Happy Easter Brethren! Whatever your personal belief system may be, this time of year universally signifies a time for renewal, hope, forgiveness, and growth. The dark of winter is behind us, and the light and growth of spring comes forth. It is my hope this season will fill you with anticipation and joy for all things to come.
Continuing to look at the themes I laid out for the year, we turn our attention to Education. In our second degree, education is particularly emphasized and in the third degree lecture we are taught that during our youth we are “industriously to occupy our minds in the attainment of useful knowledge” and to apply that knowledge in our manhood. This month, we have two very special events planned that we hope will bring some worthwhile education to our members. The first is our stated meeting on March 12th, where we will bring in a tax specialist to come in and talk about yearly taxes, charitable giving and qualified gifting. As this is tax season, we hope this timely and practical piece will help those who are in a gifting phase or an estate-planning phase to better plan their giving to avoid tax surprises. The second event is working with a Lodge in Pittsburgh, PA to visit them and see them conduct a Master Mason degree according to the Pennsylvania ritual. They have a degree planned for Thurs., March 28th. We’ll plan on leaving Avon Lake by 4:00 PM to make sure we get to Pittsburgh in time for their meeting. Please visit westshorelodge.org to RSVP by March 15, as we’ll try to get a means of transport for those that would like to attend but do not wish to drive separately. For those who haven’t seen PA ritual, it’s very different from Ohio and offers a wholly unique perspective and description of the story we have come to know and enjoy. I have found my experiences with different jurisdictions has only added to my Masonic experiences and understanding, and I hope this exchange can do the same for our Lodge.
If you haven’t been to Lodge in a while, we would love to see you again. The Lodge is doing fantastic, and we’re definitely getting noticed for all our hard work. We have a number of new Brothers who are progressing through their degrees. We continue to be asked to use our building to host events for various Masonic groups outside our normal meetings because we are recognized as an active and dedicated Lodge that can deliver. We also received a glowing report during our annual inspection this year - a testament to the hard work and dedication of the members & officers of the Lodge. I am deeply proud of the work this Lodge has done and continues to do to be the shining light in the District…just like the lighthouse our logo portrays.
Fraternally,
Bill Marshall
Worshipful Master