manner.”  Minimize any tendencies you may have of talking ill of others, and instead, work on ways of finding ways to encourage your brethren to improve their actions and thereby meeting your expectations through inspiration and motivation.  Hold your tongue.  Listen more than you talk.  Wait for private moments.  Be discrete when bringing up problems.  Respect authority, and keep a subservient attitude to your Master when in Lodge.  Don’t expect that every other Brother will agree fully with your ideas or position.  Keep your angry emotions in check.  Also, learn more about your brothers, their families, professions, interests, and needs on a personal level.  Visit other lodges and meet other Masons.  Become more proactive in approaching those you do not know well yet.  You will find that this will work on your Brethren, and will spill over into your ability to attract other men to want what you have and enjoy within our Fraternity.

Now some news about the District.

- On Saturday, January 26th, Walter F. Meier Lodge of Research will host its annual Crab Feed to honor our Grand Master, MWB Wayne I Smith.  It will be held at the Greenwood Masonic Center at 6:30 p.m.  Tickets are $25 each, and are available from the principal officers.  Get them quick, there are only 100 available.

Thanks to both the District 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.