“We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope. “
-Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia has passed down official notification that all Masonic in-person activities are cancelled until further notice. While this does not surprise any of us, it does set disappointment in my heart, that we must endure through the pandemic before we can again share our brotherly companionship.
Hope, however, rises from those interactions we are encouraged to undertake! Through email, phone calls, and our WebEx video meetings we can find opportunities to thrive. During our May "un-stated" video meeting we received great information from Right Worshipful Brother Daniel Huertas, who shared his experience with the loans and grants of the recent COVID-19 relief act. Thank you again RWB for your time and the opportunity to learn from your experience.
Listening to RWB Huertas explain that he was able to bring back so many employees was an inspiration to the entrepreneurial spirit. Likewise the virtual meetings clearly help us uplift our individual spirits! In spite of our still long path ahead, I found an additional glimmer of home from our socializing (where several good laughs and a few drams of Spirit helped lubricate the process, I assure you).
St. John's Lodge is well and beyond over one hundred years old. As a result our fore-officers were in a very similar situation during the "Spanish Influenza" of 1918. In addition to the archival treasure trove of information their meeting minutes may offer (we don't yet know the full extent because it's still being researched), I can guarantee one thing; St. John's Lodge weathered a pandemic before, and we can do it again!
While I eagerly await the opportunity to drop the gavel upon our next in-person meeting, I have taken a great deal of spiritual recharge from our more modern endeavors. While we can't meet across a table at the "Masonic Annex," we can continue to meet virtually. And I hope to see an ever growing number of our members (and future guests) as we continue to weather this storm together.
Sincerely and Fraternally,
Jason Lee
Worshipful Master