For those of you who were paying attention, you noticed that there wasn't an issue last week. I'd like to say it was planned but it was not, and for that I owe you all an apology.
Last week was what I call my alpha and omega week. Yes, I know that all weeks have a beginning and and end, but last week has two personal milestone events for me which as many people know and experience can cause you to start to rethink things.
The Alpha
Last week's alpha event was my anniversary of being raised a Master Mason, many moons ago. It's one of those events that stay with you forever. I still remember the looks on both my Grandfather's and my Father's faces. The feeling that I belonged. That there was something that connected me on a deeper level to not only those two men, but so many more. I mentioned it's been years, but I still remember that night and the years continue to show me the value of that decision.
The Omega
At the other end of the spectrum, last week also marked the 10th anniversary of my Dad's passing. I know many know the feeling that can hit you full in the face when you loose a parent. For me I lost not only a parent, but also a brother and a mentor. While the years have taken the edge off I still feel the loss today. I still look to see him pull into the driveway, show up at Lodge, or call me just to check in, not as often, but those feelings still show up.
Yes, it was a bit of an emotional week which as I mentioned got me to thinking about life in general. It's something that's mentioned in many lessons of Freemasonry, the need to spend time in reflection. Every one of us needs to take the time to step back, evaluate where we are, and then apply the lessons we've learned. It's also something that many of us rarely do, myself included. To be honest, it was not something that I had intended to do but there was obviously a higher power at work and felt the need for that reflection. I'm still rolling things around in my head and the week has caused me to put several questions into the front of my mind and also make some decisions. The important thing is not that decisions were made, but the fact that there are areas of my life that I realized where on autopilot and need to be dug into.
My recommendation is to make the time, on a regular basis, to reflect on where you stand in all aspects of your life. While you can wait for the universe to give you the nudge, I think it would be more productive to plan it and make the time you need instead of having it impact you, and your commitments, in ways you might not expect.