Managing Our Hour Glass and Scythe

What's up, my brethren? I can say "lots" on my end which leads me to some thoughts on managing our unique Hour Glass and Scythe and those thoughts follow at the end. So, in no particular order, here we go. First, most of my writing projects, including Volume III of Noah's Quest are on hold. I am preparing for a minor but serious medical procedure and there are some things that have to take priority at the moment, so the plan is to hit pause on writing until early April and then get back to it once I'm passed the minor medical upheaval that is approaching.

Next up, I've started receiving guesses about the underlying or "hidden" story line that is woven into Noah's Quest. The universal "guess" so far is that I am leading up to a point where Noah will either be sent back, or given a chance to be sent back to his previous life with all of this knowledge that he's acquired; it's a good guess but that is not the way the quest will end and it is also not the underlying story. I'm glad to see the guesses coming in - it means someone is reading my books - and I am looking forward to finishing up with Noah's Quest later this year.

After Noah? Yes, I've drawn up a concept sheet on a series that will come after Noah's Quest and I generally know what it is and how it will initially unfold. While I am tempted to start early work on a first draft, there is much that might occur in the story line of NQ that will impact how the follow-on series opens.

I am also prepping to deliver my first full-length presentation of my "Masonry in Oz" program at Helotes Council No. 549, AMD in May. Unfortunately the nature of the presentation dictates it be given to audiences comprised of Royal Arch Masons and beyond so after the May event any and all further presentations will also be limited to brothers and companions who have completed their Chapter degrees.

I have added a new item to my "LIBRARY" on the website and it's a list of my presentations that are available to present if asked. There is one on the list called "Masonic Protocols" which I am updating and will be called "Leadership Protocols" when it is finished. I am hoping it will be finished by the end of this summer.

I am also creating some things in conjunction with the planning for Helotes Masonic Lodge #1429's 50-Year Anniversary. I'm working on a tribute to some departed brothers and I'm building a Masonic Chart in the same fashion as the one I built for Valley-Hi Lodge #1407 (which you can find in my "LIBRARY" on the website).

Intermixed with all of this work I'm trying to do in my "spare" time, I'm on two planning committees at Helotes Lodge and I'm preparing to present the "LIFE" program for Valley-Hi and Helotes Lodges to qualify brothers for advancement beyond Senior Deacon. That's a one-day presentation that takes about 8 - 9 hours to complete all three required books, review the work, and hold topical discussions on each subject block, but there is prep work to do each year to update the material that expires between classes. I have found the classroom setting for doing the work, addressing questions, and holding discussions is the most effective way to present the course so the brothers get the context as well as the questions and problems. It's easier, and it makes more sense when you know why you need to know the information that is presented in the three workbooks.

And finally (I think) I'm working on some branding and marketing for "A Mason's Journey" and "Noah's Quest". There will be bling, there will be SWAG, and there will be a scannable QR Code. More to follow.....

It's been busy, even with the hiatus in my writing. I just don't seem to be able to slow the

pace very much - when I take something off the plate, two things seem to replace it. I suppose it's good to stay busy now that I'm retired, and I'm hoping that after the upcoming medical procedure I will have more energy to tap for all of the projects and efforts I have underway; you see, I take the projects on because it is work that I love to do. The grains in my hour glass are draining - this is not morbid, it is fact - and I have no idea how many grains remain, so my challenge is to use my time wisely and productively on things that I enjoy and that return a sense of accomplishment.

We know not when the scythe of time will level us so it is our charge to use our time and a lot it to our own priorities. When we have completed our journey we will each be known and remembered for what we did, what we left behind, not what we hoped, or what we were going to do "one day" - a day that never came.

So my brethren, let us all go forth and complete our works, enjoy the fruits of our labors, and take our satisfaction that we will achieve all of our hopes and dreams that are humanly possible under the threat of the looming scythe and a constant flow of sand through the hour glass of our lives.

Go in peace my brothers - prosper in your labors and revel in your accomplishments!

S&F

BroBill