To: My newly found Brothers here.

[Jeffry Petersen]

I want to express that you are also my brothers
and that I very much appreciate the replies I have
got back from all of you. As I am the Senior Steward
of Saint Petersburg Lodge 139, your knowledge of the
craft could not have a price tag put on it. I am sitting
back learning as MUCH as I can about the Craft.
Every reply is being sucked up in my mind like water
going into a dry sponge. I love and respect each of you.

That being said, I want to discuss something here with all
of you, something that is new to me in my life since
I have joined the Masons. I have never encountered the
loss of a brother in our lodge. Now, It has been just over
two years since my raising... and our 'Tyler' is showing signs
of going to that undiscovered country.

He is going to be 84 years old this year. I fear he shouldnt drive
at night, so i pick him up and drop him off twice a week.
I have grown to love him like a father. He is a fifty year
member, I believe he is in his 52nd year in Masonry. He was
an orphan. Raised in a Masonic Orphanage. His entire life
has been Masonry right from the begininng. Imagine, being
a mason from birth?

This man has written books and books that are in the library of
congress. Yet, I just found out about this a month or so ago.
During his time a an author, he was a traveling salesman selling
that silly stuff out of the trunk of his car. He served in WW2.
He told me of a story where he was in battle in Germany, where
he came up on a young Nazi. Earl (my brother) was just 19 at
the time. He told me they looked at each other.. and he refused
to shoot this man, that he felt he was just a kid himself.. and the Nazi
and him lowered thier guns, and walked away from each other.
WOW! What an act that happened there!! On a human level on
BOTH sides.

His health is rapidly decreasing before my eyes, and I emailed
our secretary with my concerns. I believe he has fallen inside or
outside his home. He says his toe feels broken, but refuses to
go to the hospital. This is why I think he just didnt stub his toe,
but rather has fallen. He has no children or family... outside the lodge.
Nobody is 'checking' in on him. The secretary emailed me back
this morning at 5:30 am and said my concerns are well founded.
And that he needs to talk to me in person about this.

This is the point I find myself in at this time.

I have lost my parents and my youngest brother over the last 7 years
and I have seen the comparisons of watching my father and mother
pass away. This is why I feel that we need to be on HIGH alert.

Please, keep him in your prayers, and feel free to discuss any
of your personal experiences as I will take the replies very seriously.
I will be looking for solid advice on this matter thru your experiences.
I know how I handle things on a human level.. but I feel the need that
the masonic people right here in Saint Petersburg, his home show that
he is TRUELY LOVED for the 84 years of him.... being a living stone,
of this... Honorable Fraturnity.

I am 45 years old, and did not take my obligation lightly.

Respectfully in service,
Jeffry Petersen, SS
Saint Petersburg Lodge #139
www.stpete139.org

[Larry W]

Post by Jeffry Petersen
I have never encountered the
loss of a brother in our lodge. Now, It has been just over
two years since my raising... and our 'Tyler' is showing signs
of going to that undiscovered country.

Losing a Brother does happen, unfortunately, and losing a beloved
Brother is like losing a close family member. Our Lodge has lost
Brothers since I was raised, and I knew a couple of them more than the
others because they kept coming to Lodge. But they are gone to a better
place, to meet in the Celestial Lodge. Last night we mourned the loss
of another member, but I didn't know him and so could only pray for his
eternal peace as fellow man.

I agree with your Secretary; this man should talk to a doctor. Your
relationship with him might get you past some boundaries he puts up; as
you think of him as a Father he might think of you as a Son and may more
strongly respect your advice. If there is a financial obstacle perhaps
the Lodge or members can come to his aid.

I hope he finds the courage to get medical attention, I wish you the
strength to get him there.

Fraternally,
Larry

[Torence]

Brother Petersen, in the short space of just a couple of years in
the fraternity you have already come to sense something of just how
weighty the notion is to find “joy in your fellows.” For fifty years
before you knocked upon the door to the lodge, your Tyler has been
involved with scores if not hundreds of others in the same way that
you are working with him these recent days. An outside observer is
hard pressed to identify from your post here which of the two of you
riding to lodge together is the Mentor. I suspect that the rapturous
feelings that you perceive are stirring are part of some design,
albeit of the sub-conscious and natural sort, as if some Personality
was at work playing a mirthful and happy trick.
We all go about our day to day business thinking that we are at the
meridian of our existence. That condition is the little twist that
Jacob’s daughters, Hope and Faith, like to play upon our minds. But
Charity, especially when she is of the personal sort rather than the
checkbook kind, is the greatest. She generates so much unexpected
wealth for both the receiver and the lender that we would wrong
ourselves if we don’t take a step back from time to time to realize
just how much a little bit of dues and a whole lot of time can return.
Not knowing your Tyler as you do, I suspect that he has he has, like
most accomplished men of his years, set himself up to satisfy most of
his wants and needs. The best way to verify that all is well is simply
to ask from time to time. If, for example, after lodge, you stop at a
grocery store to pick up some milk and bread for your house, use that
casual opportunity to offer to fill the few grocery or toiletry items
that he may be missing.
Do you personally know a nurse or some other medical professional?
If not, one of your other lodge members may be trained that way or
have a son or daughter with those skills. Bring your Tyler a magazine
or some other material of interest to him and have the professional
tag along to take a look at the toe.
We always have to balance our concern with respect for a Brother’s
personal space and privacy. So, just remember to ask and not assume
that such attentions are warranted and desired. Who knows? You may
have bought yourself a chauffer job that will go on for another decade
or longer.

Fraternally,
Torence Evans Ake
Senior Deacon – Auburn Park Lodge No. 789 – Crete, Illinois\
PM – Arcadia Lodge No. 1138 – Lansing, Illinois

[Jeffry Petersen]

Post by Torence
Brother Petersen, in the short space of just a couple of years in
the fraternity you have already come to sense something of just how
weighty the notion is to find "joy in your fellows." For fifty years
before you knocked upon the door to the lodge, your Tyler has been
involved with scores if not hundreds of others in the same way that
you are working with him these recent days. An outside observer is
hard pressed to identify from your post here which of the two of you
riding to lodge together is the Mentor. I suspect that the rapturous
feelings that you perceive are stirring are part of some design,
albeit of the sub-conscious and natural sort, as if some Personality
was at work playing a mirthful and happy trick.
We all go about our day to day business thinking that we are at the
meridian of our existence. That condition is the little twist that
Jacob's daughters, Hope and Faith, like to play upon our minds. But
Charity, especially when she is of the personal sort rather than the
checkbook kind, is the greatest. She generates so much unexpected
wealth for both the receiver and the lender that we would wrong
ourselves if we don't take a step back from time to time to realize
just how much a little bit of dues and a whole lot of time can return.
Not knowing your Tyler as you do, I suspect that he has he has, like
most accomplished men of his years, set himself up to satisfy most of
his wants and needs. The best way to verify that all is well is simply
to ask from time to time. If, for example, after lodge, you stop at a
grocery store to pick up some milk and bread for your house, use that
casual opportunity to offer to fill the few grocery or toiletry items
that he may be missing.
Do you personally know a nurse or some other medical professional?
If not, one of your other lodge members may be trained that way or
have a son or daughter with those skills. Bring your Tyler a magazine
or some other material of interest to him and have the professional
tag along to take a look at the toe.
We always have to balance our concern with respect for a Brother's
personal space and privacy. So, just remember to ask and not assume
that such attentions are warranted and desired. Who knows? You may
have bought yourself a chauffer job that will go on for another decade
or longer.
Fraternally,
Torence Evans Ake
Senior Deacon - Auburn Park Lodge No. 789 - Crete, Illinois\
PM - Arcadia Lodge No. 1138 - Lansing, Illinois

Thank you ..

Since I made the original post, a few days ago, I have tried
to call him three times.. twice today to check on him.
No answer..no answering machine.
I went to lunch with the Worshipful Master of the Lodge today
to see about getting a gentleman into the lodge. We met the
gentleman at Picadillys. I voiced my concerns to the Master,
and we decided to take a ride to the Tylers home.
I have to tell you, I was very concerned when i came
around the corner on his road.. all the way up until i got to
his driveway... where i noticed his car wasnt there.
GREAT NEWS! he wasnt home.. and his car was MISSING!
this means only one thing.. he was out chasing older woman around,
or, at the store, or he took himself to the hospital.
In any case, just knowing he wasn't .... walking around in his
tighty whiteys was a relief. lol
We left a note, he will call me when he gets home from wherever
he is at.. and if i dont hear from him tonight, I will call the veterans
hospital to see if he is there. I expect him to call me.
Thank you brothers again, for your encouraging words and support.

Jeffry

[Dave Vick]

Post by Jeffry Petersen
GREAT NEWS! he wasnt home.. and his car was MISSING!
this means only one thing.. he was out chasing older woman around,
or, at the store, or he took himself to the hospital.

Or maybe he's out chasing *younger* women around...

(hey, why not?)

[Jack Wise]

Post by Dave Vick

Post by Jeffry Petersen
GREAT NEWS! he wasnt home.. and his car was MISSING!
this means only one thing.. he was out chasing older woman around,
or, at the store, or he took himself to the hospital.

Or maybe he's out chasing *younger* women around...
(hey, why not?)

Which reminds me of the story of the older gentleman who married a lady
much younger than he. His friends warned him that "to much sex could
kill a feller". To which he replied, "Well, if she dies, she dies!".
--
Jack Wise

PM, Jacques DeMolay Lodge No. 1390, AF & AM, Houston, TX
( www.jd1390.org/jdmlodge.htm )

Member: Oak Wood Lodge No. 1444, AF & AM, The Woodlands, TX


TEXAS red wine: renowned for its smoky-mesquite-bbq & jalapeno
overtones, the perfect foil for a meal of tacos and refried beans...

[Bill M]

Post by Jack Wise

Post by Dave Vick

Post by Jeffry Petersen
GREAT NEWS! he wasnt home.. and his car was MISSING!
this means only one thing.. he was out chasing older woman around,
or, at the store, or he took himself to the hospital.

Or maybe he's out chasing *younger* women around...
(hey, why not?)

Which reminds me of the story of the older gentleman who married a lady
much younger than he. His friends warned him that "to much sex could
kill a feller". To which he replied, "Well, if she dies, she dies!".

Or the older lady when asked how she liked sex replied "infrequently",
and her ageing suitor asked the further question, "is that one word or
two?".

Best,
Bill.

[Jack Wise]

Post by Bill M

Post by Jack Wise

Post by Dave Vick

Post by Jeffry Petersen
GREAT NEWS! he wasnt home.. and his car was MISSING!
this means only one thing.. he was out chasing older woman around,
or, at the store, or he took himself to the hospital.

Or maybe he's out chasing *younger* women around...
(hey, why not?)

Which reminds me of the story of the older gentleman who married a lady
much younger than he. His friends warned him that "to much sex could
kill a feller". To which he replied, "Well, if she dies, she dies!".

Or the older lady when asked how she liked sex replied "infrequently",
and her ageing suitor asked the further question, "is that one word or
two?".
Best,
Bill.

I L I K E !! it.
--
Jack Wise

PM, Jacques DeMolay Lodge No. 1390, AF & AM, Houston, TX
( www.jd1390.org/jdmlodge.htm )

Member: Oak Wood Lodge No. 1444, AF & AM, The Woodlands, TX


TEXAS red wine: renowned for its smoky-mesquite-bbq & jalapeno
overtones, the perfect foil for a meal of tacos and refried beans...

[Doug Freyburger]

Post by Jeffry Petersen
That being said, I want to discuss something here with all
of you, something that is new to me in my life since
I have joined the Masons.  I have never encountered the
loss of a brother in our lodge.  Now, It has been just over
two years since my raising... and our 'Tyler' is showing signs
of going to that undiscovered country.
...
His health is rapidly decreasing before my eyes, and I emailed
our secretary with my concerns.  I believe he has fallen inside or
outside his home. He says his toe feels broken, but refuses to
go to the hospital.  This is why I think he just didnt stub his toe,
but rather has fallen.    He has no children or family... outside the lodge.
Nobody is 'checking' in on him.  The secretary emailed me back
this morning at 5:30 am and said my concerns are well founded.
And that he needs to talk to me in person about this.

Definitely make sure he gets checked out.

Post by Jeffry Petersen
Please, keep him in your prayers,

Including my fellow Tiler in my prayers.

Post by Jeffry Petersen
and feel free to discuss any
of your personal experiences as I will take the replies very seriously.
I will be looking for solid advice on this matter thru your experiences.
I know how I handle things on a human level..

At lodge -

Any brother active at the craft lodge level ends up attending
funerals. Attendence at them range from a couple of family
members and a couple of brothers to a large extended family
and ranks of brothers filling the funeral home. The brothers
range from men of other lodges you've never met to close
friends at lodge who you've hung out with at social events.
Attending these funerals gives an entirely new perspective
on the lessons of the third degree that revolve around
mortality. When we die we go to our afterlives so funerals
are about the family. The beautiful Masonic Funeral Service
gets reactions from family ranging from astonishment and
relief that someone cared deeply about their family member
to nostalgia that so many lodge friends are showing up.

As to elderly members attending lodge, more and more of
the old school guys have troubles getting up the stairs to
the lodge room. A couple of guys fill their cars to make
sure we get any who can get up the stairs.

At home -

We're currently going through the same or worse with my
mother in law who is fading before our eyes. It's tough.

Fraternal regards,
Doug Freyburger
PM 2007-8 Arlington Heights 1162 Illinois AF&AM www.ahml.org Tiler
PM 1999 Pasadena 272 California F&AM www.emasons.org

[John W..]

Post by Doug Freyburger
As to elderly members attending lodge, more and more of
the old school guys have troubles getting up the stairs to
the lodge room. A couple of guys fill their cars to make
sure we get any who can get up the stairs.

A lot of Lodges in my area now have stairlifts installed, enabling the
senior and less mobile Brothers to once again attend Lodge.

Reading this thread through, I see there is no mention of the Lodge
Almoner's involvement, do you have that office your side of the pond?

John Neyland Lodge 990 UGLE

[Mudge]

Post by John W..

Post by Doug Freyburger
As to elderly members attending lodge, more and more of
the old school guys have troubles getting up the stairs to
the lodge room. A couple of guys fill their cars to make
sure we get any who can get up the stairs.

A lot of Lodges in my area now have stairlifts installed, enabling the
senior and less mobile Brothers to once again attend Lodge.
Reading this thread through, I see there is no mention of the Lodge
Almoner's involvement, do you have that office your side of the pond?

Not officially (at least here) but some local Lodges have a committee
to handle the function.

For some of us stairs are not yet a problem, but the dark surely is !

[Torence]

Post by John W..
Reading this thread through, I see there is no mention of the Lodge
Almoner's involvement, do you have that office your side of the pond?

Few do, Brother Neyland, and the few that do omit a regular,
regulated, Almoner Office from their By-Laws; and choose instead an
informal title or position. I think that you Brothers across the great
swim have it right; and, that every American Lodge would benefit by
reviving this function as part of their Local Lodge structure.
The omission is generational. In the Twentieth Century, our
ForeBrothers pushed the responsibility of Charity onto the Grand Lodge
thinking that the Grand Lodge might do charity more efficiently and
that the lodges would receive a tax benefit (being 501 c 10
organizations affiliated with and contributing to Grand Lodge 501 c3
charities). But at best, Grand Lodges utilize checkbook charity; and
more and more individual Brothers, IMHO, ended up missing the
reciprocal, Masonic, and meaningful portion of this part of our work,
the personal touch that can best be afforded by a Brother known to you
at work for his Local Lodge.
Officially, from our minutes and not our By-Laws, I am the “Almoner”
for my Lodge, as well as “Lodge Instructor” and “Newsletter Editor.”
The duties relate and are a good start for a lodge looking to start up
an Almoner’s occupation. Being the point person to organize schools
also causes me to draw up a call list to be used when notifications of
distress get sent either to me directly or from the Master and/or
Secretary. Similarly, I draft any obits, do the Master’s work for the
Funeral Service, present a copy of the obit to the widow as well as
publishing the details in the newsletter. (By the good fortunes of
providence, I have not had to do these duties in 2009.) Doing these
tasks puts me in touch with the widows, a natural extension for the
Almoner’s Office.
Our Lodge does not keep a separate Charity Account, though most
Illinois Lodges were made to start one when we stripped the Grand
Lodge Treasury of two thirds of its money in 1905 and returned the
funds to the lodges who sacrificed and gave for it in order to keep
this money out of the hands of those in the Grand Lodge who had
designs for it at that time. Most Illinois lodges also have a
provision where Masters can give out a certain discretionary amount
(in my Lodge the By-Laws state it as $300 per year) for a needy worthy
cause of his choice. An Almoner can lend a face to the name for any
check thusly issued, and inform the lodge of the good that comes from
the donation as well as any further need.
Frankly, I am surprised that Twenty-First Century American Grand
Masters do not include the creation of a formal position of Almoner as
part of their program particularly in those jurisdictions busy
divesting themselves of Masonic Homes to go some other way. Local
Lodges, as the primary Overseers of the Craft, will have to take the
lead, I suppose, and show other lodges how good it is to donate
together, in unity; but in our own bailiwicks before any organized
charity.

Fraternally,
Torence Evans Ake
Senior Deacon – Auburn Park Lodge No. 789 – Crete, Illinois
PM – Arcadia Lodge No. 1138 – Lansing, Illinois

[Doug Freyburger]

Post by John W..
Reading this thread through, I see there is no mention of the Lodge
Almoner's involvement, do you have that office your side of the pond?

Scottish Rite and some other concordant bodies do. At the
craft lodge level it depends on the jurisdiction.

... Most Illinois lodges also have a
provision where Masters can give out a certain discretionary amount
(in my Lodge the By-Laws state it as $300 per year) for a needy worthy
cause of his choice. An Almoner can lend a face to the name for any
check thusly issued, and inform the lodge of the good that comes from
the donation as well as any further need.

In California the Charity Committee is defined in the standard
Bylaws specified by GL. There is some variation from lodge to
lodge in the state as to the exact version of bylaws in use but
I believe they are all the same in this aspect. The Charity
Committee consists of the WM, SW, JW and Sec. They are
enpowered to disburse up to a stated limit without vote of the
brethren for charity. In the standard for the amount is a blank.
Pasadena 272 had the amount $500 US at the time.

During my time on the charity committee on the one hand we
never dispursed funds without a vote no matter the amount.
On the other hand the brethren never voted no including one
time we asked for well over the maximum dollar amount.

In the 1920s many magificent Masonic buildings were
constructed in the US. A fair number of them were sold in
the 1930s because of demands on the charity committee for
relief.

[Jeffry Petersen]

Post by John W..

Post by Doug Freyburger
As to elderly members attending lodge, more and more of
the old school guys have troubles getting up the stairs to
the lodge room. A couple of guys fill their cars to make
sure we get any who can get up the stairs.

A lot of Lodges in my area now have stairlifts installed, enabling the
senior and less mobile Brothers to once again attend Lodge.

Our Lodge has an elevator.
I don't think I have seen an elevator in any other lodge yet.


Respectfully,
Jeffry Petersen

[Larry W]

Post by Jeffry Petersen
Our Lodge has an elevator.
I don't think I have seen an elevator in any other lodge yet.

Holbrook Lodge only has a staircase. We have been informed that it is
too narrow and, according to code, cannot accept a lift. The building
is designed in such a way that there is no place inside or out to put an
elevator (and we can't afford to bring the rest of the building up to
code to install one).

Of the ten or so Lodges I've visited in Oregon, seven were either
single-level or had a lift (chair or elevator).

[John W..]

Post by Jeffry Petersen

Post by John W..

Post by Doug Freyburger
As to elderly members attending lodge, more and more of
the old school guys have troubles getting up the stairs to
the lodge room. A couple of guys fill their cars to make
sure we get any who can get up the stairs.

A lot of Lodges in my area now have stairlifts installed, enabling the
senior and less mobile Brothers to once again attend Lodge.

Our Lodge has an elevator.
I don't think I have seen an elevator in any other lodge yet.
Respectfully,
Jeffry Petersen

There is one in the Haverfordwest Lodge building in Pembrokeshire West
Wales.

John Neyland Lodge 990 UGLE

[Doug Freyburger]

Post by Jeffry Petersen

Post by John W..
A lot of Lodges in my area now have stairlifts installed, enabling the
senior and less mobile Brothers to once again attend Lodge.

In my Illinois district 1 of the 4 buildings has stair lifts. The
other 3 do not. Where we meet the starcase is a bit narrow
for one.

Post by Jeffry Petersen
Our Lodge has an elevator.
I don't think I have seen an elevator in any other lodge yet.

In my California district 2 of the 2 floor buildings had one,
1 of the 2 floor buildings did not, and 2 of the buildings
only had 1 floor so there was no need. If I remember each
of the buildings correctly and if the districts are still the
same ...