Lord, Thou knowest better than I knowest myself that I am growing older and will some day be old. Keep me from that fatal habit of thinking that I must say something on every subject and on every occasion. Release me from craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it at all; but Thou knowest, Lord, that I want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details, give wings to get to the point, seal my lips on my aches and pains; they are increasing, and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by. I dare not ask for grace enough to enjoy the tales of other’s pains, but help me to endure them with patience. I dare not ask for improved memory, but for growing humility, and a less cocksuredness when my memory seem to clash with the memory of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet: I do not want to be a saint some of them are so hard to live with; a sour old person is one of the crowning works of the devil. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and talent in unexpected people, and give me, Oh Lord, the grace to tell them so. Amen
It is almost the end of the year and the seasons (and plates) are starting to change. The weather is cooling off and more people are out enjoying the days and nights. With these changes come the ability as well as more opportunity to get out and show our support for the community. We can do these things by being involved and representing the Lodge and craft, or simply by just wearing a shirt or ring showing that you are a Mason.
Thanksgiving is also just around the corner. A time to be with family and friends and be thankful for all that we have in our lives. It is also a time to be there and give for those that do not have during this sea-
as they are on vacation, and when on vacation one typically does not think that everyone else is still working and need to get places. Also be aware that they may not know our laws have changed regarding motorcycle lane filtering. If you ride, please keep that in the back of your mind this winter as you approach vehicles, especially those from out of state, while filtering.
son. So, if you know someone that may not have anywhere to be, or family to be with this Thanksgiving, invite them over for dinner and fellowship. I am sure it will mean the world to them, and you might even feel great about doing it.
Around this time of year we also have many winter visitors coming back and the roads will soon be packed again with folks from all over the country and Canada. Please attempt to be patient with them
Speaking of getting our name in the community and riding, I recently stopped at an auto parts store in Apache Junction while out riding my motorcycle with my Widows Sons vest on. I was approached by not one, nor 2, but 3 people while in the store, asking me about my vest. Two of them told me that their father/grandfather was a Mason and a Shriner. They also told me their stories as to why they never joined, but wished they had. They also said that the Masons are a great organization. All three asked me questions about the various pins and patches on my vest and their meaning. All in all, it brought to light who we are and what we do, as well as enlighten anyone else within ear shot of our conversations. It made me feel good that I have chosen the path I did years ago regarding becoming a Mason. Have a wonderful and safe November, as well as a Happy Thanksgiving!
Fraternally, Eric Smith 2022 Master Gila Valley Lodge No. 9
In this Month of November, we tend to think or the rush of Christmas and all forms of music that pop on the radio and the Black Friday deals at 4 in the morning. But this month I want us to take a minute and think about what we are grateful and thankful for this past year.
There are numerous things and people that I am thankful for, but I will just mention three and how they have helped me in my journey through life. First, I have my family. My family has been there for me since I was born, they have raised me and helped me to become the man that I am today. Without their guidance and good council, I would have turned out much worse. Without them I would not what it means to be a man, to be a good individual, or how to work well with others even if I didn’t always agree with them. Without them I would have been lost. So, I am thankful that they were there to see me through the rough times as well as the good times.
Second, I am thankful for my teachers. These include those who were my schoolteachers, choral directors from church, and even friends and brothers who helped me learn a new trade concept or Ritual. For without you all I would never have been able to make it as far as I have in my career or in my journey through music and Lodge!
Lastly, I am thankful for my Lodge. For if I would
have never joined, I would have never met some of you or known what insights you all would have for me to assist me in my life. For without the lodge, I never would have met as many new like minded individuals with so much diversity in experiences. I would have never thought myself to be on the same level as other men of different backgrounds and be taken seriously while working to accomplish different goals in Lodge. Without the Brotherhood I would never have gained the confidence to be a better man in my everyday life and in my own mind.
So, this month my brothers I challenge you to think of at least three things that you are thankful for this past year or over your lifetime and write down what specifically they did for you or how they helped you throughout this year or lifetime. By doing this simple activity it will help bring to perspective what is important to you and what you are thankful for. For if we don’t take the time to be thankful and think about things occasionally then what are we living for? And what are we doing with our lives?
Fraternally, John Woode
2022 Senior Warden Gila Valley Lodge No. 9
Good day Brethren, and I hope all is well in your house. Fall is in the air, and I can almost smell the turkey cooking. Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy the cooler temps.
From time to time, I read things that deserve repeating, and so I share them in Trestle Board. As so with this article I enjoyed from The Masonic Service Association this month. I know there are a lot of men that don’t receive it or read it, its titled;
SLOWING the SANDS of TIME
By R.W. Brother Chad M. Lacek, Past Master of Dundee Lodge No. 190 Carpentersville IL.
Do you remember the carefree days of your youth when summer felt like it would never end? Time
seemed to move so slowly back then. The days and weeks would crawl along, yet now months zip by faster than we can take hold of them. Have you ever stood on the eve of a New Year, and looked back, and wondered where the time went? I have asked many people those questions, and it seems we all experience the same phenomenon. Even more troubling is the observation that the older you get the faster time seems to move. It’s accelerating! Yet we all know that 365 days when we were 8 years old is the same amount of time for us this year. Then what’s the difference? What has changed? I have good news. Scientists think they have discovered why we perceive time differently as we age, and they believe we have the ability to slow it down again. Let’s begin with the “Why”. Human beings are designed to maximize efficiency. Our bodies and our minds are always working to do the most with the least. The result of this evolutionary process is that we are creatures of habit. We drive the same rout to and from work every day to eliminate the need to actively navigate. We can get there and back on a sort of physical and mental “auto pilot”. This frees our minds to work on other problems or to relax by zoning out to the radio. We develop a morning hygiene ritual where we follow the same steps, in the same way, every day.
The only time this gets disturbed is if some external event forces us to deviate from the norm, and when that happens, we are usually out of whack the rest of the day. We need and want that routine to feel normal. The same is true for the jobs we perform, the hobbies we engage in, and the relationships we maintain. Our conception of time resides in our memories. Imagine a book with the numbers 2022 stamped in gold on the cover. Now imagine that every time you experience something new or unexpected, you add a bookmark at that page in the book. Your car breaks down. You make a new friend. You taste something strange. Each of those is a bookmark. It has nothing to do with being good or bad, just something memorable. When we look back on New Year’s Eve, we are observing the number of bookmarks sticking out of our 2022 book. If there are lots of them, it feels like a lot happened that year. If a lot happened, then it must have taken a long time. Is the book almost empty? Then the year seems to have flown by in no time at all. Our Efficiency is part of the problem. We get so good at living on “auto pilot” that there aren’t many memorable moments to record. One day looks just like any other. This week blends with the weeks before it. Those weeks turn into months and those become years. Then we find ourselves wondering where the time went. When we were children, the whole world was new to us. Everything was fascinating, frightening, bizarre, or magical. Everyday was filled with wonder. Every object and situation we encountered was a lesson to learn and a memory to preserve. We added dozens of bookmarks to every
page of our book of life. Those days seemed to last so long because there was so much worth remembering. Fraternally,
In the French and Scottish Rites, a small room adjoining the Lodge, in which, preparatory to initiation, the candidate is enclosed for the purpose of indulging in those serious meditations which its somber appearance and the gloomy emblems with which it is furnished are calculated to produce. It is also used in some of the advanced degrees for a similar purpose.
Its employment is very appropriate, for, as Gädicke well observes, "It is only in solitude that we can deeply reflect upon our present or future undertakings, and blackness, darkness, or solitarine, is ever a symbol of death. A man who has undertaken a thing after mature reflection seldom turns back."
~Mackey
The Hoodwink represents the darkness before birth, before education and spiritual enlightenment.
A Masonic hoodwink is not used as a method of deception. It is simply a symbolic and visual method of covering the eyes which is used in the initiation of the candidate into acquiring new knowledge, hence the term, "from darkness to light".
Grand Care (GCARE) is designed to support Arizonans by funding one time medical care payments or by reimbursing co payments for Arizona citizens who receive medical care because they suffer from a "chronic disease" constituting a chronic health condition. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control defines "chronic diseases" as those conditions that exist for at least, but no less than, one calendar year and require ongoing medical attention or limited activities of daily living or both, including, but not limited to, Alzheimer's Disease, Arthritis, Asthma, Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Kidney Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Diabetes, and Stroke.
We are committed to helping those with chronic illness deal with the high cost of medical care, prescriptions and co pays. We understand hardships are caused for basic living needs when one is living with a chronic illness. Our organization is committed to operating with excellence while providing ser-
vice.
Grand Care is an Arizona non profit corporation and gratefully accepts IRS 501(C) (3) tax deductible contributions from individuals, business and groups
Your support and contributions will enable us to meet our goals and improve conditions. Your generous donation will fund our mission. You can mail donations to P.O. Box 64251, Tucson, Arizona 85728 4251 or send them securely through our certified PayPal account.
https://azgcare.org/
The George Washington Memorial Society comprises a select group of members who are dedicated to supporting the Memorial and its Mission. The purpose of the Society is to raise support for the George Washington Masonic National Memorial’s operations and to increase awareness of the Memorial’s mission among Freemasons and the wider community.
The emblem of the Society is a special version of the official crest of The George Washington Masonic National Memorial Association. An image of the Memorial building in the center of the emblem serves as an important reminder of the commitment that each member of the George Washington Memorial Society has made.
Please note that GWMS membership is for individuals only. Lodges are encouraged to consider the Society of Washington Lodges, and other opportunities for support are available for lodges and other organizations as well.
Charter Membership is conferred for contributions of $1,000 or more to the Memorial with the membership application, and $250 or more per year thereafter.
Your Memorial Society dues benefit our annual fund, and are put to use to support the daily operations of the Memorial. To support the restoration work, consider an additional contribution to the Landmark Century Campaign.
Before tiles and shingles were used on roofs, they used thatch straw. This is straw woven together and held in place with rope. Because of this London just about burnt to the ground, several times.
An ordinance was issued that roofs were to be covered with tiles, lead, shingles, or plastered straw. This was the first fire law ever imposed by any government.
The occupation of Tiler became quite lucrative because of this new law. Tilers became the highest paid profession of that time. They demanded so high a wage, that the government had to step in and set their fees.
Tilers were entered into Masonry around 1738 and was responsible for the drawing of the Lodge, delivery of the summonses (for which they were paid) and various assets. Until this time the Tilers guarded the door of the Lodge but were not members.
The emblem of the Tilers office is the sword, originally it was the trowel. It was sharp, pointed, and about three feet long. You can see how a man of that profession could swing something like that with quite a bit of power.
The term "drawing of the lodge" was done by the Tiler and was exactly what it implies. In those days they did not have the furnishings that we have today. The Lodge would meet in homes of brothers, pubs, churches or where ever they could find a place. Before the meeting would start the Tiler would take a piece of chalk and draw the different steps, stations, and places for the officers. The better artist the Tiler was the more elaborate the drawings and the more prestige the Lodge received.
By William FischerNov 3, Pinal Lodge No. 30
7:00pmStatedMeeting
Nov 7, Gila Valley Lodge No. 9
5:00pm DinneratLodge 7:00pmStatedMeeting 9:00pmPostmeetingdiscussionatMountAthos
Nov 8, Ocotillo Chapter No. 21 OES Callfortime
Nov 10, Apache Lodge No. 69 7:30pmStatedMeeting
Nov 12 White Mountain No. 3 10:00amStatedMeeting
Nov 12, Globe Chapter No. 7 R.A.M 2:00pmStatedMeeting
Nov 17, Eloy Lodge No. 46 7:00pmStatedMeeting
Nov 19, Memento Mori Widow Sons
Location TBD: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WSMMChapter 11:00amStatedMeeting
Nov 7 Gila Valley Lodge No. 9 5:30pmTrusteeMeeting
Nov 12, BBQ Competition
Charles Whitlow Rodeo Grounds 10:00amPublicEvent
Nov 14, Sabbar Shrine 7:00pmStatedMeeting
Nov 26, Gila Valley Lodge No. 9 Grand Lodge of Arizona Jr.ParadaParade 8:30amGrandLodgeOpens 9:00amStage 10:00amStepoff
The “Capitular” or Chapter Degrees of Freemasonry refers the four degrees of the York Rite system that follow the “blue lodge” or “Craft” degrees. The Holy Royal Arch is the final degree and the culmination of the Chapter experience for a candidate. The Chapter is the second body of the York Rite of Freemasonry (following the Symbolic or 'Blue' Lodge), though in some Jurisdictions it is considered the completion of the initial three degrees and is part of the regular Craft experience. All Master Masons are eligible for membership. Contact RW Jim Baker, or WB Paul Dore at pauldoresr@cox.net for more information
Do you have a son 12 21 years Old? Saguaro Order of the DeMolay is the premier youth leadership organization building young men of character and dedicated to making young men better people and leaders and sponsored by Gila Valley Lodge 9, Pinal Lodge No. 30, and Eloy Lodge No. 46 Meetings are held twice monthly on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month starting at 6:00 pm. All parents are welcome and are encouraged to attend and get involved in this great organization. They meet at Pinal Lodge #30 located at 1140 E. Florence Blvd., Casa Grande, Arizona 85122.
Great Men wear a Fez! We're counting on you… Who do you know that would make a good Mason and Shriner? A friend? A family member? A coworker? Commit to making a difference! The future of our fraternity relies on your commitment.
CLICK HERE TO REFER A GOOD MAN
The Scottish Rite is a Masonic organization that continues a Master Mason's education of the first three degrees. The Scottish Rite is one of several appendant groups of the worldwide fraternity known as Freemasonry. Each Valley has up to four Scottish Rite bodies, and each body confers a set of degrees. In the Southern Jurisdiction these are the Lodge of Perfection (4° 14°). Chapter Rose Croix (15° 18°), Council of Knights Kadosh (19° 30°), and the Consistory (31° 32°). The 33rd Degree is an honorary degree awarded for exceptional service. Have a question? Ask a Personal Rep!
The Widows Sons, Masonic Riders Association is a group of Master Masons who have gathered together to promote Freemasonry within the motorcycling community and help introduce motorcycling to our non riding Masonic brethren. As Freemasons we are committed to "Brotherly Love, Relief, and Truth" tenets of our lives, as Widows Sons we are devoted to supporting Widows and Orphans of our Masonic brethren. We hold events and rides as fundraisers for this noble cause, and other charitable causes. The chapters in Arizona are very diverse with members from various areas, lodges, and a variety of motorcycles.
The goal of the Ladies’ Oriental Shrine, as set forth at the organizational meeting in 1903, is to promote sociability, good fellowship and the betterment of all Ladies connected with the organization. Our Ladies participate in parades, mini-clinics, Shrine Circuses, and much more. Ladies may choose to be active in a variety of special interest Units within each local Court such as Oriental Bands, Patrols, Clown or Dance Units. Our Ladies are always ready to display their pageantry and glamour in order to show the public how much they enjoy their activities.
Today, LOSNA has nearly 8,000 members in 64 Courts across North America and even members in Japan and Taiwan.
High Twelve is an association of Master Masons who desire an hour of Masonic fellowship independent of the formal ritual of Lodge but dedicated to the service to the fraternity. High Twelve was founded by E. C. Wolcott in Sioux City, Iowa on May 17, 1921.
We practice the great lessons of Freemasonry and encourage members to attend and participate in their Blue Lodge activities. High Twelve unifies Master Masons from many Lodges in an association where fellowship grows into lasting friendships. As High Twelve Masons, we support the Public School System and encourage participation in constructive community activities. There are over 300 active High Twelve Clubs with 25,000 members in the United States, Canada and Foreign Countries.
Brethren, Friends, and Family,
This year the Masonic Charities of Arizona approved 33 grants totaling $70,000 to worthy organizations throughout Arizona. These 501c3 charitable organizations provide much needed services to their communities all over Arizona Those services include Veteran assistance, Domestic abuse shelters, child learning disabilities, training and assistance for people with special needs, support for soldiers abroad, Adult literacy programs and Personal hygiene kits for the working poor and homeless.
We are able to award these Grants from the income of our investment fund, Lodge and Personal donations and support from Grand Lodge. In order to keep up with the desire to expand our Grant distribution to more organizations and communities around the State we ask for your help.
We have registered with the Amazon Smile Foundation. Amazon Smile will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization selected by their customers. For Amazon customers to select the Masonic Charities of Arizona to receive these donations go to http://smile.amazon.com/ch/94 2746389 to automatically select us. Or you can go to www.smile.amazon.com and you will be prompted to select a charity. Now you are ready to shop and support the Masonic Charities of Arizona.
The Board of Directors of the Masonic Charities of Arizona extends our appreciation to all of you for your support.
Fraternally, Roger Biede III Secretary, Masonic Charities of Arizona rcbthree@hotmail.com www.masoniccharitiesaz.com
The first mention of Moon Lodges can be found in the Cooke Manuscript of 1410, one of the oldest documents belonging to the Masonic Craft. In the U.S., Moon Lodges were first noted in colonial times around 1717 to be operating in Philadelphia, Boston and Tennessee
There appears to have been approximately 3000 moon lodges in the U.S. at the turn of the last century but by the 1950’s that number had decreased to 500. Today, by last count, there are roughly 129 moon lodges in the U.S.
A moon lodge was born out of necessity due to the lack of natural or artificial illumination by which one could travel to and from meetings. During the 18th century, transportation was limited to horseback, horse & buggy, walking and even in some circumstances by boat. There were no paved roads and very few gravel but merely two dirt ruts that would meander through bush and fields rarely in a straight line. With only a candle or coal oil lamp to light the way, a full moon provided welcome companionship for a long and lonely trek. Individuals would travel 8 10 miles or more and were unable to make the long trip home at night and would be supplied lodging by a fellow brother, leaving after breakfast to return home the next morning.
Gila Valley Lodge No. 9 continues to follow this tradition and is honored to be still one of the remaining “Moon Lodges” in the United States. Our Stated Meetings are the Monday On or Before the Full Moon of the Month, The Lodge also goes “Dark” during the summer months of July and August, where no Stated Meetings are held.
