Greetings from the East of your Lodge, Brethren!

I write to you at the end of my family’s vacation on Crystal Lake,
located in the picturesque Northeast Kingdom of Vermont
in the town of Barton.
I certainly hope you were able to find some time this summer to be
with your family and get away from the day-to-day that so easily
consumes our lives. This has been a tremendous summer for me,
personally. I have discovered new loves, including sailing; rekindled old
loves, including finding time to curl up with a good book; and found
ways to strengthen long time loves that have never left my heart, especially Saint George Lodge.
Some of the officers and I met recently and started laying out plans for
the upcoming year. We spoke of wants and needs for our Lodge.
We looked at events that have worked well in the past, and why some may not have.
We looked at the best possible members to help lead our Lodge back to where it should be;
at the pinnacle of our District and the Jurisdiction.
Frankly, last year was not a good year for us.

There were many reasons as why that happened,
but the hard truth is that it did. I, our Senior Warden, Brother Michael Weydt and our Junior Warden-Elect, Brother Mark Franklin have met this summer and have been in regular communication with one another to ensure this year gets out of the starting blocks the way that it should.
However, we recognize that it would be a mistake for us to try and do this alone. We want and need input and help from any member who is so disposed as to help.
This DOES NOT mean that if you find an event that you want to help with, that you will be expected to work on every event that we do for the year. This is the polar opposite of what we are hoping for.
As the Master of Baalis Sanford Lodge, Wor. Stephen Awtrey likes to say,
“…we need everyone’s oar in the water.”
We have a great group of officers for the current year, and the upcoming year. I’m certain they can handle any task the Lodge has for them.
However, if we want our Lodge to grow and prosper, as it is poised to do, it will take the work of the officers and sideliners alike. I implore you; find an event on the calendar you want to be part of, call me to get introduced to the lead planners for the event. Take part in your Lodge. Remember back to when you joined, the limitless possibilities for your Lodge that you saw the night you were raised.
Take a small portion of your time and help make that vision a reality!
My wife has made a habit of going to the gym. She is there 5 days a week. It is a passion she never knew she had, but now one that is a large part of her identity.
I’ve gone to the gym, and went fairly regularly for a while. Then I found a reason not to go, then another, and another…soon enough I found myself “contributing” my monthly fee to the gym, and I got nothing out of it.
Many of us might be able to say the same thing about the Lodge. We may not want to go because we don’t know people who go now, it may have been years since we sat in a Lodge and we don’t feel comfortable being there, we might be afraid we’ve forgotten the signs, grips and tokens. We just might be comfortable “contributing” our yearly dues to the Lodge.
Don’t get me wrong, the Lodge certainly needs the timely payment of dues to keep our fraternal work moving forward, but we need you to get re-involved more than any financial income. Coming out of the summer is the perfect time to make a new habit of going to Lodge. It just might bring back a passion you’ve forgotten about.
“Harmony being the strength and support of all Institutions…” Harmony begins and ends with teamwork.
I’m packing to come back from Vermont. Vacation’s over. Our team is in the starting blocks. Come be a part of our team; bring your oars. Let’s make a new habit of working to bring Saint George back to the pinnacle.
Let’s get to work!

Sincerely and Fraternally, Wor. Adam E. Mitchell
Worshipful Master

~And from the West~

Greetings From the West

Welcome back brethren!
Last September I wrote to you about tending my summer garden and nurturing its growth. I spoke to you of how the lesson Mother Nature teaches holds true for all of us as a lodge and as individual brothers.
I said “The lodge represents the vine of the plant that unites us all and carries nutrients to the fruit, which is represented by our brothers. If the caregiver just lets the vine grow on its own, the fruit can sustain damage and not reach its full potential. Or something worse happens. The fruit simply falls from the vine and is lost.”
This summer I realized that there is a greater hazard to a garden and that’s “pests”. In nature, there are always some types of garden pests chewing on plants or diseases that can spread among them. That's just the way of things wherever plants gather and grow. Even the healthiest gardens encounter these pests at one time or another. Somehow, they will always be there. Yet under a watchful eye and caring hand a garden can still produce a beautiful harvest.
This year I learned that we must each consider the level of pest activity that we are willing to tolerate in our garden. Not all pest damage is significant enough to warrant action.
However, sometimes action must be taken. Occasionally we must prune some infected plants or worse, the offending plants must be isolated or the whole garden may become contaminated.
The garden of life is much the same wherever we humans gather. Our gatherings often yield a beautiful harvest of companionship and friendship but sometimes our gardens also have “pests” at one time or another. We have all witnessed occasions in our human gardens when things like gossip, backbiting and slander can easily spread like a disease and contaminate everyone in its path. We must be wary of such pests in our gardens so they do not contaminate our gardens growth.
Unlike the garden plants, we have the ability to move away from such things when they occur so as not to become contaminated ourselves.
Thankfully, once a pest is identified and remedied it’s easy to nurse the garden back to health. Heed the lesson Mother Nature teaches us brethren. Be watchful for the spread of these unhealthy diseases and remember, the sooner a garden pest is properly identified the easier it will be to manage.

Sincerely & Fraternally,
Bro. Michael J Weydt
Senior Warden, Saint George Lodge