As Master of the Lodge I am continually humbled by the situations that arise. Flexibility in these uncertain times is a must. To be ready to address anything that may go wrong, quickly, is a must. Planning for future events while adhering to rules of governing bodies, that may change month by month, week by week or day by day can cause discomfort which we learn to cope with.
     A Brother shared a quote with me that I keep in mind constantly as I pray for wisdom. The quote is attributed to Woody Allen, "If you want to make GOD laugh, tell him about your plans". Thanks, my Brother, you know who You are.
     Widows are one of our most cherished vital forces. These are Women that have supported our departed Brothers through the trials of life, lending a shoulder when darkness intercedes, supporting them through the uncertainties that make this life an adventure, loving them in the hardest of times and letting go when it comes time for them to move on from this physical existence.
     We are looking for tangible ways to let our Widows know that we think of them often. With closures being a seemingly on again/off again thing for public meeting areas, we are hoping that the U.S. mail will not let us down in our efforts.
     We usually have an annual dinner. We invite as many as possible to the dinner and try our best to make it a memorable event for them. I want to thank Brother Vance Johnson for his efforts as he worked to coordinate the many parts that need to come together for beautiful events. This year being so unusual we are asking our Youth Groups to assist in the sending of cards to the Widows that would not be able to make it to a dinner if we were to have one. Thanks very much for all the help.
     This article was a challenge to write as I have been thinking a lot about the transition from this life to the celestial lodge above. To me, it is a transition from this physical realm to a spiritual realm that is not confined to the frailties of a physical presence. We, who are left behind, have opportunity to tell the stories of our departed and pass that on to our future brethren, if we choose to do so. I ask that You make that choice and tell the stories from your point of view and in your own voice. I saw a PBS special called War. It included first hand accounts of the men and women who were there and about what life was like. Many letters were shared. I hope we will share our experiences with our future Brethren, in the same way. The official deadline for submissions is September 30th. At that time, we will have the Treasure Time Chest and we will start loading it with all the stories many Brothers have submitted. Please submit any and all pictures or stories to worshipful.master@consuelo325.org by September 30th.
     The Treasure Time Capsule is almost completed. Hand crafted by Worshipful Ross Douglas it is an amazing artwork that will stand the test of time. Worshipful Ross has contributed many pieces that we have used in our ritual. Now he lends his skills and talent to the construction of a vessel to house our stories, pictures and memorabilia. Thank You Worshipful Ross, my Brother.
     Some tidbits of what the future will read about: Brother Nathan Van Assen: I met my Brother Nathan at coffee and donuts one Saturday. We worked together on a community garden that Worshipful Mark Crosby had taken on as a project at Juniper School. Brother Nathan relished in contributing to bringing life from the earth. He was an excellent grower, hard worker, dedicated Father and great Ritualist. More than that, he was a Mason at heart before he joined Consuelo. He gives of himself to better mankind.
     Worshipful Mark Crosby: Working his way towards the East and leaving in his wake completed projects like a school community garden, which he garnered support for by acquiring materials and pulling together Brothers to put the garden together. The garden continues to produce vegetables for the school cafeteria at this writing. He also organized a successful golf tournament fund raiser that funded scholarships for the Ken Patterson Bladder Cancer foundation.
   Worshipful Dean Natwick: Our 2020 Hiram award recipient. Dean is a "tell it like it is" Brother with a great sense of humor. He has always been there when a Brother is in serious need and has served as Chaplin and "wingman" for many new Masters as we got our feet wet with running Meetings and degrees. I am honored that he was our Hiram Award recipient during my year as Master.
     Worshipful Doug Ford: Serving as mentor, officers coach,  Secretary, fearless photographer,  all while bringing humor to situations and always keeping Masonry's best interests as a priority in his life.
     There are many more. I thank you my Brothers for our submissions and look forward to times when we may meet again and create new stories.

     We are now approaching six months into the Covid-19 lock down, which started off as just being “15 Days to slow the Spread”. As frustrating as it is for everyone to not be participating in their normal activities, I am trying my best to remain optimistic. One thing that I have noticed that staying at home has not been beneficial to some people, and is taking a toll on people’s health. In order to remain in healthy, I’d like to encourage everyone reading this to look for ways to be active. Just sitting at home all day without exercise can cause health problems. 
     While our political leaders keep changing the criteria for when things may return to normal, I have decided to take on running as a hobby. Running is an old pastime of mine, that I would do for exercise and enjoyment, and I have participated in several ‘fun run’ style races. I gave this up, ironically, due to a health concern which ended up being an improper management of electrolytes many years ago. 
     With those concerns being resolved, running seems to make a lot of sense, at least for now, for the following reasons. First, it is inexpensive. All I really need is a good pair of running shoes and I’m ready to go. The endorphins released during a run is good for the mental heath, and a nice run gives me a chance to clear my thoughts of all of the negatives of the current affairs of the world, and focus on things more meaningful, such as family or ritual. 
During a recent run, I noticed I was passing by a bed of rocks. For some reason, I immediately began to think of the biblical story of David, and how he picked out five smooth stones to use in his sling during his battle with Goliath. Although David only really needed one stone, It’s interesting that only the smooth stones were considered for use, and not the rougher stones.The Masonic correlation being how Masonry smooths the Ashlar. I believe that it is ultimately our Creator that uses Masonry to help shape us, and will continue to shape, form, and mold us into the usable smooth stones, even when we are not able to officially meet.
     I hope my experience may inspire some brothers to consider concentrating on their health and exercise. I have started working on a scheduled running plan, which should I continue, will end with a goal of participating in a full marathon by Summer. I’m currently only able to run a couple of miles at a time, but through persistence, should hopefully be able to reach the goal. I hope we can all meet together in person soon, and I really miss all of the Brethren, and working with the youth groups.