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WANTING TO BELONG

By: Bro. Geminiano V. Galarosa, Jr.
Dagohoy Lodge No 84
(HM- LL 185, JS 169 and RP 147)


Yesterday, the lion sent an e-mail to VW Jimmy Gonzales, AGS, the contents of which is reprinted in full below:

VW Jimmy:

Last Saturday January 10, I was elected and consequently was obligated member of Dagohoy Lodge No. 84. That would not have been made possible without your kind assistance.

Thanks a lot!

Sincerely,

Jun


The decision to seek membership at Dagohoy Lodge No. 84 was not easy and took no less than 23 months to complete. Let me tell this story.

Last March 2002 when the lion and his tamer mulled on the idea of transferring residence to the island of Bohol, one of his first acts upon arrival was to attend the stated meeting of Dagohoy Lodge No. 84, thus inwardly placing himself under the canopy of the island’s only lodge.

Never mind if the said lodge was situated 85 kilometers away from their residence in Guindulman. And never mind if he is already able to interact with some of the brethren of the Fraternity through the Internet. The need to physically fraternize with the brethren was one of the things that kept him alive during his retirement years in the metropolis and must be faithfully continued comes rain or sunshine weather even in this bucolic island.

The first month of his attendance after that March meeting was in June 2002 which was uneventful. Feeling himself uneasily around, he had to sleep after the stated meeting at Charisma Lodge, a lodge with neither number nor belonging to the Craft and with a few “low-flying doves” hovering inside. By the next month, the lion sat in the lodge accompanying Bro. Bruno Raffi, a French brother whom he rubbed elbows through the facilities of the Internet. And during these past two meetings, he had to leave his tamer uneasily alone, although physically accompanied by an elderly cousin, at the house.

At the next meeting, Bro. Tyrone Villanueva of Bulusan Lodge No. 38 sojourned As he was based in the town of Jagna, he offered to take the lion to his den which is some twenty three kilometers farther away from his hideout. Which required Bro. Tyrone to drive an additional 46 kilometers before he can sleep during the night but he obviously did not mind. They enjoyed each other’s company while driving home after each stated meeting at Dagohoy Lodge No. 84 each night.

By December of that year, the lion visited his folks at the busy metropolis and got himself the needed “Certificate of Good Standing” from his mother lodge so that he can apply for plural membership. He was successful in this regard but the bane of old age, that is, forgetting where the heck he placed that “cute little paper” on his return trip to his den prevented him to submit his petition for membership immediately. Until finally, in August, while ransacking his stack of masonic documents during his idle time, he found it tacked inside one of his books. Excitedly, he submitted it to the secretary of Dagohoy Lodge No.84 thus formally starting the process of his petition for membership.


Somehow, Bro. Tyrone ceased attending the stated meetings starting in August 2003. Which compelled the lion to take his tamer along to Tagbilaran City during each stated meeting. While the lion was attending the meeting, his tamer was mulling at Tagbilaran’s malls. Since funds are low, that is what the tamer can only do to pass the time.

But his petition ran aground. Mailing snags somehow slowed the processing of application and when it was found by VW Jimmy Gonzales at the Grand Lodge, he said the that petition, being signed in 2002, has already expired. But never mind, under the circumstances, he will honor the document and had the petition published during the October circular

Until finally in the January 2004 stated meeting, the lion’s petition for membership was put to a vote and as tradition would have it, he excused himself from inside the lodge while the process was being subjected to the test; he thus replaced the Tyler from his task.

And what did he see in the lodge Tyler’s book?! Of the 25 pages that are filled-in which consisted of 23 stated and 2 special meetings, he saw his signature in 17 of them! Not an impressive percentage if we divide 17 by 25 as it will only amount to 68 percent, but if we deduct the five times the lion was in the metropolis, then it will shoot up 85 percent!!

Not bad, eh?! Especially because, starting next meeting, he will no longer sign as visitor but a regular member of the lodge!

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