April 2023 Trestleboard

What does Freemasonry mean to you? 

A question I was asked on the day I joined the Lodge. I did not have a really good answer at that time. I joined Masonry because I saw my older brother get a deal on a car he was interested in purchasing. The salesman saw his ring and gave him a below sticker price deal. 

We are taught about brotherly love, relief, and truth. But those are just words until you put them into action. I had been involved in organized sports my entire life, but I have never felt closer to a group of men and women than I do now. Each person gladly gives of their time and efforts to help others. 

This year, let's all take a moment and ask ourselves the question. And let's all get involved. We have our Blue Lodge, our Conejo Valley Eastern Stars, Jobs Daughters, Demolay, Rainbow Girls, the Shrine, Scottish Rite, and York Rite bodies available to us. Come out to our degrees and support our candidates, and help establish more family and social events for all to enjoy. Our Lodge will succeed or fail based on the passions of each of us taking the time to make this Masonic journey more fulfilling and more fun. 

This month is Public Schools Month. If you know a teacher deserving of special recognition, please let me know so we can honor him or her at a special meeting later in the month.

Thank you all.

As Junior Warden of our Lodge, my station is representative of the plumb, a tool used by Stonemasons to align a structure vertically. In life, it's symbolic of being an upright person who treats people in a kind and respectful way. As human beings, we are all imperfect ashlars. As Masons, we strive to become perfect ashlars. Although this is no easy task, we try to work on it each day, smoothing out our rough edges. 

This month, I encourage each of you— myself included —to examine yourself at the end of each day (or week) and see how you did. Were you kinder, more thoughtful, more patient, and more helpful with family, friends, your co-workers, and other people you interacted with in your day-to-day lives? The goal is to be more aware of our actions and how it affects the people around us. This is not meant to judge, but simply for yourself. Thank you for your time, Brothers. I hope you all have a happy and healthy month ahead. Until next month, fraternally yours.

Once upon a time, in a far-off land, there was a group of stonemasons who were all members of the local Freemason Lodge. The Junior Warden of the Lodge was responsible for representing the plumb, a tool used by stonemasons to align structures vertically. One day, during a meeting, the Junior Warden reminded everyone that being a Freemason meant being an upright person who treats people with kindness and respect. He encouraged everyone to strive to become "perfect ashlars" by examining their actions each day and making sure they were being kind, patient, and helpful to those around them.

The other members of the Lodge listened attentively to the Junior Warden's words and all agreed to work on improving themselves. As the meeting ended, they all headed out to their cars, still deep in thought about what they could do to be better people. Suddenly, one member realized that he had forgotten his keys inside the Lodge. He went back to retrieve them and found that the Junior Warden had stayed behind to lock up.

Feeling grateful, the member thanked the Junior Warden and said, "You know, Freemasonry may have started out as a way for my brother to get a deal on a car, but it's become so much more to me. It's about being part of a community that cares about each other and wants to make the world a better place. Thank you for reminding us of that today."

The Junior Warden smiled and replied, "That's what being a Freemason is all about. Helping each other, improving ourselves, and making a positive impact on the world around us. Now let's get you those keys so you can head home and continue being the best person you can be!"

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This month, we tried letting AI write a fun and lighthearted story based on the content of this trestleboard. What do you think?