May 2020 Trestleboard

TRESTLEBOARD

May 2020 | Volume 3 Edition 5

Stated Meetings

ALL MEETINGS ARE POSTPONED UNTIL June 1st, 2020.

Virtual Social Gatherings are being held Biweekly on Tuesday's. Invites go out the day of the meetings. Next one is Tuesday May 5th, 2020.

Location

Scottish Rite Center

240 S. Tuttle Ave, Sarasota, Florida 34237

(Tuttle Ave. Just South of Fruitville Road)

Mailing Address

242 S. Washington Blvd.

PMB 383

Sarasota, FL 34236

A quick question for you…

When was the last time you went to our Lodge Website ?

Did you know we have links to all our Trestleboards ? From the current issue, all the way back to the beginning of 2018 - just in case you missed one or need to look for something that previously caught your interest.

Or that we have a News Feed where we post all the latest stuff going on? – Not just our Lodge Events but also key events going on in the rest of the District that we are given a heads-up on. In fact, there is a link to the District 23 Event Calendar on our site – did you know that?

We’ve been working with some of our Lodge Members to get their Masonic Education pieces posted, and we’re always looking for more material – so why not send us what you would like to see posted and we’ll share it with the rest of our Brethren.

So, what are you waiting for?

Why not wander over there and see what’s new….

GET YOUR PHOENIX TIES $25

The Ties are in, they look AMAZING! Come to Lodge and get yours while they last.

Please support your lodge

and look good doing it.

Good News

Happy Birthday to our brothers born in March!

05/01/1968 Nathan D Kelty

05/02/1931 Calvin W Erb

05/02/1956 Glen Dale Mitchell

05/02/1958 Charles Oliver Howes

05/04/1935 Donald Richard Bryson

05/05/1951 Donald Roy Coffman

05/05/1968 Edward D Osika

05/06/1964 Frank Di Cicco

05/08/1946 George Elbert Calder

05/08/1954 Frederick Earl Soto Jr

05/09/1946 Gary Colin Thomason

05/10/1976 Ferenc Szoke

05/12/1959 Randall J Butsch

05/15/1935 Donald Jean Shawhan

05/16/1935 Harrison Reed Ragland Jr

05/17/1954 Dale Bradford Johnson

05/17/1957 Mark Paxton Brewer

05/17/1958 Douglas F Mitchell

05/17/1968 Mark Christopher Cox

05/18/1938 Gary M Goodman

05/18/1942 Francesco Ingrilli

05/19/1947 Norman Bruce Baillie

05/19/1987 Benjamin Joseph McClaskey

05/20/1943 James Kelby Denney

05/21/1947 Harold Jay Shelden III

05/22/1933 Roland Karl Kaiser

05/23/1936 Joseph Ronald Dewald

05/26/1937 John Maure Saba Jr

05/27/1954 Jeffrey Raymond Roberts

05/27/1963 Richard L West Jr

05/29/1943 Omer Joseph Quesnel

05/29/1951 Paul Robert Zeissler

05/29/1975 Frederick Lawrence Barrows

Click Here to Send Us Your Good News!

From The East

W.M. Roland Yates

Greetings Brothers,

As I write this the Grand Master has extended or labor suspension until June 1 ^st . He has also canceled Grand Lodge (the first such cancelation since WWII) I listen to a variety of music, but ONE song has been stuck in my head for weeks. The song is called Breakthrough by Chris McClarney and the lyric stuck in my brain is “It’s so amazing, how you take the ashes and turn them into something beautiful” As disheartening as it is to be separated from you all for this length of time it has offered each of us an opportunity to reflect inward. This year I wanted the lodge to get outside of the building and interact with the community more.

THIS pandemic has afforded us such an opportunity. Things I wanted to try like Free Coffee Mondays may become a reality for us. The company that made us ties has offered to make face masks for us (at a cost of course) The officers and I have discussed making them and donating some to the Masonic home AND Sarasota Memorial. Let us take the ashes of this year and turn it into something uniquely beautiful for this community.

We will continue to hold virtual social gatherings on the first and third Tuesday’s via zoom meetings. The links will go out those days at 9 a.m. sharp. If you require assistance, I am available to walk or guide you through the login process. We have asked for your input as to how WE can best give back to the community and we are still looking for ideas. You can send them to any of the officer line or to me directly.

If you find your self in a destitute circumstance P L E A S E reach out, all requests are kept in strict confidence, we have limited ability, but we will help any way we can. You can reach out to myself, Wink, or Michael with any of your needs and we will do our level best to meet them. I hope that this communication finds you safe and well. Till we meet again in person brothers

Roland Yates

Worshipful Master

From The West

S.W. Wink Thornton

When our forbears in Masonry set up the organization, they had the foresight to establish rules and guidelines what has enable the Fraternity to flourish for centuries. No discussion of religious topics, no political discussion, proper etiquette and more. One thing they recognized was that we are a family of friends and brothers, and as part of this family we have an obligation to offer a helping hand to those brothers who are in need. Masonic Relief. You as a brother and all of us enjoy this “Benefit”. But of course, all rights and benefits come with cost. That cost is coming to the aid of a worthy Brother who is seeking relief either financial, emotional, or spiritual.

I am please to say that our Lodge and individual brothers have taken the privilege of Relief and embraced it. Every day, since this crisis hit us, I hear of a brother of our lodge helping another by offering work, wages, rides, shopping trips, and all manor of things we normally have little need of from our fellow brother. Our Masonic Relief committee has helped and will continue to help those brothers who need us. If you are in need, reach out to a brother, if you can help also reach out. It’s heartwarming and make me proud to be a Mason and a Member of Phoenix Lodge.

Fraternally yours,

Brother Wink Thornton

Bro. Wink Thornton

Senior Warden

From The South

J.W. Michael Cochran

Brothers.

I hope this communication finds all of you and your loved ones well. As you are all aware by now, The M:. W:. Grand Lodge, F. & A. M. of Florida has seen fit to extend the suspension of all in-lodge masonic activity until June. While this suspension has been rightly imposed, I would remind every Mason that you do not stop being a Mason just because you can’t go to lodge. If you have no church to go to, does it stop you from Worshiping? Does the absence of the lodge change your beliefs?? Obstacles, difficulty, struggle and toil are simply opportunities to grow.

Our present circumstances will be one of the most significant times of trails troubles and difficulties in our lives, and where do you place your trust? In whom?? Place your trust accordingly, in both the difficult and prosperous times my friends. Find creative ways to do the work we have all been taught to do. Be someone else’s light in this time of darkness. We all have a uniquely special set of skills that make us who we are. Tap into those skills, don’t over complicated it, and do what your heart tells you to do!

But, don’t eat the last cookie :)

Fraternally Yours,

Bro. Michael Cochran

An Update From Bro. Chris Rich

Many of you ask how my wife is doing. Here’s an update to get you through some gloom. Last night while Dawn, Nichelle and I were watching the sunset from our home. A woman and her daughter came up in their golf cart, yes we live in an over 55 park. She mentioned how nice the flag looked and how well Dawn looked. Her daughter, not knowing anything said, oh was she sick. That's when I thought about the difference between last year and now. A year ago, she was just home from the hospital after almost dying from renal failure in March. A year ago I had to step down form Secretary and still amazed how well the Lodge did with several brothers filling in to help. Until Brother Hoffman accepted the position. A year ago, she was 100% total care as her kidneys were failing. Total care includes, turning, transferring form the bed to the commode, cleaning the person, dressing feeding, and anything else you would do on your own. Nichelle and I tag would take turns in caring for her. Allowing Nichelle to go to dialysis and me to go to work in the afternoon. I was lucky to work for a company that allowed me to work from home and provided me a laptop to work from wherever I needed too.

That was a year ago. Let’s look at today. Today, she’s walking with her walker, yes I said walking, about 200ish feet at a time before she’s worn out. She gets up by herself, no more bedside commode. She dresses herself now, usually. She still needs some assistance getting in to bed but only to get her legs on the bed. Her cognitive abilities are much better, we talk about things that happened 35 years ago. But she has little memory of last year from January to about September. She started asking about details. I told her that I had made final arrangements for her and learned just how important prayer is.

I sit back and think just how close we were on losing her and know that I had the full support of this lodge and our District.

Thank you brothers

Brother Chris

Trestleboard Boosters and Sponsors 2020

Platinum Club ($100+)

Dana Callanan
Carolyn B. Jordan, in Memory of Doug Jordan, P.M.
Omer Joseph Quesnel, PA

Please help support the Trestleboard. Click here to send e-mail of your support

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TRESTLEBOARD BOOSTER FOR 2019.

If you would like to continue your sponsorship or become a new sponsor for 2020 please contact Brother Scott Wren at 941-999-8203 or click the link above.

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