Dear Dedicated Members for Change,
I just received the message, below, from Brother Bill Murphy, who served as the Grand Master of the Jurisdiction of British Columbia. In these difficult and challenging times, it’s worthwhile to remember and reflect on how much the fraternity and friendship of Odd Fellowship means to each of us.
F – L – T
Dave Rosenberg
Past Grand Master
Jurisdiction of California
Sisters and Brothers,
A few weeks ago in our Columbia#2 Odd Fellows meeting our Chaplin, Eric Bramble said his opening prayer. In his prayer he mentioned how we are all pieces in the game of life. He compared it to the game of Jenga. The game where you have a tower of blocks and slowly remove one block at a time until it all falls down. A day or two later I went to a “celebration of life” for a friend who had just passed away. As the pictures of my friend were shown on the screen I started to feel as though a Jenga piece had been removed from my life. One less block. All week, Brother Eric’s words just kept resonating with me. As I get older, I am sure to see many more pieces fall from my pile of Jenga blocks. My friend Bryce is gone, John isn’t here anymore, Bruce is gone and Marion too. Any day now my wonderful father-in-law will soon pass. Each a little block pulled from the Jenga tower.
What helped build this wonderful pile of blocks that I call my life? I would have to say Odd Fellows had a huge impact. Without Odd Fellows I would have met neither Brother Gordie Moffat nor Brother Gordie Gale. Scotty, Jeff and Josh wouldn’t have been blocks in my life. Would I have never met Brother Alex, Andy, Jeremy or Stuart? Nope, not a one of them. How about Nic, Jon, Ian, Tim, Shad, Derek and all the other Brothers? None them either. The Members from Victoria#1, I wouldn’t know most of them either. And Sisters, Chelsey, Shaunessey, Twanya, Valerie. Jean and Debbie, would I have ever met any of them? Nope, not a one of them either. Nor any of the other wonderful Sisters. So you can see how Brother after Brother, Sister after Sister they have helped shape the pile of Jenga blocks that I call my life. Each and everyone of you has become a small but truly important piece. I may lean on you and should you need to, you can definitely lean on me. I thank you and Odd Fellows for each block. Without Odd Fellows my stack of blocks would be so much smaller. I would have never met men and women in Vancouver and Chilliwack, California and beyond that today I call my Brothers and Sisters. I wouldn’t have been able to help in my community without my Odd Fellows block. We are that bundle of sticks , but we are a stack of blocks too.
Each and every one of you, please stay strong because you are my strength and I love you for it.
In Fraternal Love.
Bro Bill Murphy
JPGM of GL of BC