A Mason’s anonymous gift of a bicycle demonstrates a heartwarming
example of our Craft’s ideals at work.

I  want to share with you a story that opened my eyes and my heart. In the area where I live, there is a young child who comes from a single-parent household where his mother struggles just to put food on the table. The boy spent most of his summer riding the bicycles of other kids. It was sad to see him beg other children to let him borrow their bicycles. A man in the neighborhood observed this pleading one clear day near the holiday season, and it broke his heart.
In short order, he purchased a brand-new, apple-red bicycle, a bicycle lock, and a simple card in which he told the young boy how proud he was of his accomplishments in school and expressed his hope that his good grades would continue. The card included the combination to the bicycle lock and was simply signed “A friend.” He left the bicycle, lock, and card by the child’s front doorsteps.
Imagine the smile on that boy’s face when he came home to find his new pride and joy and take it for a spin all over the neighborhood! The man who bought the bike has remained anonymous to the boy’s family, and, when I asked him why he did such a thing, his answer caught me off guard: “I am a Mason. I made a promise to help others if I could.”
In preparing for the holiday this year, think not only of your family, friends, and co-workers but also of those who may be in need. The days when Masons would purchase packages of food for needy families and place the bags on doorsteps without ever saying a word need not be gone. Charity should be more than an ideal for Masons. It should be a daily practice, a way of life. We are not only to become charitable to our fellow Masons, their wives, widows, and orphans but also to all of humankind.
If we do nothing with the lessons we have learned in Masonry, we do nothing for ourselves or the Craft. Make it a priority to think of those who may be in need this holiday season. Maybe it is a local family who has no money for presents. Maybe it is a family who recently lost their home due to a fire or flood. There are many ways we can make this Christmas joyful. ‘Tis the season to give. As you give, you will receive, and Masonry will shine even brighter this Christmas.

Jason L. Whitehorn is a member of Hobart Lodge #198 in Hobart, Oklahoma, and Mount Scott Lodge #540 in Lawton, Oklahoma. A member of the Valley of Guthrie where he is a Knight of St. Andrew and a member of the College of the Consistory, Bro. Jason has brought positive stories of Masonry to the general public through his job as a newscaster for an Oklahoma ABC news affiliate. Contacts: 3205 NW Ferris Ave. Lawton, OK 73505-6129; jwhitehorn@kswo.com.net