True Brothers

This last week has been a very trying one for my family. Starting last August, while I was still in Saudi Arabia, my wife started suffering from shortness of breath. This was particularly trying because she has high blood pressure and diabetes... not that the two are a problem in and of themselves, but because as a result of her having these two illnesses, I could not buy health insurance for her.

There seems to be something wrong with a system that allows something as essential as healthcare insurance to be denied because someone is sick... but that's likely another subject for another forum.

When I came back to the United States, we were automatically covered under my employer's health plan (where my wife cannot be denied coverage... go figure). The doctor examining my wife took an x-ray, and informed us that her heart was seriously enlarged, which was compressing her lungs and that she was on the verge of a heart attack.

Two days later, she is having trouble breathing and having chest pain, so off we go to the emergency room. Long story short (yes... I know, too late) she spent the last week in hospital being subjected to a number of tests. The last test, after everything else had been tried, was a cat scan... where they discovered she does not have an enlarged heart, but 950cc of fluid in the sac around her heart.

They removed that, and she is now resting comfortably...

However, the point of this, as much as I am overjoyed that my lovely bride is once more hale and hearty, is not the trials and health tribulations of my wife. The point is that the brethren of my lodge, the senior officers: Wr. John Cover Spear, Master, Br. Ron Dudec, Senior Warden, and Wr. Pat Janitell, Junior Warden and my, well, mentor, Manny Blanco, all chose to today to come by and visit my wife.

Its almost expected that we extend brotherly love to our brothers in the lodge, but its wonderful to see the brothers take the time to stop by to see my wife, to wish her health in person. I am a member of a wonderful lodge, my friends, and a member of a wonderful Grand Lodge.

May the blessings of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.

Late Night at the Lodge

Thursday night at Moreno Valley Lodge, we had the positive pleasure of initiating 4 brothers. Two were born in Lebanon, one in Syria, and one from the United States. I noted that it was a late night because in California, the first section of all degrees is conferred individually, a process that takes 15 minutes (usually), with about 10 minutes between each degree to reset and catch your breath.

We opened as usual at 6pm Moreno Valley Time (this is anywhere between 6pm and about 6:30pm) and started on the first conferral at 7pm, completing the first section of the four degrees by 10:15pm, which was pretty good time. We were very fortunate in having a Past Master from Henry the Navigator Lodge 9360 in Vilamoura, Portugal and a Past Master from Menifee Valley Lodge #289 in Sun City and 24 other sideliners in addition to the officers.

In California lodges, the Junior Warden usually sits as the master when conferring the first degree, and on this night, one of the first degrees were conferred by the Junior Warden, Wr. Pat, and another by the Senior Warden, Br. Ron, another by the Master, Wr. John, and the fourth, by Wr. Tim, the officer's coach. Everyone did a good job, of course.

I was Junior Deacon, which is a pretty easy chair in California lodges... The Senior Deacon does 90% of the floorwork and conducts the candidate in all the degrees. He must have gotten about a two mile walk out the degrees, but never broke a sweat and did an awesome job, as did all the officers that night.

Altogether, a wonderful night of brotherhood and good work.

May the blessings of heaven rest upon us and all regular masons. May brotherly love prevail, and every moral and social virtue, cement us.