FROM THE EAST JANUARY

Happy New Year! Anno Domini 2009 will witness some big changes in our lives. We will have a new president, new challenges to our business and careers, and new attempts at resolving our country's woes. While the doom and gloom we hear every day is enough to make anyone cringe when turning on the radio, we do have some bright things in our Masonic lives for which we should be grateful.

First is our devotion to our Creator. No matter how you worship the Supreme Architect of the Universe, we Masons acknowledge his awesome power and benevolent will. Faith is the primary source of comfort and courage our Fraternity teaches us, an inexhaustible supply of wisdom, peace, and strength. As individuals and as a nation, we will all face great undertakings in 2009, and Masons are taught to invoke the aid of Deity first, whereas a lot of the outside world prays as a last resort.

Secondly, we have each other. Our obligation binds us to assist a brother in need, and this we can and will do. Help comes in many forms and in trying times Masons rely on each other for a listening ear, a strong arm of support, and cheerful fellowship. There are more kinds of relief beyond money: education, investment opportunities, and career searches. Masons find ways to help each other.

Finally, our Masonic charities remind us that many people are not as fortunate as we are. The old saying of "I had no shoes and complained, until I met a man with no feet" applies today. The world is filed with people in a lot worse shape than we Americans will ever be, and many of the people in our communities we assist face challenges many of us never will, regardless of what the economy's status is.

So, Brothers, please remember your blessings and look forward with promise to a new year of hope in the Fraternity, in your lodge, and in your own lives.

Fraternally,

Stuart Mason
Worshipful Master