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From the Desk of                                                                  the Grand Master






         Christmas Memories                                                 a Brother Mason at the retirement home,
                                                                            made a personal home visit to a Widow,
          One of my all-time favorite Christmas                             her  daughter  and  granddaughter.  We
        memories  is  from  my  favorite  endeared                          decided to pay a home visit to a worthy
        Uncle Jack Harada, who the fi rst daughter,                          Brother Mason, recovering from recent
        Jaki,  is  named  lovingly  after.  Every                           heart surgery, and as we were knocking
        December, Uncle Jack, who was a lifelong                            on the front door, our Brother allowed us
        bachelor,  would  show  up  unannounced                             into his home.  Our worthy Brother was
        sometimes a week or so before Christmas                             quite excited and obviously emotionally
        day. The biggest and best surprise for the                          moved  by  the  act  of  Brotherhood  by 3
        4 Harada children was, he would always                              Brothers  visiting  him  at  home.  As  all
        have  tied  to  the  roof  of  his  car  was  the                   of  you  know,  if  any  person  shows  any
        most perfect pine tree for our living room.                         emotional  traits  around  me,  especially
         I  am  positive  he  would  dutifully  search                      tears  of  joy,  I  am  like  a  wet  diapered
         for the best possible pine tree as he traveled from Roy,           crying  little  mad  baby.  I  don’t  believe
         Roundup,  or  Billings,  knowing  it  would  grace  our   my personal expectations of moving a Brother Mason
         humble living room in Wolf Point. I am also positive   to such an emotional status was ever in my thoughts
         Uncle Jack was never in actual possession of a permit   as we developed this plan to serve our Brothers and
         to remove a picture perfect pine tree off  the beautiful   their families. It was at this time, the four of us joined
         Montana mountain landscape.                           hands and I enthusiasticly led a rousing rendition of
                                                               Kumbaya!
          As  I  continue,  I  would  only  hope  we  all  may  be
         fondly reminiscing now about our favorite Christmas     George  Washington  off ers  us  this  quote:
         memories,  whether  they  are  about  the  family     “Freemasonry is founded on the immutable laws of
         celebrations in our homes, yearly traditions specifi c to   Truth and Justice and its grand object is to promote
         our families, delicious food and delicacies, attending   the happiness of the human race.” If we have fulfi lled
         Church services at our favorite house of worship, and   a Masonic tenet of our founding Father, WB George
         any other precious memories in your thoughts.         Washington,  which  he  so  eloquently  quoted  of  the
                                                               foundations of Freemasonry and the grand object of
          Another  annual  family  celebration  memory  on     promoting  happiness  throughout  the  human  race.  If
         Christmas Eve is visiting my brother Steve,’s home,   our grand object in Scobey was to promote happiness
         where his better half, Judge Traci serves Sloppy Joes   of  the  human  race  in  a  few  people  by  spending
         or Slush burgers for dinner, because her dear old dad,   some  quality  time  with  our  Masonic  families,  we
         Richard liked them.                                   successfully  completed  our  tasks  and  objectives  by
                                                               spreading some love among our families. Like Bobby
          As many of you know at this juncture of our Masonic   McFerrin sang, “don’t worry, be happy”!
         year, we have developed the simple basic premise of
         truly serving our worthy Brothers, their Widows, and    Brother  General  Douglas  MacArthur  stated,
         Orphans. It is been our specifi c to eff ectively serve our   “Freemasonry embraces the highest moral laws and
         Brotherhood to fully embrace them in their personal   will bear the test of any system of ethics or philosophy
         wants and physical needs. I have empowered our Grand   ever promulgated for the uplift of man.” It is always this
         Lodge  District  Offi  cers  to  visit  Brothers  throughout   holiday time of year in which we as Brother Masons
         their  district  by  contacting  Worshipful  Masters  and   may examine this quotation, especially “the uplifting
         Secretaries to provide names of worthy Brothers that   of man.” We unfortunately hear of this Christmas and
         may be shut in  at home or a retirement home, or those   holiday  season  as  being  especially  diffi  cult  for  our
         Brothers to initiate some personal contact with, whether   friends and families, and not just Masonic families,
         in  person  or  by  telephone.  Last  month  in  Scobey,   probably those people in our lives that mean so very
         WGH Perry Wolfe, WGSB Wade Riden and I visited        much  to  all  of  us.  Let  us  all  remember  that  special
         Page 36                                                                             Montana Freemason                                           November December 2018
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