Formally Informal Fun

It's been said that Masonry is about associating oneself with good men. In my brief but exciting tour of freemasonry, I've found that there are all kinds of ways to do this. Most of the time, it's in the formal atmosphere of a stated or called communication. Once in a while we've had the opportunity to associate outside the formal bounds of these meetings. I think that it is outside the regularly scheduled programs that we get a chance to really know one another.

Just like most of you, I have obligations to my deity, my country, my neighbor and myself. For this reason, I don't want to plan too many activities, but I think that if we do one per month it's light enough that most of us can enjoy the fun. Since it's not a formal meeting, we don't have to feel obligated to attend unless we want to.

This last Tuesday evening was the first of what I hope are many activities to get to know the brethren on an informal personal basis. Tuesday was, in my opinion, a success! We had 10 people there, two of whom couldn't stay, but the rest of us had fun playing cards. On the plus side, since we weren't playing to win any money, I didn't feel pressure to win, knowing that we were able to raise ~$40 for the scholarship fund. I'll admit, I know nothing of how to play, but I still had fun, and got to know two fellows who were invited to attend an open table. I'm not quite sure who these gentlemen are, but I hope to see more of them. They were both members of the DeMolay in their youth, but neither are currently masons. This gave us the opportunity to show them who we are, and let them get to know us a little better.

In the future, I'd like to incorporate other events, like picnics in the park, and board-game night, and maybe even a dance or two. If you have suggestions, and would be interested in helping plan an event, let me know, we'll make it happen. But be patient, since I don't want to swamp anybody's schedule. So currently, we're only doing this fun night on the 4th Tuesday of each month.

I had a great time, and I think everyone else did too. I look forward to sharing more of these events with the rest of you.

Meridian Lodge #47, Idaho A.F.A.M.