As the calendar year comes to an end many Lodges hold their annual meetings and with that often comes a changing of the guard.
Yes, many of us see the Worshipful Master exit the East and his successor stands before the Lodge and offers up his take on things and lays out his plan for his term. There are installation ceremonies, congratulations to be past around, and we all too often forget "the corners."
The corners, the two Brothers that work tirelessly to keep the Lodge running, often through several Worshipful Masters. The work the quarries for years on end, frequently without a thank you from the Lodge beyond seeing their dues covered. They often have more institutional knowledge that the rest of the room combined, understand the dark corners of a Grand Lodge Constitution and often know where "all the dead bodies are."
If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm referring to the Secretary and Treasurer.
These two Brother form what I consider the backbone of a Lodge. There are two of the very few chairs that rarely see a change of occupant (Chaplin and Tyler come to mind) and often work well beyond the "one night a month" that we so often year. Both, but more particularly the Secretary, always answer the phone and deal with matters that reach far beyond the Lodge room - they are truly servants of any Lodge.
So this year when your Lodge changes leadership and you still see the same two Brothers take "the corners" take the time to go over and thank them. The thank you offered by the Brethren is likely worth more to them than any medal that can be hung on their jacket or plaque placed on the wall. You might even want to take a few minutes to lend a hand once in a while and see just want goes into these offices and the help will be welcomed.
Yes, "the officer line" is important but many a Lodge would be in trouble if they don't "mind the corners."