Trestleboard Nov 2020

Greetings Brothers,

I hope this correspondence finds you well.

October was another great month at Eola lodge, where we saw the return of several of the allied bodies being able to meet once again. I was privileged to attend the first meeting back for Crown Court # 33, as well as one of the Bahia Chapter DeMolay meetings this month.  It was great to see our extended family be able to meet once again and visit with many in person.

In addition Eola hosted Masters and Wardens as well as the district School of Instruction where we were again blessed by the participation of Crown Court who catered the breakfast for the meeting, and did an absolutely fabulous job. Thank you Br. Junior Warden for this great idea, and again my thanks to the Royal Matron and her team who were there early making an amazing breakfast and left late ensuring the kitchen and dining hall were cleaned, they even used real plates and silverware… what more could we ask for?

One more thing which may not be common knowledge was the very generous donation made of a brand new Convection/Microwave oven for the lodge kitchen again by our very own “Wolf Pack”; as has been with most of my interaction with you this year, you continue to amaze, Thank you!

OES 131 was also able to meet this month, and was reported to finally be able to hold their installation, Congratulations Angie on your position as Worthy Matron, if Eola may be of service to you please do not hesitate to reach out. Additionally the entrance is coming back to life as the OES cabinet has been re-populated and various pictures and awards re-hung on the walls.

Athaliah Temple # 114 Daughters of the Nile although not currently meeting have also been able to place some of their awards up, and the lodge is looking much more normal than it has for the majority of the year. Queen Lillian and ladies of the Nile we look forward to your return when you deem it appropriate to meet in person.

Project wise things are still moving along and the list is getting shorter as we check off those boxes as completed. This month at long last the ceiling tiles in the dining hall were replaced, and the past masters pictures for composite project is nearing completion at the time of writing this article. More to come in November as we work toward the end of the year.

With November upon us things will once again ramp up for many of us. November 3^rd being Election Day to kick things off. Again Eola will host a voting precinct for the General election as a fund raiser, and community service. My sincere thanks to W:. Glover for championing this effort all year as well as the dedicated brothers who have stepped up to serve for 3 long elections in a most unconventional year.

As a reminder Eola will be dark due to the Election and will have a stated communication on November 17^th. Any nominations for elected office in next year’s officer line need to be submitted prior to the opening of that meeting.

The Master Mason Degree date is still TBD due to some unforeseen circumstances in October, a separate correspondence will follow once details are finalized, there is also a high probability based on the recent influx of petitions in queue of a 3^rd EA degree this year more news on that forthcoming.

The Grand Masters Official Visit will also be held this month, On Saturday November 14^th at the Rosen Plaza Hotel on I-Drive, Registration is at 5PM, and Dress will be business attire. Thank you all for your diligence in your RSVPS.

November may also be busy for many with the holiday and travel, as historically it is a time for Giving Thanks, family and friends, and Turkey Dinners. 2020 being a completely unconventional year across the board it would not be a stretch to say some of this may be curtailed for some, however the Giving Thanks portion need not be excluded by anyone or even limited to only the Month of November.

For many It would be incredibly easy to say 2020 has been a horrible year on nearly all accounts, I assure you I hear this daily from client’s co-workers, and many others I interact with, granted there have been many unprecedented challenges which are taxing Individuals, Families, and the Nation, for that matter arguably the world as whole. It is also fair to say when presented with a flood of the continual negative it is more often than not easier to focus on that than to see the opportunity presented for a positive outcome.

There is an old adage (particularly funny to System engineers for an unrelated reason) which can be inserted here “You can’t see the Forrest for the Trees” ok so maybe not the meaning intended in its original context as not seeing the whole picture, but applicable in not seeing a problem as an opportunity.

So what is the message here? How does this relate to Thanksgiving? That answer is relatively simple and overly complex at the same time. we have the choice to view things from one perspective or another, and the ability to change perspectives. We can choose to see “problems” as Problems or as opportunities.

I submit for your consideration to endeavor to adopt a policy of a view from the latter.

It’s very easy to point out a problem, and very few if any who typically offer a solution with the problem reported. However when what is presented many times as a problem is viewed as an opportunity we then have the ability to grow in some way.

This viewpoint certainly at times is not easy, for myself in particular, it takes work to make it a ritual, but I dare say that even in 2020 with all that has happened, and will happen we each can find at least one thing that we can be thankful for, a problem which became an opportunity, a trial which became a victory, an situation which became learning experience.

I am Thankful for the many opportunities 2020 has presented, admittedly some more difficult to ferret out than others, and for the council of the craft and brothers abroad. So my challenge to you all is this, Let this Thanksgiving of 2020 be a daily reminder to be thankful for the many blessings we have and opportunities we are presented daily.

Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving, and we will see you at the lodge on the 17^th!.

Fraternally,
Br. Paul Rhoads
Worshipful Master
Eola # 207 F.&A.M.