What makes us want to be Freemasons?

Freemason Grandfather

I often think about how I came to be a member of Freemasonry, the largest male fraternity in the world. Men join the fraternity for many different reasons. Some do extensive research on the organization, its activities, and the types of people involved. Others talk to current members of the Craft, asking questions, getting answers, and making their decisions accordingly. Some just instinctively, it seems, know that that’s the path they want to travel, ask for a petition right away, and start their Masonic journey.

For me, it was none of those ways. I was six years old when my mom got word one afternoon that her father, who lived eight hours away, had fallen ill and was close to dying. She and my dad immediately loaded the family up in our old and weathered pickup truck, and we set out at a speed that was too fast to hopefully get to see him before he passed.

When we arrived, my mom was pulled into his room where he was barely clinging to life. It was obvious to most of the family that he had been waiting for her to get there because he immediately looked up at her and began talking. His voice was so low that it was hard to hear what he was saying, so she leaned in and heard him say, "I need you to promise me something." She immediately said she would, and he whispered that he wanted her to promise him that her son, his grandson... I would become a Freemason someday. She immediately made the promise, and he smiled... and then he took his last breath.

She kept the promise, and I have now been a Mason for well over 25 years. Masonry has been a big part of my life and a guiding light in almost all I do. When I think back on my grandfather holding on to the last traces of life to make sure that his desire for me to become a member of the Masonic Fraternity was communicated, the importance and magnitude of what he did touched me on a level for which I struggle to find the right words.