“Affability, Affinity, and Altruism.”

VAN NUYS, CA – As a member of Clarence F. Smith Daylight Lodge No. 866, Free and Accepted Masons of California, and the editor of its newsletter, I like to think about words that describe our Lodge. I also like alliteration, that is, words that start with the same sound.

For a recent edition of our newsletter, "affability, affinity and altruism" all came to mind as descriptive of our Lodge and its members.

Affability has been described as “the quality of being pleasantly easy to approach and talk to; friendliness or warm politeness:” See, https://www.dictionary.com/bro... .

Affinity means “a person, thing, idea, etc., for which such a natural liking or attraction is felt.” See, https://www.dictionary.com/bro... .

Altruism is defined as “the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others.” See, https://www.dictionary.com/bro... .

In a wallet sized handout from the Grand Lodge of California, one can see the foregoing traits of our fraternity, and of each of us, in the following two paragraphs:

“Friendships – Masonry is a brotherhood of like-minded men who genuinely care about each other. We develop lifelong friendships with fellow Masons and their families, and are welcomed at Masonic lodges throughout the United States and the world.

“Culture of philanthropy – Through our innovative and relevant charitable programs, we make a profound difference in the lives of our members and in California communities.”

I need not catalog all of the ways we help other people. In my Lodge, I know that my Brother Masons are selfless, individually and collectively. Of course we support our Masonic Homes (see, http://freemason.org/masonic-c... ) among other Masonically related endeavors. Yet, we also support each other with small efforts such as caring phone calls, texts, visits (when safe), etc.

I like our Brothers. We are affable, we look out for each other, and we help the community, even distantly as with our Lodge’s efforts to provide aid in the Philippines for instance. (See, https://patch.com/california/e... )

We do good work, and we are proud of what we do. Why not? We are good people after all.

One of Freemasonry's traditions is that we do not solicit members or ask men to join. Men must seek membership on their own initiative. Yet, Lodges do provide opportunities for learning about the Fraternity. Clarence F. Smith Daylight Lodge No. 866 is planning an Open House/Information Meeting, to which the public is invited, on September 18,2021, at 10AM at the Van Nuys Masonic Center. For Further information, see https://www.facebook.com/mason... .

Contact:

David I. Karp, Newsletter Editor

Clarence F. Smith Daylight Lodge No. 866

818-515-9361

davidikarp@karpmediation.com

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