MY GPS
For those of us who lack the sense of direction and are too proud to ask “WHERE AM I ” this should provide some amusement and cause for reflection. It is titled “My GPS” and was created by M.W. Bro. Mike Saunders Grand Lodge of Washington F&AM. in 2008.
About a year ago I broke down and bought myself a GPS device for my car. What a Godsend. You see I am terrible at directions. You would not believe the number of hours that I have spent in various cities and towns throughout our state trying to get to a Lodge building, church, community center, or some other building where I needed to be.
Although I would never dream of setting out on one of these journeys without directions, which were usually a map and turn-by-turn directions from Mapquest, invariably there would be a street sign that wasn’t clearly marked, or a fork in the road that I was not expecting. When one of these happened (and they always did) I would have to make a decision about which way to turn, whether I had gone too far or not far enough, and at what point was I going to admit that I was LOST.
Now when I am going somewhere, not only do I have the map and directions, but they are located where I can clearly see them, AND there is a nice lady that tells me where to turn, how far to go, and when I have arrived at my destination. Even more amazing, when I do make a mistake, she tells me something is wrong and helps me get back on track, so I am once again headed in the right direction and the effect of my error is minimized. This like I said, it’s a Godsend.
Life is a journey. We start off with a destination we hope to arrive at. Although the specific destination to which each of us is traveling is individual and personal, there are a few points that are pretty common.
We want to be happy, we want to make a positive difference in our communities, and at the end of our lives we want to be embraced by the Great Architect of the Universe and given a seat of honour in his Grand Lodge. But our journey is not very simple.
The road we are on is not straight and will not take us directly to our destination. We need to make many turns along the way and we will encounter several forks in the road.
Having a map and good directions are critical. We receive these from our families, our education, and our faith in God.
We, as Masons, have another advantage, a GPS, if you will, provided in part by the Three Great Lights in Masonry. But the most effective component of that GPS is our Brethren. They stand at every corner, intersection, and fork in the road to point us in the right direction. If we should make a wrong turn, they are there to whisper in our ear, reminding us of where we are trying to go, and guiding us back to the correct route. And while we are making those corrections, they defend our character if anyone should question it.
You see, the most important benefit we have as Freemasons is the Love & Fellowship of our Brethren.
Our various rituals, ceremonies and symbols, as powerful and effective as they are at imprinting on our minds all of the moral lessons of our Craft, are not nearly as significant to our successful journey through life as the love of our Brethren, working together to strengthen each other, their families, and their community.
That is truly a GODSEND. M.W. Bro. Michael Sanders
The End of the Road Is But a Bend in the Road
When we feel we have nothing else to give
And we are sure that the “song has ended”–
When our day seems over and the shadows fall
And the darkness of night has descended,
Where can we go to find the strength
To valiantly keep on trying,
Where van we find the hand that will dry
The tears that the heart is crying–
There’s but one place to do and that is to GOD
And dropping all pretense and pride.
We can pour out our problems without restraint
And gain strength with him at our side–
And together we stand at life’s crossroads
And view what we think is the end,
But GOD has a much bigger vision
And HE tells us it’s ONLY A BEND—-
For the road goes on and is smoother,
And the “pause in the song” is a “rest”
And the part that’s unsung and unfinished
Is the sweetest and richest and best—–
So rest and relax and grow stronger.
LET GO and LET GOD share your load,
Your work is not finished or ended,
You’ve just come to “A BEND IN THE ROAD”
From Someone Cares by Helen Steiner Rice
Think , Act….. Live
Would you rather be right or Happy” Tom Crum
“What make men and women great is their ability to decide what is important,
and then focus their attention on it” Goethe
“Without a plan, it doesn’t really matter which way you’re going Lewis Carroll.
Have a wonderful day & God Bless.
Norm