My Masonic Sojourn - The Beginning
When I was a young lad, I discovered an old Masonic Apron
that had been discarded amongst some rubbish, (this memory was something
that came back to me early in my masonic career) being the inquisitive lad
(alright nosey- I was at 10 years old at the time), I took the apron to my Grandparents
and asked my Grandfather what it was, he informed me that it was something
that "The Freemasons" wore and that maybe one day I might find out what why.
I never thought about the incident again until some 17 years
later when I got taking to a colleague at work and told him about the
incident. A little while later, this same colleague and I were having a
gossip - passing the time of day and putting the world to rights, when I
noticed that he was wearing a Masonic ring, so I asked him if he was in the
Freemasons (well I didn't know it was just called the craft then did I..)
and how did one become a mason, he told me that he was one and that when the
time was right he would talk to me about it. After a while and due to me
constantly asking, This colleague then sat down with me, handed me a form,
told me to fill it in then and there and promptly took it away again.
Several weeks later I was informed that I needed to be at the Masonic Temple
in Corstorphine, as some people wanted to have a chat with me. Well I
attended the Mason Temple and met some rather serious looking faces who put
me at my ease. After a while I was thanked for attending and that my
proposer (I hadn't realised up until then that my colleague had proposed me)
would let me know what the out come would be in due time.
Several weeks later my proposer came into work and told me
that I needed to be at the Masonic Temple the following Thursday with a bag
of 788 pennies as I was to be admitted into the Craft, I went home and told
my wife what had happened to which she said she already knew as our
neighbour and very close friend had already been in and told her and that
half of the village I lived in knew.....(I found this really strange as I
was about to join a lodge that wasn't even the closet one to me..I later
found out that the nearest lodge to my village at which most were members,
had been on a deputation to what was to become my mother lodge and had
witnessed the ballot). This is when all the jokes, wisecracks and windups
started.....yes I do know how much carrots cost. Anyway the big day arrived
and I duly turned up at the Lodge to be greeted not only the brethren from
Lodge St John Corstorphine 788 but by a rather large Deputation from the
Provincial Grand Lodge - it being the night of their annual visit, take
about scaring the pants off a guy before he's even started !!
And so continued a journey that I had originally started as
a 10 year old boy whilst visiting his Grandparents that has led me to meet
many new friends.....
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