I just came across my Cousins first Trestleboard message as Worshipful Master; I think it would do us all good to read his words and give some quiet contemplation to their gravity...

Greetings from the East, Brethren, and many thanks to the Officers of our Lodge for all the hard work and study you have done in your new stations and places - It was quite evident in your performance at January's D.L.I. and in our first regular communication. If we keep the momentum going, I assure you, the Degree work we do this year will leave a positive and long-lasting impression on the future Brothers of Pyramid Lodge.

Since it's been unusually warm this Winter, I was doing some early Spring cleaning in my workshop. It was the dirtiest corner which I had been neglecting for years. As I threw out needless junk, arranged the remaining tools and equipment, and swept the place clean, it occurred to me that this was exactly what some of us need to do in our minds.

We all have a dark corner in our minds to a certain extent. That corner in which our prejudices, hates, misjudgments, and all other kinds of negative thinking pile up. We know it's there and it needs to be dealt with. We can ignore it, hoping it will go away, or put it off until tomorrow, but it continues to grow. Like the corner of my shop, it's an ugly site.

Just getting started can be toughest part of the job. But, as we clean out those thoughts and ideas that don't serve us (or society) anymore, we'll find it was easier than we thought. And when the patterns of negative thinking are broken something wonderful happens. Our thoughts become fresh and clean like when we were young. We'll look, act, and feel different and the world will respond accordingly. Once clean, that corner will be easier to maintain.

The workshop is now looking like it used to (clean and well-ordered) and I found some useful tools I'd forgotten about. I hope the same happens in my mind... and others.

Jeffrey J. Morelli,  Worshipful Master

Today has been a real bad day for me...

My Cousin, who was also one of my best friends, passed away today.  He was the sitting Worshipful Master of Pyramid Lodge #92, New Egypt, NJ and was one of the recommenders on my petition.  I remember when I got voted in, I called him right away; he was so excited to hear that I was accepted and told me that he would be there at every single one of my degrees.  He was also telling me how we could go and sit in on other lodges together.

I was so looking forward to practicing my catechisms under his tutelage and finally being able to call him Brother...

Jeffrey J. Morelli was 38 years old, a husband, a father to two beautiful girls, a friend and a great man.  He enjoyed all things colonial; we shot muzzle loaders and flintlocks together; he was a member of the NJ Frontier Guard, NJ Muzzleloaders Association and the NJ Blacksmiths association.  In fact he was teaching me how to blacksmith and was helping me set up my own shop.  His workshop, now idle in the absence of its master, stands testament to how he practice his craft - out of the thousands of tools in there, the only ones using electricity are a drill press and a grinder.  A true master and a believer in the "simple life" - this world has lost one of its true greats.  He will be forever missed.

My only comfort right now is knowing he's at peace and in a better place - the Lodge on High.  I can see him now, forging away up in that great smithy in the sky... if only he could build a staircase back to us, things would be so much better right now.

The past couple of days since the investigation committee met with me have been very tense.  On one hand, I know that I have done my very best to lead a good life so far, but on the other, it's a little disconcerting to know that a room full of individuals, each upstanding in their own right, is judging you based upon your merits. 

But finally... the wait is over.

I was informed a couple of hours ago by one of the members of the Investigation Committee that I have been unanimously accepted into Union Lodge #19.  My future Brother told me they would be in touch after the Summer "dark" period sometime in late August to give me more information.  If all goes to plan, I will receive my Entered Apprentice degree in September / October once the Worshipful Master declares them ready for the ritual.  This has been quite a journey thus far and though it's already taken years, I know these next few months will feel equal in time.

I am committing myself to learning as much background about Freemasonry as possible so I have purchased a number of books from Amazon which you can see in my Recommended Readings list.  I have carefully chosen these books to give me a background on the Craft without divulging any of the ritualistic secrets - I don't want to water down the experience.

Well, the new member investigation committee just made a trip out to my apartment to "interview" me ... 

All kidding aside, the Brothers of Union Lodge #19 went out of their way to make me feel at ease with the whole process and were here for about an hour.  They asked me several questions to ascertain my religious beliefs, commitment to the process, motivations for becoming a Mason, importance placed on family and my level of involvement in the community.  After the interview report was filled out, we discussed masonry in a more abstract manner in order to clear up any lingering questions and/or misconceptions I might have had about the Craft.  All in all, the process was very helpful and I would like to thank the guys for coming down in a last minute attempt to get me balloted on before the lodge goes dark for the Summer months. 

Now to await word of the vote...