When is Enough Enough?

Many of you know that I am the Mom of 3 boys and 3 girls.

My girls, SmartGirl and BratChild, belong to the Masonic youth group for young ladies called Rainbow for Girls.

My boys, ManBoy and TeenBoy, belong to the Masonic youth group for young men called DeMolay.

The precepts, or virtues, that are the guidelines for both of these organizations are similar.

Love of God

Love of Country

Love of Family

These are the 3 premises that the others stem from. Without these 3 virtues, grasped firmly and indellibly written on our hearts there is no Patriotism, no Fidelity, no Comradeship.

As many of you may also know, or have read about here on the pages of my blog, there have been many deaths from within the ranks of our DeMolay family.

As of March there had been more than 10 deaths in 18 months, the last 2 of

which had been ladies, Moms to the young men of our DeMolay chapter.

Women who had been my friends, with whom I had spent time and enjoyed many laughs, joys and sorrows.

Once again I sit here saddened by the news that yet another of my DeMolay sons has passed away. Like Charlie and Kurt, so too was this man ...

From TWLOHA website

Too young

Too full of life

Too filled with dreams

To let anything get in the way...

Lenny was from the same chapter as Charlie and Kurt, not my chapter, but the one with which we are most closely bonded.

Like Kurt, Lenny was ManBoy's age and was just beginning the journey of life and love trying to make his dreams become his reality.

3 young men...

All of them good men.

All of them a part of something so much larger than they....

DeMolay

part of one of the oaths taken by those who enter the Order of DeMolay is this:

..." I Promise to come to the aid of a brother in need"...

Lenny was a brother in need, he was a brother who had the support of those who knew and loved him, and of all DeMolay brothers across the nation, indeed all over the world.

All he had to do was ask... all he had to do was turn to a brother...

A smile, a gleam in his eye, the sound of hands drumming out a beat on the back of a chair- annoying the person sitting in that chair of course...
These are the things that I remember of Lenny.

He was not one of MY boys, but he was one of OUR boys.
One of the herd that runs through my life on a regular basis, often trying my patience, often making me smile, always leaving me proud of the men they are becoming...
have become...

My pride in them does not stop once they are gone from my life...

So, there have been too many deaths, too many young lives lost...
Too much grief, too much of the pain of learning to say good-bye to friends...

Just too much.

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