Who Needs Kleenex?

Forty-four weeks down, eight weeks left to make a difference.

The weekend before last, we finished the last of our Official Visits, the Visit to Sacramento and the homecoming Visit to my own District.  I am told that our remarks for that last weekend of official visits were very good and I was very happy to end those on a high note.

Someone asked me if it was sad or bittersweet to come to the end of the Official Visits and I said that actually there was a bit of a relief to it because I had made the commitment to write a new and different speech for each OV that was tied somewhat more or somewhat less to the theme of the Visit.  Until they were over, I could never be sure if I was going to accomplish that goal, but now that we've had them all, I can look back and be pleased that I managed to do it.  I also managed to do it enough prior to each visit to have the pages printed out and ready in my little white binder.  It was close a couple of times and maybe once or twice I was printing the night before the OV, but at least I never had to search for a Kinko's on the day of the OV for which the speech had been written.  So whew on that and something accomplished!

In fact, it was this past weekend that held the more bittersweet moment because this past weekend, we finished the last of the Grand Officer receptions saving only the one for me and my Worthy Grand Patron, which isn't for another four weeks.  Usually our reception would be on the second weekend of September, but unfortunately, that weekend is Yom Kippur so it was completely impossible to put the reception there.  So it is the third weekend in September instead.

Sitting in the East during the receptions for each of my Grand Officers was really awesome!  I was completely thrilled for them - all of the receptions had great attendance; we almost ran out of chairs several times.  I confess though, that I was also a little thrilled for me.  Seeing all those people there for my Grand Officer told me that I had chosen well.  I already knew that because of what a great job my Grand Family has been doing in terms of being with the members and working with the members, but it was very gratifying to see others acknowledging what great Sisters and Brothers I had chosen by their attendance at the receptions.  I packed an extra purse pack of Kleenex to give to my Officers in case they forgot theirs, but no one warned me that I would need an extra pack for myself. I was so proud of them that I was crying too.

But that fun is over now and that is sad.

There's not much left in terms of events, but there's ever so much to do in the next eight weeks.  We have events to attend for other Masonic bodies, but just our reception and Grand Chapter left from our own calendar.  However, we have to finish getting the thousand and one gifts we need for this, that and the other thing.  We have speeches and scripts to write.  We have to make sure that everyone gets their session dresses and vests.  We have to finish up the content for our web site and get it live (it really is happening!  September 16- Yay!!!)  I have to write the last month of thank you letters for the August OVs, etc., etc., etc.  It would probably also be nice if I signed up for my State dinner, just so they know I am coming. :-)

So it will be a very busy eight weeks!  I have been telling people that my foot has left the third base bag, I am pumping for home plate and hoping that I can make it standing up rather than sliding in head first.

This next weekend I am home, the one after that is our administration weekend, the one after that is Yom Kippur and the one after that is the reception - wow!