The sense of  honor and pride that comes with doing the right thing, regardless of popular  notions and moral ambiguity.  Freemasonry offers a fixed set of values, that  leads to  a  more fulfilling place in society.  We don’t “go with the flow”.  It is, “our way, or the highway”.  And it takes effort.  It is a life long assignment and learning experience.  And I’ve met some amazing men.

          Whether your view of  Masons reaches back to King Solomons Temple, the Knights Templar, or the United Grand Lodge of England, and the Age of Enlightenment, its precepts have remained unchanged.  As  I have said in lodge many times, it is my “pole star”, by which I hope to guide my life, circumscribe my desires, and keep my passions within due bounds.  Although frequently unsuccessful,  I have my “pole star”, my compasses, to get me back on course.  For a history buff, it is a rich tapestry of  fact, myth, and legend.  Truly, a never ending education.

Jim Buehler

I have been asked, “How did you get into Masonry?”

Well, Brothers, mine was indeed a slow start.  My earliest introduction to Masonry was on a fishing trip to Glacier National Park in Montana, in the early 1950's.  My uncle, my father and I

were on St. Mary’s Lake, fishing for trout.  While we were sitting and waiting, my father said to my uncle, “I guess while we’re waiting for the fish to bite, why don’t we open Lodge?”  I didn’t have a clue as to what they were referring, so I asked and was told that they were talking about a Masonic Lodge, and they both laughed.  When I asked more questions, the subject was simply changed.  About a year or so later, I asked my father about his ring with the square and compasses, and he told me that it was his Masonic ring, and when I was a little older and joined the Order of DeMolay I would learn more about it.  A few years later I did join DeMolay, but two months after that we moved to another town where there was a small Masonic Lodge but no DeMolay.

Thus my connection to the Masonic Fraternity was ended almost before it had begun.

Masonry was not brought up again, other than the times I remember my father heading out to Masonic Lodge. 

My next encounter with Masonry was in October of 1967.  I was in the military and received a call from the Red Cross informing me that my father had passed away.  I returned to Denver, Colorado, for his funeral services and witnessed for the first time a Masonic funeral.  I was so impressed by this tribute to my father by his Masonic Brothers I promised myself that when I was discharged from the military I would look into joining the Masons.

Upon leaving the military, I was newly married, starting a new career and trying to buy my first home.  Masonry was still on the stove, but relegated to a back burner.  In 1972, my son Scotty was born and there was little time that year to think about joining the Masonic Fraternity.  It was in 1973 when I decided to follow my dream and become a Mason.  To my surprise, it was not as easy as I thought it would be.  I knew so very little about the Masonic organization.  It wasn’t until later that I learned I had to ask three times in order to even receive an application for membership. 

Brook, Central 14

The rest is all history.  I was raised to a Master Mason on May 16, 1974 and thus began my Masonic career.