Jason Bunnell's blog

It is once again time for the Grand Masters visit to Hella Shrine. Like we have done in the past, Hillcrest has committed to two tables (16 seats.) This is the minimum headcount we are trying to achieve as a lodge, so that we can display ourselves as a prominent lodge in Dallas. I personally would like to see us take at least 3 tables, and based off of past attendances, I don't think this is too lofty of a goal.

Time has seemed to slip past me once again as I rush to get something to our Junior Steward for inclusion in the Beacon. With his patience and my last minute scribbling, I hopefully will provide him with some level of substance in what otherwise might be taken for something better suited to an April Fools posting. Perhaps some might find some sympathy as we all juggle our daily endeavors that, at the end of the day, prove to be rather unimportant. But that doesn’t stop them from taking far too much of our time and efforts. But I am heartened by the fact that we all have better days ahead as reminded in the celebration of renewal and rebirth that spring brings.

As we enter into January, it’s time for what has become an American tradition, the making then subsequent breaking of New Year’s resolutions. These generally are internally focused and are usually quite specific. We plan to lose weight, quit smoking, get our finances in order, or make some other goal to help our lives be improved, if only marginally.

Our annual Christmas party will be at Love Field Lodge on Thursday December 17th. Please feel free to bring a side dish or dessert.

Brethren, it is that time once again for our annual toy drive. Once again the officer's of Hillcrest lodge have voted to donate toys to the new Children's Hospital at Legacy located in Plano. This hospital has only been open a year and a half now and is a part of the Children's Medical Center downtown, however this hospital ONLY receives toys that are donated through private toy drives and fundraiser's that the new hospital is able to complete. By now the playrooms are getting empty and the kids that are in the hospital over the holidays will be without toys. Last year Hillcrest Masonic Lodge was able to come to the rescue and provided many children with a very nice Christmas present.

Deadlines being deadlines, this is being written in November prior to Thanksgiving. As such, the November Stated meeting is still fresh on my mind. I wish to thank all of you who were in attendance. We enjoyed an informative talk by our Junior Warden, acknowledged our veteran’s in attendance as we had just celebrated Veteran’s Day, and discussed a very full slate of activities for the coming weeks. And Past Master Patrick Briody proved that an unfamiliar kitchen is no deterrent to the preparation of a great meal for our members and guests.

Brethren, I recently finished reading Dan Brown’s latest novel, The Lost Symbol. I thought I would offer a few comments to spur interest in this fascinating tale, which uses Freemasonry and especially the Scottish Rite as its backdrop. As almost everyone is aware, Dan Brown is the author of the wildly successful The Da Vinci Code and his readers have eagerly awaited his next novel, which was preliminarily titled The Solomon Key, with an expected late 2008 release. Well, both the title and publication date changed and now The Lost Symbol is finally in bookstores.