Have you ever wondered about the meaning of the 12 Days of Christmas?

Our Brother Doug Flowers, PM shared this with us in the Lodge and we thought other brothers who weren't there would appreciate this.  Thanks Bro. Doug for sharing!

"TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

What in the world do leaping lords, French hens, swimming swans, and especially that partridge that won't come out of the pear tree have to do with Christmas?

From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not allowed to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning; the surface meaning, plus a hidden meaning known only to members of their church.  Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality, which the children could remember.

The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.

Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.

The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The five golden rings recalled the Torah or Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.

The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.

Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit:  Holy Spirit: Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy.

The eight maids a milking were the eight beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-control.

The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments.

Eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples.

Twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there is your history lesson for today. I found this interesting and creative, and now I know how this "very strange" song became a Beautiful Christmas Carol."

New Entered Apprentices Jason Paul Brown (left) and Richard Leister Jr. (right) with Worshipful Master Jeffrey Meade

The Lodge has been in full swing the last few months!  Last meeting we conferred the Entered Apprentice degree on two new members of the Lodge, we have an Education meeting coming up on the 27th, a Master Masons degree on a specially called meeting on Saturday, Nov. 7th and we have a Fellow Craft degree on Nov. 17th!  If you'd like to participate in any of the upcoming events, please let us know!  As always, you can come out and enjoy fellowship for any of the upcoming dates!

Proud father with one of our new Entered Apprentices, Richard Leister Jr.

Newly raised brothers Larry Pace, Robert Henry, (Worshipful Master Jeffrey Meade) and Nick McIntosh

Saturday November 7th, we had the honor to raise three new brothers to the degree of Master Masons!  Everyone did a fantastic job in conferring this degree and we even had a few brothers from out of town to come in and assist us with the work.

We also have a busy schedule for the remainder of the year.  Our next meeting, Nov. 17th, we will be conferring the Fellow Craft degree.  Then, the first meeting in December, we will be having our annual Lodge officer elections followed by our Installation for the last meeting in December.  Come out, support the Lodge and share in the Fellowship!

Pewee Valley Lodge Past Masters 2015

We had an excellent night for our recent Past Masters night!  Many PMs showed up to partake in the festivities along with their wives and families.  We also had a few visitors show up as well.  It was a great night of good food and fellowship, one of the many that we have in store for the Lodge in upcoming months.  If you haven't been by for a while, stop to see what's been going on and to say to hi to a few brothers!

Our current Worshipful Master, Bro. Jeffrey Meade handed out gifts to each of our Past Masters and thanked them for their years of service and dedication.  Below are just a few of the Past Masters that were present.