Poem "Doing Day"

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Number 56 – January 30, 2006


From Mensagenda – April 1994
Minnesota Mensa;


Doing-Day
By Gene Stoneman

I declare a doing-day
A day in which to do.
I will not think or plan or ponder,
Wonder or construe.

I’ll simply go from task to task,
Doing what needs done.
Remove the guilt, tear up the list,
And make the doing fun.

And in so doing do the deeds
Productive people do.
Completing all the nasty tasks
The unproductive rue.

I’ll think on what I’m doing,
Not what’s gone before.
I’ll focus on the task at hand,
And not on what’s in store.

Reduction of complexity
Makes doing-days a treat.
I’ll banish worldly guilt and noise,
Accomplish any feat.

And when this day is over,
I’ll rest here on the floor.
And make this resolution,
Next time I’ll do more.



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Ed Halpaus

Poem "What Money Can't Buy."

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Number 55 – January 23, 2006

A poem I thought you would like that I found among my Mother’s papers.


What Money Can't Buy
By an Anonymous Author

I went to the store with money in hand,
But the things that I wanted to buy,
They either had none, or they only had one,
And as usual the price was too high.
So when I came home I simply replaced
My money back safe on the shelf,
Went and sat down in my old easy chair
And began to take stock of myself.
Money can't buy a bright sunny day
With a few fleecy clouds in the blue.
Money can't buy a soft gentle rain,
Or a morning that sparkles with dew.
You can't buy compassion in packets or jars,
Or the wag of a friendly dog's tail.
You can't purchase friends by bushel or pound,
Or kindness in bundle or bale.
Money can't buy the songs of the birds,
Or the sound of the wind in the trees.
Money can't buy the magic of spring,
Or the low busy hum of the bees.
You can't buy a sunset or sky full of stars.
You can't buy the moon riding high.
You can't buy salvation, assurance, and peace,
Or heaven at last when you die.
And as I reflected on all of these things,
And God's word on which I rely,
My cup overflowed as I thanked the dear Lord
For all the things money can't buy.




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Ed Halpaus

Brother Nelson A. Miles

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Number 54 – January 16, 2006
From a now unknown source on the internet, and Denslow’s 10,000 Famous Freemasons.

Brother Nelson Appleton Miles
(August 8, 1839 - May 15, 1925)
Called a "brave peacock" by Masonic Brother & President Theodore Roosevelt toward the end of his service, General Nelson A. Miles no doubt felt he had cause to be proud of his accomplishments in a career that had lifted a volunteer infantryman to the office of commander of the army.

Born on his family's Massachusetts farm, Miles was a clerk in a crockery store when the Civil War broke out. He joined the army as a volunteer and fought for the Union in some of the war's most crucial battles, including Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and the Appomattox campaign. Wounded four times, he rose in rank to become a major general of volunteers and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his personal bravery at Chancellorsville.
After the Civil War, Miles played a leading role in nearly every phase of the army's campaign against the tribes of the Great Plains. In 1874-1875, he was a field commander in the force that defeated the Kiowa, Comanche and Southern Cheyenne along the Red River. In 1876-1877, he led the winter campaign that scoured the northern Plains after Custer's defeat at the Little Bighorn, forcing the Lakota and their allies onto reservations. Then, in the winter of 1877, he drove his troops on a forced march across Montana to intercept the Nez Percé band led by Chief Joseph that had eluded or defeated every unit sent against it over the course of a 1,500 mile retreat from Oregon to the Canadian border. Throughout the rest of his career Miles would quarrel with General Oliver O. Howard, whose troops had doggedly pursued the Nez Percé over those 1,500 miles, as to who rightly deserved the credit for Joseph's capture.

Miles earned the scorn of another fellow officer in 1886, when he replaced General George Crook as commander of the campaign against Geronimo in Arizona. Crook had relied heavily on Apache scouts in his efforts to capture the Chiricahua leader, but Miles replaced them with white troops who eventually traveled over three thousand miles trailing Geronimo and his band through the torturous Sierra Madre Mountains. Finally, Miles sent Apache scouts to help negotiate a surrender, under the terms of which Geronimo and his followers were exiled to confinement on a Florida reservation. Miles exiled his Apache scouts to Florida as well, although they were officially enlisted members of the army, and it was for this betrayal of troops who had served them both loyally that Crook never forgave him.

The 1890 Ghost Dance "uprising" on the Lakota reservations brought Miles back into the field once again. In an effort to restore peace throughout the area, Miles directed troop movements that inadvertently panicked many Lakota bands into leaving their reservations and led both to Sitting Bull's death and to the massacre of Big Foot's band at Wounded Knee. Miles reacted to these developments by working aggressively to implement his longstanding belief that the Lakota should be forcibly disarmed and placed under military control.

In his later years, Miles commanded the troops that put down the Pullman strike riots in 1894, and was commander of the army during the Spanish-American War. He retired from service in 1903, confirmed in his belief that graduates of West Point had an unfair advantage in promotion and were on the whole less capable of command than those who rose through the ranks as he had.



Raised a Master Mason in Southern California Lodge #278 February 20, 1888, and he took his Scottish Rite degrees in Washington, D.C.

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Ed Halpaus

"My Masonic Ring"

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Number 53 – January 09, 2006

My Masonic Ring
By Worshipful Brother Quentin M. Blackstone
From a not remembered source

"What lodge are you from," the man behind the counter queried? I had said nothing to indicate my affiliation with the Masonic order.
"Oh, you're a Mason!” a young man exclaimed, "My father is a Mason." Again I had made no mention of my belonging to the Fraternity.
The tell-tale culprit, I knew, was the Masonic ring on my right hand ring finger.
Wearing my Masonic ring has for me become as much a statement of pride as of fashion; it is also, a source of inspiration for others and myself.
I received this Masonic ring from my Lady as a Valentine's Day gift. Mine is a simple ring. Made of yellow gold, it has a red oblong stone inlaid with the square and compasses with the letter "G". A trowel and plumb adorn alternate sides of the ring. It's quite distinctive. I have seen the beautiful and elaborate settings of diamonds, birth stones, and other precious gemstones. For my fashion sense, I like the quiet elegance of my Masonic ring.
I wear my Masonic ring daily. I wear the ring with a sense of pride because I am proud to be a Mason.
As the above examples indicate, people see my ring and ask about it. Usually the individual already knows about Masonry, recognizes the emblem, and makes a comment.
As a nurse, I work in nursing home facilities. I have been amazed at how a Masonic ring inspires memories of Masonry in the elderly. Residents will recognize my ring and spontaneously recount their experiences.
I met one man, who rarely spoke to anyone, and he eyed me suspiciously as I approached him with his scheduled pills. Suddenly a smile came to his face as the man sat up in bed and pointed to my new Masonic ring. Then, he pointed to his Masonic ring which was worn smooth with age. He began a conversation about attending lodge meetings. His smile showed that he took great joy and pleasure in being a Mason.
At another nursing home, there was the man who, upon finding that we were fraternal brothers, looked for me daily, at 2:45 pm as I came on duty. He would always wave and say hello. And he and I would talk Masonry. Almost every time that I passed his doorway he would have something to say about Masonry. I would have to pull myself away from the discussion to do my work.
One particular woman, I was told, did not like men. It was expected that she might not take her pills from me. Standing at her doorway, I could see her lying on her bed facing the opposite wall. I knocked on her door and announced that I had her scheduled pills. The woman made no attempt to move. Out of habit, I reached over her prone position to show her the pills in the small paper cup.
"Oh, you're a Mason!" the woman exclaimed with as much pleasure as surprise. She turned and looked me in the eye with a smile, saying, "My husband was a Mason." “I was in Eastern Star, of course," she said matter-of-factly. The tone of her voice changed to a softness and friendliness that led me to believe that she felt safe. Even though she did not know me, she did know that I was a Mason.
In one facility, a young man working as a nursing aide simply stated "You're a Mason, I see." pointing to my ring finger. I gave him a "What is Masonry" brochure. He was inspired by my ring to make comment which inspired me to spread the word about Masonry. In this manner, my fashionable ring is, also, my appropriate advertisement for the fraternity.
Finally, in a fast food restaurant, a young male worker said to me, "You're a Mason, I'm a DeMolay." That statement immediately launched us into a discussion that concluded with his admission that his desire was to join the Masons as soon as he comes of age. It is this kind of recognition between Masons and DeMolays that fosters these young men to enter our fraternity.
I like wearing a Masonic ring for the combined effect of a fashion statement and my pride as a member of this fraternity. I also, enjoy the unexpected fellowship derived from memories of Masonry elicited by my ring in the elderly at nursing facilities. To non-Masons my ring encourages the interest in Freemasonry. This is how Masonry unites all mankind in fellowship. This is how Masonry advances the fraternity. This is how we are identified as Masons. This is my Masonic ring.

More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title, or ‘all 3’, in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.

Fraternally,

Ed Halpaus

Tecumseh

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Number 52 – January 2, 2006


Tecumseh was a Shawnee Indian Chief; he lived from 1768 to 1813. As a Warrior he was opposed to cruelty, and he had a reputation for keeping his word as well as for being a wise individual.

Brother Denslow in his book “10,000 Famous Freemasons” says that some claim Tecumseh was made a Mason in Pennsylvania, but no proof has been found to substantiate this. However, Tecumseh Lodge in New York was named for him.

Certainly by the statements that are attributed to him, he appeared to be the kind of man that could very well have been initiated into Freemasonry had he and the opportunity met.

From http://liberty-tree.ca/ here is a talk Tecumseh once gave. Good advice from a wise man.



"Live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.Trouble no one about his religion.Respect others in their views and demand that they respect yours.Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.Seek to make your life long and of service to your people.Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.Always give a word or sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend, or even a stranger, if in a lonely place.Show respect to all people, but grovel to none.When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light,
for your life, for your strength.Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself.Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to foolsand robs the spirit of its vision.When your time comes to die,be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death,so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more timeto live their lives over again in a different way.Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home."

Tecumseh

More Light – Mehr Licht ©, Masonic Matters © and T.F.S. ©, are sent out by E-mail at no charge to anyone who would like to receive them. If you enjoy these publications please share them with others. To subscribe to any one or all of these publications just send an E-mail to ed@halpaus.net with Subscribe and the Title, or ‘all 3’, in the subject line and you will be added to the list to receive the publication you want.

Fraternally,
Ed Halpaus