A Caring Heart

This past weekend started in Yorba Linda.  The Grand Officers made their Official Visit to our Senior Living Community.  It always seems like a bit of a misnomer to me that we call this event an Official Visit because usually at a Traditional Official Visit, we are visiting and see the local people perform the Ritual work for us, but the tradition for the OV to the SLC is that the Grand Officers take their stations and perform the work on behalf of the Residents.  It is fun because the Residents enjoy seeing the work performed by the Grand Officers and it is nice to be able to provide them with the opportunity.  We have a lot of very wonderful members living in our SLC and it is very warming to be able to perform this little service for them.

Of course, it means that we have make sure that we still know our own work, since we haven't done it in the past month or two when we finished the Instructionals.  That isn't quite accurate for everyone though, because when you have a Traditional OV and there is an office for which there are no officers for a particulart station in the entire District, then the Grand Officer takes their chair for the evening.  We had a few of those instances occur in the past month, so SOME of the officers had practiced more recently, but the rest of us had not.  I have not had to take my station so far this year, but if I make it all the way to the end without taking it, it will be the first time since I sat in the chair at least once every other year so far.

Anyway, the theme was based on the musical Wicked, which I understand is a favorite of our WGM, so there were green tinted glasses and beads and green scarves and many other things that were green.  Even some of the refreshments were green.

The next morning, I got up to go back to the SLC for our Home Board of Trustees and Finance meetings and was doing fine until about mid-morning, when I thought that something I ate did not agree with me and I didn't feel well.  I made it through the first part of the Finance meeting, but then they booted my AGP and I out of the room for an executive session.  I would have gone back to the hotel to lie down, but we had to hang out at the SLC until the Finance Committee was ready for a little bit of a presentation about next year's budget and while I hoped it would not be too long before they were ready for us, it turned into quite some time.  Finally we were asked back in and fifteen minutes later, we were on our way back to the hotel.  By that point, I really didn't feel well and didn't want to think about what I ate at dinner Friday that could come back to bother me so much, since I didn't think I ate anything particularly weird.  But boy, whatever the something was didn't like me AT ALL.

When it came time for dinner, I didn't feel up to it, but my AGP and his escort, who are AWESOME at taking care of me brought me back a little dinner and I did eat some of it, but then we were supposed to change and go to Escondido for another OV and I knew that I wouldn't make it there and back again in any kind of decent shape, so they went without me and made my apologies.  I felt really bad about missing, but given how the rest of my evening went (and I shall spare you the details that you DO NOT WANT!!!) it was absolutely the right decision.

The next morning I was feeling better and made the OV in Hemet and then had a small bite to eat before heading to the airport and back onto my plane home.  But what was particularly interesting to me was the graphic example of the "small village" nature of our Order and the caring heart that goes with it.  Because on Sunday, pretty much every person I spoke with knew that I hadn't been feeling well the night before, even people who hadn't been in Escondido the night before.  That's how fast news spreads!  But on the other hand, every person who spoke to me asked me how I was feeling and not just as a matter of form but because it really mattered to them.

That is why I do this.

Next weekend, I am in Oakland and Richmond, but will miss Ukiah and Sebastopol.