WM Stephen Ruch’s message from the East for May 2013:

I have been sitting here trying to think of what Masonic Light that I can impart this month. However, I cannot get the events of the Boston Marathon out of my mind. My heart and prayers go out to all the victims and families of everyone that was hurt and especially to those who were needlessly taken. Having three children of my own, I cannot even image what it is like to lose a child. The images of those that were hurt are heartbreaking. I cannot understand what would make someone want to inflict such pain and suffering on others. With that being said, it sure is comforting and heartwarming to see how people jumped in and starting helping each other in times of need. The stories of people helping others without thinking about themselves, not knowing if there would be any other explosions or what might happen, is what brotherhood is. The first responders whether they were police, firefighters, or EMT (not only the first responders, but individuals who were there just as bystanders) teach us what helping those in need is all about. Their quick action certainly helped save lives. For this, we must be grateful. At this time, no one knows why someone did the bombing but there is no reason why such a thing should happen. We must be tolerant of others views. We don’t have to always agree with everyone but we have to respect them. As Masons, we should teach others that tolerance and respect are important and should be practiced not only with Masons but with everyone.

Fraternally,
Stephen Ruch, Worshipful Master

Note: The above was written before the suspects were caught; however, the message still applies. Many different departments and government agencies used their expertise and worked together to successfully identify and apprehend the suspects despite seemingly impossible odds. On a much smaller scale, the lesson that we can learn is that when we come together and use our individual strengths, even the most daunting tasks can be accomplished. Teamwork is important and can help elevate our lodge to heights that we cannot achieve as individuals.

Thanks to all the brothers with ideas, suggestions, and feedback at Craftsman’s Club on Monday. There has been lots of activity on the site, as we continue to roll it out:

• We’ve added the beginnings of a lodge history page! Look for this to grow in time. Thanks to Angel for providing content.
• User registrations now require a name. They also require admin approval. Members will have access to content which unregistered users will lack.
• Also, you’ll notice that some pages (logins and registrations are examples) require you to type a few random words. This “captcha” helps us stop automated spammers, but perhaps more importantly, every time you type a catcha, you are contributing to digitizing scans of printed books. For details on the re-Captcha program that uses your input to digitize the world’s libraries, click this link.
• We’ve added social buttons…if you like something, you can “like” it on Facebook, or tweet it on Twitter, or +1 on Google Plus, or share it on LinkedIn. That covers all the biggies…if anyone wants a button for some other site, please let me know and I’ll see what we can do.
• HUGE thanks to Shean, who has been tirelessly working on improving the site, especially with content and graphics. If it’s on here and it’s good (and especially if it looks good) it’s probably due to Shean’s work.

There’s a bunch more stuff going on under the covers (automating backups, spam-fighting tools, traffic statistics, etc) as well. That’s the latest. Thanks for visiting, keep the great ideas flowing, and we’ll see you in lodge!