Photo: Bro. Robert W. McKewin, 32°, and his wife, Pat

As I write this, it is six months and three days since I found my wife dead on the living-room floor of our apartment. We had been married almost 58 years and had only a few months to go before celebrating the 60th anniversary of our first date. I loved her and was devastated at her death. My grief is a weight I could not bear if it were not for memories of the blessed time we had together—and one other factor. That factor is the support I have received from the love and concern given to me by members of our Brotherhood.

Last week, as I attended my Blue Lodge, Lebanon No. 346, in Eagan, Minnesota, I was greeted and embraced by my Brothers, each telling me how pleased he was to see me and asking me about my physical, mental, and spiritual health. Of course, they didn't ask about all those elements. What each said was, "Hi Bob! Glad to see you! How are you? You're looking good!" Those are the words I remember and the hearty handshakes, as well as the warm hugs that nearly cracked my ribs.

These were the men who mailed me cards of condolence, e-mailed me notes of sympathy, and called me. Most of them were present at the memorial service for my dear wife, Pat. When I looked out over the congregation that day and saw the faces of my Brothers from my Lodge as well as the Brothers and Sisters of Carmel Chapter of the Eastern Star, to which I belong in St. Paul, I was greatly comforted by the evidence of their caring. One of my best friends, Father Richard Smith, who had presented me to our bishop four decades earlier as a candidate for Holy Orders, gave the eulogy for Pat. He, too, is a 32° Masonic Brother, York Rite Mason, and Shriner.

As the song from Fiddler on the Roof goes, "Sunrise. Sunset. Swiftly go the years." Half a year has passed since I lost my spouse. I thought I would walk alone the balance of my days. But I was wrong. My children surround me and care for me with love. Masonic Brothers and Eastern Star Sisters continue to include me in their lives. They show me I am important to them. My life has a purpose. I matter. Their witness is proof.

And the greatest blessing of all, I find the means to show empathy and return caring love to others. It is amazing to me how many of my Masonic Brothers and Sisters live with their own grief. We see each other and share without speaking. We are strengthened and consoled. Have I, through this great loss, experienced even more Masonic Light? Yes! I choose to bask in that light and, hopefully, to reflect it on to others who grieve and feel alone in their darkness.

Last Thursday, I participated in the Eleventh Degree presentation at the fine Scottish Rite Temple in Minneapolis. In addition to my Scottish Rite Brothers, I again found myself with Brothers from Lebanon Lodge and other Lodges scattered about the Twin Cities. Dressed in costume as members of King Solomon's court, we spoke our parts and walked about the chambers, reveling in the delightful work of bringing others to more Masonic Light. As we performed our roles, I felt the warmth of brotherly fellowship. They are all men I have come to know and respect. They are Brothers with a bond to each other and to me that I feel to be as strong as the tie I had to my blood brother and to my father. They, too, were Masons. They, too, knew the meaning of true Masonic Brotherhood. I offer these thoughts in the hope that they may inspire other Brothers in this wonderful Fraternity to open wide their eyes and thus rejoice in the gift of love available to us all through Freemasonry.

Robert W. McKewin studied at the University of Minnesota, served in World War II, and taught elementary school for nine years before entering the Episcopal ministry. He has served several parishes in Minn. as well as a church home for the aged in North Carolina and a Christian orphanage in Ramallah on the West Bank 10 miles north of Jerusalem. Since retiring, he has written many articles, performed a prison ministry in Texas, and written two books, Behold the Man, a fiction about the life of Christ, and Our Generic Family, an autobiography about the foster care in which he still finds much joy. Brother McKewin was raised in Garnet Lodge No. 166, in White Bear Lake, Minn., and is presently a member of Lebanon Lodge, No. 346, Eagan, Minn., and the S.R. Valley of Minneapolis. His previous Lodge, Henry Thomas No. 278 in Smithwick, Texas, unanimously voted him Life Membership. Both of Brother McKewin's parents were active in many branches of Masonry, in particular the Eastern Star.