Douglas G. Mack
Christmas 2001
Me and a real "stuffed" bear at Road Kill Cafe in Pennsylvania (September 2001). Click on the picture to see it full size.
My dear friends,
The holy season of Advent is here and Christmas fast approaches. After the events of September 11th, the importance of staying in touch with those we love seems even more important.
For many of you, I only am in touch with you during the Christmas season. I must say that you are in my thoughts and prayers many other times throughout the year. You all are very important to me and I love you dearly.
This year of 2001 has been a good year for me. I have had the opportunity to continue to grow in my understanding of myself, my relationship to God, and my relationship to each and every person created by a loving God.
I continue to be involved with Holy Comforter Episcopal Church. The rector, who had been there for five years, left a few months ago to continue her ministry elsewhere. She was the rector when I first went to Holy Comforter and was a very good minister of the love of God. Though we all wish her the best, we miss her. The parish is currently in the process of locating another rector.
On the "tattoo front", I've not gotten any this year. But, I am sure that I will be getting at least one more in the future, if not more ;+) And, you can be sure that I will post pictures of it (or them) on my website.
I have continued to expand my website, adding a large number of photographs, and receiving several awards for the website. Please do check it out: www.douglasmack.com . I hope to do some "consolidating" over the upcoming year of the various locations that my web pages are stored.
I am still working at the Department of Juvenile Justice as Computer Operations Chief. Though working for the state can be more than a bit crazy at times, I am blessed with some very good people in the areas I am responsible for.
This year has seen me taking steps in a direction that I had considered for more than a year. I became a Mason this past summer.
Freemasonry is a fraternal organization based on some very simple ideas, namely, belief in one God Who is the Creator, belief in a universal brotherhood of man that is the result of having one Creator, and a belief in an afterlife. At the same time, Freemasonry does not tell its members the specifics of what to believe or how to believe, rather leaving that up to the individual member. There is a tolerance of a variety of understandings of the simple ideas that make up Freemasonry.
This tolerance would, at one time, have prevented me from joining the Masons as I had a very narrow view of God and what I thought was required to follow God. In the past several years, however, I have come to a deeper understanding of God and the many ways God approaches us. There are, at least, as many ways for God to approach us and for us to approach God as there are individuals.
Freemasonry does not take away from my beliefs but rather serves as a compliment to them. It enhances and provides another approach to deepen my relationship with God and with others.
Freemasonry is a fraternal organization with many rituals. For some people, these may seem a bit strange or odd. For me, ritual is something that is important in my life and has always been so. There are many rituals that I have passed through in my journey to this point. And, the rituals that I pass through in Freemasonry mark additional stages on the journey that is my life.
I have become quite involved with my Masonic lodge and on December 6th I was elected and installed as Junior Deacon. If my interest continues, I will progress through the elected officer positions over the next several years. Next year would be Senior Deacon, followed by Junior Warden, followed by Senior Warden, and then Master. So, the next several years could prove to be very interesting.
On a more personal note, I am still single. As much as I would like to have "someone special" in my life, I choose not to rush into anything (a refreshing change of pace from my past).
I will bring this Christmas note to a close now. Be assured that you are in my thoughts and prayers. May you have a truly blessed Christmas and a joyous New Year!
