Grandfather’s Lodge and the Lesson of the Arrows

By: James C.  “Chris” Williams IV, Staff Writer

I called John to make sure he was not going to come the week I was going to be on vacation.  He wanted to know where we were going and what we were doing.  I told him we were taking a road trip through East Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, back through Oklahoma and down through north Texas.  Our final stop would be to visit the Lodge that my Grandfather was Master of in 1942 to see his picture on the wall of the Lodge and then come back home.  He realized that the Lodge I was going to visit was about fifty miles from his Lodge and immediately wanted to come and visit the same night I was there.  I told him that would be great and said I would meet him there.  I had been communicating back and forth for about a year with Brother Donnie, the Secretary of the Lodge so I called and made sure it was OK if John came with me to visit.  Donnie said he’d been reading the newsletters for the last year and if they could put together enough money to buy food for the night they would love to have both of us.  Before I could respond he laughed and said, “I’m just kidding.  Y’all just come on” and I thanked him and told him that we would be there.  I had touched base with John about what time I would be at the Lodge and he said he would be there at the same time.  When I got there I realized that the Lodge was on a one way street and I was on the wrong end so I went down another block and came back.  I noticed there were only a few parking spaces in the front on the street so I parked in the back and walked around to the front door to wait for John.  I didn’t have to wait long.  I heard a horn honk, actually there was a lot of honking, and I looked up the street to see John going the wrong way on the one way street.  People were swerving all over the place trying to avoid him, yelling and waving their hands.  I noticed that a few were only waving one finger.  Now, John was only going about 10 MPH and no one was in danger of getting hurt but they were all pretty upset with him.  He saw me standing on the sidewalk and made a big U-turn and pulled that big F-350 up in front of the Lodge and climbed out.  People were still yelling at him and he was flinching as if he was dodging rocks.  As he came up to me I saw the panic look on his face and he said, “Brother Chris, is it just me or are the people in this here town awfully unfriendly?  I was shaking my head with disbelief, “John, you were going the wrong way…. didn’t you see the arrows?”  “Arrows, heck Brother Chris, I didn’t even see the Indians,” he exclaimed as he walked right past me into the Lodge and left me standing there alone on the sidewalk.  It was probably good that he did because it took me several seconds to shake the cobwebs of confusion out of my brain.  Luckily for me I had long ago resigned myself to the fact that when dealing with John there were going to be things that were impossible to attach logic to………and this was one of them.  I turned and followed him through the front door and there was Donnie waiting for us in front of his office.  “Y’all get in here,” he said as he shook our hands and gave us big bear hugs.  The first thing I noticed in Donnie’s office was the century old walk in safe on the South wall.  He saw me looking at it and said, “Our Lodge was chartered in 1885 so we have some pretty important stuff in there that, while not so valuable to Non-Masons, is invaluable to us.”  He took a look at our dues cards to make sure we were who we said we were.  Just then the Worshipful Master, Bill walked in and we were introduced to him.  When he heard John’s name suddenly I became invisible.  Brother Bill led John with me following at a respectable distance behind to the fellowship hall and introduced us to Don and Randy the Senior Warden and Junior Warden, who commandeered John and took him around to meet everyone else.  Kenny the Tiler came over and introduced himself and took me into the kitchen to meet David the Steward who was preparing what appeared to be nothing short of a feast.  I looked around at the eighteen or so Brothers that were there and then back at the amount of food and then to David with a quizzical look.  He understood and without saying a word angled his head across the room towards John and then looked back at me.  “Ahhhhh,” I said.  “I understand.”  And he replied, “John’s reputation precedes him.  If he eats anywhere near as much as you say he does, then I still might run out of food.  I don’t want to go down in history as guy who couldn’t get John Deacon fed.”  “  Oh, I think you will be OK,” I said.  Boy they sure had a spread laid out.  There was more brisket than I had seen in one place in a long time and the smell was driving my appetite and me crazy.  John smelled it too, I could tell, because he kept glancing over towards the kitchen.  There was also a big pot of beans because in Texas, it is a law, I’m told, that you can’t serve brisket without beans.  A big bowl of potato salad and a platter of Texas sweet onions and a pile of pickles and of course that big jug of BBQ sauce was already waiting on the counter.  Oh man, it just doesn’t get much better than this.  David cut a chunk off the end of one of the briskets and with our backs to the room, winked and said as he handed it to me, “Compliments of the cook.  Oh WOW!!  Dear reader, I could tell you just how great that bite was but it would take up another page and since we are short on space I will just tell you that I don’t know if I have ever had better.  Then, with a prayer said, everyone lined up to fill their plates.  Someone suggested that John go first, which I told them was probably a mistake.  That got me the expected stern look from John and more than a few chuckles from the Brethren in line.  By the time that everyone had gone through once John was getting up to go through again.  When he got back to the table I did a double take on his plate.  I am sure that I have never seen a paper plate with so much food on it… and it was his second one.  I must have been staring because John looked over at me, spread his arms apart, and said indignantly, “Whaaaat?”  “Sorry John,” I said.  “But I was looking to see what brand of plate that was so I can get some.”  “Now don’t you go trying to embarrass me in front of my new friends,” he said.  I had an overwhelming urge to say Duhhhhhhhhh!!!!  But I held my tongue and of course he was already too busy eating.  It was the usual comfortable and friendly atmosphere you find in all Masonic Lodges with Brothers laughing and joking, sharing stories, and memories.  Of course John had a pretty big audience and was keeping them all entertained with his stories which were only interrupted by him going back to the counter for a third trip.  As usual I finished my dinner before John and since he was surrounded by several Brothers who were getting the benefit of his vast wisdom I wandered into the Lodge room to try to find the picture of my Grandfather.  All the Past Masters pictures were on the wall and the older ones were in the old style oval frames.  I wasn’t sure I would recognize him since he had died when I was six years old.  As I eased down the North wall looking at each picture, Donnie who had followed me from the outer room called out from the doorway, “It’s about halfway down, it was 1942 and 43.”  As my eyes fell on his picture, I all of a sudden felt a flood of emotions; from sadness, that I never got to spend time with him, to happiness, that I finally was able to come here and see it, to pride, being a Past Master myself seeing his picture displayed forever in the Lodge Room surrounded always by his Brothers both departed and still living.  Donnie let me gaze in silence for several minutes before he quietly said from behind me, “When you are ready Brother Chris, I have a surprise for you.”  I followed him to his office where he had laid an old, and I do mean very old, ledger on his desk and he carefully opened it to a place marked by a slip of paper.  As he stepped back to let me see, there on the bottom of the page which was the minutes of a stated meeting from 1942 was my Grandfather’s signature as Worshipful Master, approving the minutes of that meeting.  I have to tell you and I guess if you are not a Mason it might not mean as much to you but I did get a little misty eyed looking at that old document and on impulse I reached out and gently touched his signature and again Donnie let me have my time.  I said to him and I know my voice was cracking a little, “Thank you Donnie for this.  I can’t tell you how much more special this makes everything.”  He just nodded his understanding and closed the ledger and put it back into its place in the old safe.  By the time we got back to the Lodge room everyone was getting ready to open Lodge.  I was pretty excited to be sitting in Lodge and for once I didn’t care that John was getting all the attention.  I was very content just to sit and enjoy the feeling of being in “his” Lodge.  At the appointed time the Master opened the Lodge and after the customary pledge of allegiance to the Flag of Our Country and the Texas State Flag he began to introduce his Past Masters and then the visitors.  When John and I were introduced the Brothers gave us a nice ovation and Worshipful Brother Bill welcomed us to the Lodge.  The meeting progressed along as most do, with the usual business taken care of along with a few motions made concerning upcoming activities.  A prayer was offered for all the sick and distressed Brethren and their families and several committee reports were given.  Looking around the Lodge room we could have been in any Masonic Lodge almost anywhere.  A couple of Brothers, their stomachs full of that excellent meal were drifting in and out consciousness with smiles on their faces while others were focusing on every word that was said.  Some stood at times and offered their perspective or asked questions and still others offered new ideas or gave the Brothers the benefit of their experience as Past Masters and/or officers.  All in all it was the model of how a meeting should be held and as I sat quietly enjoying the atmosphere I noted that this was the way all Lodges ran and conducted their business and I knew that when all Lodge business was done, the Brethren would all leave and between all Masons “peace and harmony would prevail”.  After all the business of the Lodge was handled it was time to  close the Lodge and the WM asked if John or I had anything we wanted to say and I quickly stood up before John because I had a feeling he was going to have a lot more to say that I was.  After thanking the Worshipful Master, Wardens, and Brethren for the hospitality and David for a great meal, I told them how special it was to be there finally to sit in the Lodge where my Grandfather had been the Worshipful Master and the Secretary.  As soon as I sat John was up and asked the WM if he could address the Lodge which caused me to mumble under my breath, “Bigggggg mistake.”  John jerked his head towards me as several of the Brothers near us chuckled ……  (They must have read the newsletter articles).  My comment failed to slow him down however as he was already addressing the Lodge.  He said, “Worshipful Master, Wardens, and Brethren I would first like to say how much I enjoyed meeting everyone tonight.  This has been an enjoyable evening and it makes me remember why our Fraternity is the greatest Organization on Earth.  Being a Mason is very special as you all know but living your life as a Mason is not always easy.”  I noticed there were a few raised eyebrows as he said not easy.  What I mean is, that after a man has gone through the initiations of all three degrees and he learns what it means to be a Mason and more especially what his obligations are as a Mason to God, his family, his Brothers and his fellow man he is faced with what some would consider an almost impossible task to live up to.  Yet, as a Mason he makes it his duty and his goal to live up to and accomplish all that he has sworn to do.  It becomes his life’s work to live up to those obligations.  That, my Brothers is the hard part.  As for me, I don’t know how any man could possibly 100% of the time live up to all the principals he has obligated himself to.  I saw the Brothers go from raised eyebrows to smiling and nodding to now raised eyebrows again.  “I can see all you fellers looking at me funny,” he continued.  “Heck, Brother Chris always looks at me funny when I talk but just answer me this question.  How many times have you been in a situation where something has happened like dealing with traffic or an angry person in any situation or countless other times when your patience or self-control is pushed to the limit?  How about your conduct in all your business deals?  Have you always handled yourself Masonically?  Have you?  Now, how many times have you privately chastised yourself about that way you handled a particular situation or person or worried about how something looked to others?  Now don’t tell me you haven’t, because all of us have.  (As I looked around I saw most of the Brothers nodding)  And that, my Brothers, is why being a Mason is hard.  We are always trying to live up to that idea of what a good Mason is and should be, and that means to always be questioning your own conduct and your own actions even when they seem to be perfectly fine.  You see, for us Masons, it’s not enough to just “try” to do things right, it’s “making sure” that things are done right.  Of course, while there is always a certain amount of self-criticism and introspection going on inside us, there is also a great deal of pride and satisfaction that goes along with being a Mason.”  He paused for a few seconds to look around the room at every Brother and continued, “I just wanted you to know that you are not alone and that we all go through the same self-doubt at times even though we know in our hearts that what we are and what we do is all good.  Then John thanked the Worshipful Master and the Brethren and sat down.  He got a pretty good ovation and Worshipful Sir Bill thanked John for his words and began the process of closing the Lodge.  When he asked if anyone had anything to offer for the good of Masonry a Brother that I remember being introduced to as Charley stood to speak.  As he did I heard moaning and groaning from the other Brothers.  I looked around at some of the moaners and groaners and all were grinning and obviously enjoying giving Charley a hard time.  He obviously was used to it because he smiled and went on in spite of their ribbing.  He thanked John and I for visiting their Lodge and proceeded, for my benefit I thought, to give a short but very interesting history of the Lodge, which I enjoyed very much.  As soon as Charley was done the Senior Steward David got up an announced in an exaggerated drawl that thanks to Brother John this was the first time in the history of the Lodge that there were no leftovers and he appreciated John making his job easier.  Amid the applause of the Brethren John assured him that it was his pleasure and took the opportunity to thank Brother David for such a splendid meal saying that it was, “Durn near like his Momma used to make.”  After the Lodge was closed the Brethren gathered in the kitchen area for dessert and coffee and while John was continuing to entertain I took the time to go around and shake hands with and thank all the Brothers and especially brother Donnie without whom I might not have made the trip to visit and see my Grandfather’s Lodge and picture.  After the Lodge was closed the Brethren gathered in the kitchen area for dessert and coffee and while John was continuing to entertain I took the time to go around and shake hands with and thank all the Brothers and especially brother Donnie without whom I might not have made the trip to visit and see my Grandfather’s Lodge and picture.  After a while I gathered up John and kind of herded him towards the door.  At first he didn’t want to go out the door and I couldn’t figure out why until I remembered the abuse he was taking before from the local motorists for going the wrong way down the street.  I told him that I was sure they had forgiven him by now.  He still seemed tentative as he stepped out the door.  There were several Brothers who had seemed to hang around us as John walked to his truck.  I turned to go around the building to my truck when I heard a wailing sound and turned back to see John staring at his truck.  I followed the angle of his stare to the windshield and there stuck between the glass and his wipers, was what looked to be ten or more traffic tickets.  John was frozen in one spot on the sidewalk with his mouth hanging open in shock.  There were several Brothers standing just behind John on the sidewalk watching what was going on.  Since he wasn’t moving I walked around and started pulling the pink slips off his truck and began reading them one by one.  The first was for driving the wrong way on a one way street.  The next was for disturbing the normal flow of traffic and the next for reckless driving and one for parking illegally.  I was starting to get worried about whether John was going to be allowed to even leave town.  I looked up at him and he still had that shocked look on his face but I noticed that the Brothers behind him all had sneaky grins on their faces.  Then it dawned on me that they were playing a trick on John.  The rest of the tickets were for oversized and overweight vehicle and one for noisy vehicle and even one for disturbing the peace and public nuisance.  By the time I finished reading them John’s mouth was moving but nothing was coming out and he looked like he was going to faint.  The Brothers behind him were laughing so hard that they had tears rolling down their cheeks.  John eventually figured it out and his color finally came back in his face.  Apparently one of the Brothers was the Chief of Police and they decided to give John a souvenir of his visit.  I am sure he will never forget getting ten traffic violations at once.  They all clapped him on the back and assured him it was all in fun and I finally got him in his truck and told him I would lead the way out of town but by the time I got my truck and back to the street he was waving at all the Brothers and taking off.  I fell in behind him and followed him until we got to my turn off.  I got the feeling that John doesn’t really like to follow.  It’s obvious to me that he considers himself more a leader.  Heck, I don’t mind following him.  Y’all have a great month and I’ll see you next time.