At our Veterans Night on November 3, we moved into the Lodge room after dinner for a special presentation on gratitude and courage. Each Brother received a Gratitoad and Drake the Dragon as reminders of those two qualities and learned the meaning behind each one.
Brethren and guests,
Tonight, I brought with me two highly unofficial masonic teaching aids. And before anyone starts thinking through the ritual for them, let me save you the trouble. They are not in there. A rubber frog and a dragon.
In my years of coaching triathletes, I have shared a few lessons with my athletes that, whether they realized it or not, were heavily influenced by Masonry. I have found that those lessons can make better athletes, but more importantly, I believe they can help make better people. So tonight, I thought I would share two of them with you.
The first is the frog, or more accurately, the Gratitoad.
The Gratitoad is a reminder to be thankful for the people and things around us that we often take for granted. That seems especially appropriate in November. This is the month in which we celebrate Thanksgiving, but it is also the month in which we observe Veterans Day.
Veterans Day asks us to stop, even if only briefly, and remember that many of the freedoms, comforts, and opportunities we enjoy did not simply appear on their own. They were protected by men and women who raised their hand, wore the uniform, left their families, accepted hardship, and stood ready to go wherever they were sent.
Some served in peace. Some served in war. Some came home carrying memories most of us will never fully understand.
“And they did it so the rest of us could continue living the lives, enjoying the freedoms, and pursuing the opportunities we too often take for granted.”
That is exactly why gratitude matters. We become so accustomed to the blessings around us that we can forget what they cost, who helped make them possible, and how quickly they can disappear.
Gratitude should not be passive. And it does not need a long speech. Sometimes it just needs to be said.
If we are truly thankful for something, we should want to care for it, protect it, and show our appreciation for it. If you are grateful for your family, show them. If you are grateful for your Lodge, help preserve it. If you are grateful for those who served this country, honor the freedoms and opportunities their service helped protect.
And if there is a friend or family member you have not spoken with in a while, call them. Tell them simply: Thank you. Thank you for being there. Thank you for being part of my life.
We too often wait until someone is gone to say the things we should have said while they were still here.
And that brings me to the dragon.
When I first start working with a new athlete, I tell them: Always be yourself, unless you can be a dragon. Then be a dragon.
And on race day, when the training is over and there is nothing left to do but trust the training you did and face what is ahead, I tell them: It is time to be a dragon.
But being a dragon does not mean being loud, aggressive, or fearless.
Sometimes courage means stepping forward when it would be easier to wait for someone else. Sometimes it means speaking when remaining silent would be easier. Sometimes it means defending someone who needs defending.
And sometimes the hardest form of courage is exactly the opposite. Sometimes being a dragon means controlling your temper, holding your tongue, listening instead of arguing, and choosing peace when anger would be much easier.
Being a dragon is not about being outwardly bold. It is about being inwardly strong.
It is having the courage and discipline to do what is right in the moment, even when what is right is difficult. Remember the words of Dumbledore to Harry Potter: “Sometimes we have to choose between what is right and what is easy.” Be a dragon and do what is right.
And that, to me, is where these two little symbols come together. Masonry is about continuously working upon ourselves.
The Gratitoad reminds us to appreciate where we are, who we have around us, and the blessings we have been given. The dragon reminds us not to become complacent, to keep improving ourselves and to find the courage to act when the moment requires it.
So take both of them with you. Be grateful for the person you are today. But never stop working on the Mason, or the person, you are capable of becoming. Carry a little Gratitoad with you. And when life requires courage, service, restraint, or leadership, be the dragon.
Be thankful for the road behind,
Be courageous on the road ahead.
Let gratitude guide the heart,
And courage guide the step.