Five weeks done, forty-seven left to make a difference.
These past two weeks have been filled with Installations at the various Chapters. While each year, the Worthy Grand Matron and Worthy Grand Patron decide for themselves how to approach this season, this year, we are trying to get to at least one Installation in most of the larger Associations. We've been together for the Installations of our own Chapters and are attending as many as possible in our own Districts, but past that, we've tried to spread out so that we can see our Dragon Riders and Wizards, since most who are in a large Association try to attend each other's events.
I continue to wonder just a bit why I prepared a formal emblem because everyone seems to love the dragon and castle the most. But at least the starry sky, that my man and I both have as background, has also provided some inspiration. It always inspires me to cast my gaze into the heavens on a clear night in the darkness and see infinity stretch out before me.
But the best part for me has been the opportunity to hear and enjoy the messages which the Dragon Riders and their Wizards have delivered in their Installation remarks. I asked each of them to have a message in their speech, not just thank yous although thank yous are important too, but words about what they want to accomplish, their goals for the year, their thoughts on our Order, or whatever else they feel passionate about for their Chapter and so far, the ones that I have attended have done a great job of it.
I must admit to being deeply touched by the way that this year's theme, that each one of us can make a difference has been embraced by so many of our Chapter leaders and members. I truly believe that we each want to make a difference, but fear that we cannot, and so we fear to try. Maybe some of us fear ridicule or derision for trying something new or that the carpet suckers will mock us for our efforts. But courage has never been about being fearless - it is about feeling the fear and apprehension and going forward anyway. It is amazing to me sometimes how so many complaints and negative comments melt away in the face of a confident presentation and a polite refusal to give up.
Of course, when dealing with the carpet suckers, it is important to remember that there are actually two separate species of them, the up carpet suckers and the down carpet suckers. Down ones are more dangerous. You see, the down ones want you to fail because what you are doing is not their idea or it is not what they did or it is a change and they hate change. The down ones actually want to pull you down and will sabotage you to fail. Luckily, we don't have that many down carpet suckers and hopefully our success will drive some of them off, like a flea fogger. :-)
The up carpet suckers are easier to deal with because up carpet suckers are just afraid. They don't mind if you succeed and they want things to go well, but they are terrified of change and new things. The nice part about the up carpet suckers is that if you overcome their reluctance and get them to participate and they can see that what you are suggesting actually works, then they will embrace your new plan and can often turn into your strongest supporters. That doesn't mean that they won't be sucking up the carpet again on the next new idea, but they are doing it out of fear and if they see your idea succeed, they will help and embrace the new reality.
So, knowing that there are carpet suckers out there and not always knowing up front the species to which they belong, it has been pleasing and gratifying to hear the Dragon Riders announcing new and exciting plans for the year, getting their Chapters geared up for community service and Masonic Family events and encouraging participation in our Make a Difference Program. Many of the Installations I've attended actually had our Make a Difference sheet in their programs, as we did at Grand Installation, so that their members could write out their personal goal and get started on their plans for how they will make a difference in 2013. Wow!
Next weekend, I am in Yorba Linda and San Pedro.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
The Texas Tour
Three weeks down, forty-nine to go.
This past week, I traveled to Texas to attend the General Grand Chapter Installation and the Most Worthy Grand Matron's School of Instruction. People have asked me how my trip was and the best adjective I could come up with was "It was educational."
I flew from home to LAX and from there to DFW. We rented a car and drove to our hotel across from the Fort Worth Convention Center. There was a snafu with the hotels with the net result putting me in the Omni, which was the correct hotel and my Worthy Grand Patron and his wife in the Sheraton on the other side of the Center. It wasn't too far as such things go, but we found out sort of by accident, which is what made it unfortunate.
Anyway, we get all checked in and we change clothes and we stroll on over to the Center. The Center it turns out is this absolutely enormous convention hall with lots of exhibit halls and such and really NO signage. We were walking around for several minutes before we found something to tell us that the session was in the Arena and a few more minutes to find out how to get to that part of the building. But no blood, no foul, the prelude was scheduled from 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm, and we found our way in about 6:15. However, we couldn't locate a seating chart anywhere. I finally scored a program from a gentleman who had a bunch, but there were no directions in it. We figured out where to sit primarily by looking for people in the same dress that I was wearing, and then managed to get settled down.
Now when I had seen the tentative program, I thought it was a typo. It said that the Installation prelude was at 6:00 pm and that the Installation was scheduled from 6:30 pm to midnight. I figured that they just put down the time until which we had rented the hall. I discovered that they had not overestimated by much. We were not finished until 11:15 pm.
Knowing that my personal view is that people can't pay attention for more than fifty-five minutes at a time and people can't sit comfortably for more that two hours, you can imagine that I cannot write the words that come to my mind at this piece of foolishness. I realize that all the lovely parts of the lovely ceremony are lovely and important to someone and that having waited fifteen years for your big night, you want to make the most of it. But let us be realistic here - after three hours, does anyone truly think that people's attention was focused on what was going on? No. We were all fidgeting from our legs going numb, trying not to have to disturb the other people in our row with getting up to go to the bathroom and wondering how much of our time in Purgatory would be remitted if we sat through to the bitter end. By the time we were through all the folderol and got to some remarks, all everyone wanted was for the darned thing to be over! There wasn't even a seventh inning stretch! Or a bathroom break! It is no wonder to me that when people got up to be introduced and escorted, many of them never went back to their seats. They just collected their little certificate or were introduced and headed right out of the arena door.
What I really wonder is whether the honored members actually enjoyed it either. Or is this one of those "mother of the bride takes over the wedding" type nightmares, where the bride wants things different, but gets caught up in someone else's vision of how this is supposed to be done and is stuck? Is it possible that the honorees might actually enjoy something different, but can't bring themselves to buck tradition enough to chop it down and make it fun and exciting or at least a bearable length. I am willing to bet that if you cut the whole thing in half, the arena ceiling would not have fallen in. And I can see lots of stuff that you could cut without in any way reducing the solemnity of the occasion or the enjoyment of the evening. I bet that cutting it in half would more than double the positive of the occasion. Luckily, this will never be my problem.
Next weekend, I am heading south to the Installations in my Worthy Grand Patron's Chapters.
This past week, I traveled to Texas to attend the General Grand Chapter Installation and the Most Worthy Grand Matron's School of Instruction. People have asked me how my trip was and the best adjective I could come up with was "It was educational."
I flew from home to LAX and from there to DFW. We rented a car and drove to our hotel across from the Fort Worth Convention Center. There was a snafu with the hotels with the net result putting me in the Omni, which was the correct hotel and my Worthy Grand Patron and his wife in the Sheraton on the other side of the Center. It wasn't too far as such things go, but we found out sort of by accident, which is what made it unfortunate.
Anyway, we get all checked in and we change clothes and we stroll on over to the Center. The Center it turns out is this absolutely enormous convention hall with lots of exhibit halls and such and really NO signage. We were walking around for several minutes before we found something to tell us that the session was in the Arena and a few more minutes to find out how to get to that part of the building. But no blood, no foul, the prelude was scheduled from 6:00 pm to 6:30 pm, and we found our way in about 6:15. However, we couldn't locate a seating chart anywhere. I finally scored a program from a gentleman who had a bunch, but there were no directions in it. We figured out where to sit primarily by looking for people in the same dress that I was wearing, and then managed to get settled down.
Now when I had seen the tentative program, I thought it was a typo. It said that the Installation prelude was at 6:00 pm and that the Installation was scheduled from 6:30 pm to midnight. I figured that they just put down the time until which we had rented the hall. I discovered that they had not overestimated by much. We were not finished until 11:15 pm.
Knowing that my personal view is that people can't pay attention for more than fifty-five minutes at a time and people can't sit comfortably for more that two hours, you can imagine that I cannot write the words that come to my mind at this piece of foolishness. I realize that all the lovely parts of the lovely ceremony are lovely and important to someone and that having waited fifteen years for your big night, you want to make the most of it. But let us be realistic here - after three hours, does anyone truly think that people's attention was focused on what was going on? No. We were all fidgeting from our legs going numb, trying not to have to disturb the other people in our row with getting up to go to the bathroom and wondering how much of our time in Purgatory would be remitted if we sat through to the bitter end. By the time we were through all the folderol and got to some remarks, all everyone wanted was for the darned thing to be over! There wasn't even a seventh inning stretch! Or a bathroom break! It is no wonder to me that when people got up to be introduced and escorted, many of them never went back to their seats. They just collected their little certificate or were introduced and headed right out of the arena door.
What I really wonder is whether the honored members actually enjoyed it either. Or is this one of those "mother of the bride takes over the wedding" type nightmares, where the bride wants things different, but gets caught up in someone else's vision of how this is supposed to be done and is stuck? Is it possible that the honorees might actually enjoy something different, but can't bring themselves to buck tradition enough to chop it down and make it fun and exciting or at least a bearable length. I am willing to bet that if you cut the whole thing in half, the arena ceiling would not have fallen in. And I can see lots of stuff that you could cut without in any way reducing the solemnity of the occasion or the enjoyment of the evening. I bet that cutting it in half would more than double the positive of the occasion. Luckily, this will never be my problem.
Next weekend, I am heading south to the Installations in my Worthy Grand Patron's Chapters.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Long, Longer, Longest
Two weeks down, fifty to go.
We are finally on that calendar that has been on my wall for a year and a half already. I don't know if I should wipe off things as they happen, or check them off or put a big red X through each one, but we are finally, actually on the calendar and getting through the items on it. Wow!
This past weekend, I did my first Installation of the season. It was great fun, but I was worried about getting my lines right because it was the first time I did this work in front of people since 2002, when I was Worthy Matron and installed my successor. But I only had one blank moment, and you can bet I won't forget the word "preserve" again any time soon!
I had the most lovely surprise at the end of the Installation. The Chapter presented me and my WGP and our escorts with Honorary Memberships. Usually that is done, if it is done at all, at the Official Visit, so I was completely surprised and totally flattered. I got all choked up, thanking everyone. I know that many Chapters do not give Honorary Memberships at all and many give them only in the most limited of circumstances, so it was very kind of this Chapter to do that.
Unfortunately, that led me to search my house for over an hour for the Honorary Membership book that I was given two years ago and of course put away for safe keeping, only to discover that the book is too big for the certificates to fit easily and not big enough to fit two on one side of a page, and instead of being the pages I was expecting, made for sliding in the certificates, the book pages are like scrapbook pages, so I will need to go buy some transparent photo corners for affixing the certificates in the book, but what the heck! I got one for now - YAY!
On Sunday, I attended the Reception for the Grand Drill Leader of California Rainbow. Her mother is a member of my Chapter and she asked me to attend and I told her that I would be happy to do so, to support her and her daughter. That was very interesting experience.
I confess a terrible truth - every time I attend a Rainbow function, I feel better about our Eastern Star escort, which still often takes too long, but nothing compared to Rainbow's number of categories and time for escort which seems to take forever and ever and ever. This reception had a start time of 2:00 pm and my escort fell almost at the end, since of course all the Rainbow categories go first before they get to other adult groups. So there was a bunch of escort, then there were a bunch of self-introduction categories. Then I got escorted, then a few more self-introduction categories. The thing is, by the time I was escorted, it was 3:00 pm. There must have been forty-five minutes or so of escort and introductions. Wow! Then there were a few remarks and those were nice, but then the presentations started and each group apparently had to do some sort of multipart skit/quiz thing and these had the same problem that most skits have, namely that without a microphone, you can't hear anybody, so you sit there waiting for it to be over, unsure of what is going on, but trying your best to look like you are paying attention and not yawning, which is hard to do when you can't see or hear very much, especially as you pass the two hour mark and keep going. I am certainly happy for the honored member and I hope most sincerely that every part of the reception was positive and meaningful for her. And she got a totally awesome quilt! It was fabulous! And an amazing stand to go with it too!
In a couple of days, I leave for Texas for General Grand Chapter, for the Installation of the new Most Worthy Grand Matron and then her School of Instruction. When I get back, my Chapter will have its installation.
We are finally on that calendar that has been on my wall for a year and a half already. I don't know if I should wipe off things as they happen, or check them off or put a big red X through each one, but we are finally, actually on the calendar and getting through the items on it. Wow!
This past weekend, I did my first Installation of the season. It was great fun, but I was worried about getting my lines right because it was the first time I did this work in front of people since 2002, when I was Worthy Matron and installed my successor. But I only had one blank moment, and you can bet I won't forget the word "preserve" again any time soon!
I had the most lovely surprise at the end of the Installation. The Chapter presented me and my WGP and our escorts with Honorary Memberships. Usually that is done, if it is done at all, at the Official Visit, so I was completely surprised and totally flattered. I got all choked up, thanking everyone. I know that many Chapters do not give Honorary Memberships at all and many give them only in the most limited of circumstances, so it was very kind of this Chapter to do that.
Unfortunately, that led me to search my house for over an hour for the Honorary Membership book that I was given two years ago and of course put away for safe keeping, only to discover that the book is too big for the certificates to fit easily and not big enough to fit two on one side of a page, and instead of being the pages I was expecting, made for sliding in the certificates, the book pages are like scrapbook pages, so I will need to go buy some transparent photo corners for affixing the certificates in the book, but what the heck! I got one for now - YAY!
On Sunday, I attended the Reception for the Grand Drill Leader of California Rainbow. Her mother is a member of my Chapter and she asked me to attend and I told her that I would be happy to do so, to support her and her daughter. That was very interesting experience.
I confess a terrible truth - every time I attend a Rainbow function, I feel better about our Eastern Star escort, which still often takes too long, but nothing compared to Rainbow's number of categories and time for escort which seems to take forever and ever and ever. This reception had a start time of 2:00 pm and my escort fell almost at the end, since of course all the Rainbow categories go first before they get to other adult groups. So there was a bunch of escort, then there were a bunch of self-introduction categories. Then I got escorted, then a few more self-introduction categories. The thing is, by the time I was escorted, it was 3:00 pm. There must have been forty-five minutes or so of escort and introductions. Wow! Then there were a few remarks and those were nice, but then the presentations started and each group apparently had to do some sort of multipart skit/quiz thing and these had the same problem that most skits have, namely that without a microphone, you can't hear anybody, so you sit there waiting for it to be over, unsure of what is going on, but trying your best to look like you are paying attention and not yawning, which is hard to do when you can't see or hear very much, especially as you pass the two hour mark and keep going. I am certainly happy for the honored member and I hope most sincerely that every part of the reception was positive and meaningful for her. And she got a totally awesome quilt! It was fabulous! And an amazing stand to go with it too!
In a couple of days, I leave for Texas for General Grand Chapter, for the Installation of the new Most Worthy Grand Matron and then her School of Instruction. When I get back, my Chapter will have its installation.
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