|
|
|
|
More Light in Masonry
Is anybody happier because you passed this way?
Does anyone remember that you spoke to him today?
The day is almost over, and its toiling time is through;
Is there anyone to utter now a kindly word of you?
Can you say tonight, in parting with the day that’s slipping fast,
That you helped a single Brother of the many that you passed?
Is a single heart rejoicing over what you did or said?
Does the man whose hopes were fading, now with courage look ahead?
Did you waste the day, or lose it? Was it well or sorely spent?
Did you leave a trail of kindness, or a scar of discontent?
As you close your eyes in slumber, do you think that God will say,
“You have earned one more tomorrow by the work you did today?”
John Hall --- in
This poem appeared in the first issue of The Altar Light in May 1977. It was recited in many Lodges and at several Masonic functions (and even carried into the secular world) for years thereafter. The Masonic educator will be able to answer with a resounding “Yes” to the questions asked.
Sometime when you’re feeling important,
Sometime when your ego’s in bloom,
Sometime when you take it for granted
You’re the best qualified in the room;
Sometime when you feel that your going
Would leave an unfillable hole
Just follow these simple instructions
And see how they humble your soul.
Take a bucket and fill it with water
Put your hand in it up to the wrist,
Pull it out, and the hole that’s remaining
Is a measure of how you’ll be missed,
You can splash all you want when you enter,
You may stir up the water galore;
But stop, and you find that in no time
It looks quite the same as before.
The moral in this quaint example
Is to do just the best that you can;
Be proud of yourself, but remember
There’s no indispensable man.
From the Short Talk Bulletin, Dec. 1987
The Masonic Service Association of the United States
MasonicSoftware.com - Your resource for Masonic Software!
bravenet.com