My Dad (RIP, Pops.) was a Freemason for around 30 years.
Anyway, he would frown when he saw other Mason's advertising their membership in the form of emblems or things like that on their vehicles or hats, etc.. When I asked him why, he just said that it's not something you really put out there. And on that note, they appear to have some form of sign/counter-sign they do with each other in public if they suspect another of being a Mason. We were at a grocery store and I heard my father saying some strange phrase to another man and that guy responded back with something out of the ordinary.
Years after I moved out and joined the Military, I'd visit our home in Texas once or twice a year. Every time I visited, my Dad would leave a copy of the Texas Freemason monthly on my desk in my old room. The first few times, I didn't get it. Apparently, he did this to my Older Brother as well when he visited. Then it hit me when I was in my late 20s what my Dad was planting. So I just asked him, "How do you become a Mason?". He said, "To be a Mason, you have to ask a Mason". That's all he said about that. My thought on that was like "Ooooookay...nevermind". Some time later on another visit, I asked him more questions and he stated that you had to believe in a God. I asked which one? He said it doesn't matter, you just have to believe in a Higher Power to be a Mason. Again, I'm thinking "Ooooookay". I do know that a lot of it has to do with Masonry and things like that. My Father was a really talented Carpenter, so I'm sure that being a Mason was something he could really relate with.
Well, my Dad was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) back in the Summer of 2006. When I was deployed in Iraq that Fall, I learned that he was no longer able to speak or even eat. It was sad to hear. He was still able to talk to me through email though, so we would email each other back and forth. Not making this up, but a popular book that was going around was the Divinci Code when I was there and I read that book in my tent before falling asleep every night. Needless to say, I just had to ask my Dad about the "Knight's Templar". He stopped emailing me back. Now, it could of been his ALS was getting worse (he passed away 11 months after diagnoses) or that he felt I was mocking him or that he thought it was all silly to converse about. Maybe he didn't see the email. I'm not trying to imply anything Woo-Woo about it. I just remember that was the last actual conversation I had with my Dad and it's still in my email box. I really wished I would've just said I loved him a bunch of times instead of whatever the hell my dumb 29 year-old self was probably yammering on about.
So anyway, sorry if you read this and thought it was going to be dripping in Illuminati stuff. Just a story about my Dad being a Mason. The Masons performed a ritual at his Funeral and it was the most amazing thing 10-15 minutes I've ever witnessed. I've been a part of a lot of Military Honors and such and they pale in comparison. It is one helluva send-off that that Brotherhood does for each other.
