My Masonic Beginings

It wasn't too long ago that I joined Freemasonry but I can distinctly recall why I did. I would like to share with you a quick story explaining my reasoning and motivations behind joining Freemasonry.

"What unifies Masons is not where we come from or what we do for a living, but rather what we aspire to be."

I was in the military on the other side of the country when I got a phone call telling me that my Grandfather was dying and he didn't have long. I submitted a leave pass and soon I was at my Grandfathers home, while he lay in various stages of consciousness.

My Grandfather was a good man, someone who you aspire to be like. He always had time for his friends and though he was know to be rather stubborn at times, he was dependable when it counted. He had a wonderful sense of humour and though his upfront fashion caught some people off guard, they would appreciate his candidness.

In those last few days with him I felt that I really met my Grandfather for the very first time. Though it pained him to do so, he exhausted himself several times showing me pictures from his years in the Navy in WW2 and the good times partying in Dover for New Years.

In the past I have had members of my family pass away before, but this experience of bonding with him shortly before his passing really affected me on a much deeper level. When I returned back home I had trouble dealing with his passing and one day stumbled upon a Grand Lodge website. I knew he had been a Shriner, but I really had no concept of what that meant.

After investigating Shriners and ultimately understanding that the Craft degrees were the root or starting point of Freemasonry I decided to inquire further with the Grand Lodge in my Province.

A few days after I e-mailed the Grand Lodge they put me in contact with a local brother, WBro Dan Power, who quite literally worked 300 metres from my home. To make a long story short after a few conversations I asked him to join and started on my first few steps from darkness to light.

Masonry has affected me very deeply and quite dramatically. Within a year of joining I had decided to leave the military to pursue goals in my life that would make me a better person. Masonry be no means encouraged me to leave the Military, it simply gave me the confidence to aspire to greater things and to fulfill those things in my life which would make me happier.

In under two years I have had the opportunity to meet Brethren from numerous countries around the world. I have traveled by backpack (eastward) from France to Thailand and done things that I never thought were possible. If it were not for Freemasonry I would probably still be working unhappily away wondering why nothing seemed to go my way.

I know it's too late to say thank you to my Grandfather but without him I don't think any of these amazing events would have unfolded.