C. Fred Kleinknecht, 33°
Sovereign Grand Commander

Gifts, human and divine, benefit the Scottish Rite Childhood Language Disorders Clinics, Centers, and Programs.

The other day I read that the word gift has the same double meaning in many languages that it has in English. We can use the term to describe something we give to another person, but we also use it to describe some special talent or ability given to a person at birth. When we give someone a gift—a birthday present, for example, or a wedding ring—it is a mark of special feeling. At the least, we are wishing the person well, and the gift may reflect a far deeper feeling. But it is a purely human interaction. When we speak of a gift in the sense of a special talent or ability, we are speaking of something given to that person by God and given for a special purpose.

This issue of the Scottish Rite Journal is a perfect example of the double meaning of gift. We clearly give a gift, in the human sense of the word, when we give time and financial support to benefit others through our Childhood Language Disorders Program. I have seen enough joy on the faces of the children in our Clinics, Centers, and Programs and enough hope on the faces of their parents to convince me of the value of our gifts. And then there are the letters from men and women, early beneficiaries of our philanthropy, who are now lawyers and doctors and engineers and political leaders. Clearly, we are touching and changing lives for the better.

But gift in the divine sense enters as well. Surely the greatest gift God can give us is the ability to set others free to use and enjoy their own gifts and talents. Just as surely, we do God's work, no matter what our religious persuasion, when we extend this help.

I am proud of the gifts given by our Brethren and others to Scottish Rite Clinics, Centers, and Programs across the United States. It is wonderful to belong to a Fraternity composed of men who care, men who are in touch enough with the divine that their impulse is to help. This pride moves me most when I visit our facilities or read of some child who now has a chance at a normal life because of the Scottish Rite.

In this special issue, you will read of the accomplishments your gifts have made possible. But these stories are only a sampling of what is being done across the Southern Jurisdiction. We do much, but there is more to be done. I dream of the day when every child has a full command of communication skills, both written and spoken. I dream of the day when each child will be able to develop the gifts, the talents given to him or her by God. To reach that day will require our gifts of money, talent, and time; but I know of no better way to say "Thank you" for the gifts we have been given by the Creator than to give the gift of learning to others. Together, we can share the honor and the joy of helping America's children through the Scottish Rite's 147 Childhood Language Disorders Clinics, Centers, and Programs.