The Tao of Masonry

Well, that was easy.

As of our next meeting, Friendship Lodge No. 33 in Southington will offically hold their stated communications on the first and third Monday of every month (July and August excepted), havign changed from the first and third Wednesdays.

Late last year we started discussing the possibility of changing the meeting day because of the difficulties that members were having in parking, due to the several new restaurants that opened in the downtown area, plus several other community events that always took place on Wednesdays. Some of the younger members suggested that changing the regular meetings to Mondays might make things easier because several of the local eateries are closed on that day. Likewise, there don’t seem to be any activities on the town green on Mondays, which means a less crowded parking lot.

There is a certain irony in that the changes to the outside of the building, making it more accessible to the older members, were made by the owner of the building next door, which houses one of the new (and popular) restaurants.

We need a 30 day notice to change our By-Laws, and at our last meeting we had a small pre-discussion about it. When it came time to vote last night, I was actually surprised that between the members present and the emails solicited earlier, nobody objected to the change. Had I been thinking, I should have made at least a token objection, as befitting my Past Master status, but I was too stunned. I mean, come on – nobody?

Actually, a number of members are involved with a local Scottish Rite, and with the local Shrine – both of which meet on Wednesday evenings. Several other members attend other functions that happen to meet on Wednesday nights, which compels them to choose between those functions and lodge. Other members don’t care one way or the other.

Out of curiousity, we did dig up an old By-Law book from 1917, and found that Friendship was meeting on the first and third  Wednesdays at least that far back. Hopefully none of the members from that time will stop by on the wrong night.