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SHARE MY WORLD 6-3-2024

/ joseph elon lillie / 6 Comments

THIS POST IS WRITTEN IN RESPONSE TO PENSITIVITY’S SHARE MY WORLD CHALLENGE.

1.  Have you ever wanted to be famous?

I suppose everyone has had their moment of seeking fame and glory. When I was young and immature I think I wanted fame out of a lack of my own self worth. As I have grown more comfortable in my own skin, I have realized I don’t need the recognition of other men to validate who I am. At least most times that is true.

2.  Have you met any celebrities?

Hmmm. I suppose if you count….No. No I haven’t.

3.  Has anyone ever asked you for your autograph?

Only in a year book or in a high school play bill.

4.  Is there a celebrity you wish to have met/meet?

Not really. I enjoy meeting people as people not as their mythology. If I were to meet someone famous I would hope I would be more concerned about their personhood than I would be about any notoriety I might gain from being in their presence.

MY WEEKLY GRATITUDE… Is that I got to go dinner with my cousins Karen and Mike yesterday.

Festival of Spring 2024 Week # 10

/ joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

I AM WRITING THIS POST IN RESPONSE TO DAWN’S FESTIVAL OF SPRING CHALLENGE.

Spring is about new things coming into the world. Today our new furniture arrives for the living room. My grandson, Sevy approved especially when he realized the seats went up with the push of a button.

We have been working on the gardens for weeks now, and they are really starting to come together. Today I pruned back this hydrangea so we could see the hostess.

I pulled up some of these daffodils so that we could plan them in a new space in the fall. Soon the lilies will be in bloom and this garden will be filled with color.

I just added this lupine to bring a bit more Spring color to the garden

This was the last year I was giving this Korean lilac before I pulled it up once and for all. It is flowering beautifully this year.

The irises will probably be out for Memorial Day

Joe and Kristine started filling the raised beds with soil for our vegetables. I put in the squash and the basil today.

WHAT DOES YOUR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND LOOK LIKE?

You Know It’s Spring When…

/ joseph elon lillie / 3 Comments

THIS POST IS WRITTEN IN RESPONSE TO DAWN’S FESTIVAL OF SPRING 2024 WEEK#8. You can see all the festival contributions by clicking that link.

You know it is Spring when all the churches have their “All Church Spring Cleaning Gathering.”

Ours was today, and the congregation showed up!

We planted the front prayer garden.

We trimmed the bushes in the front and on the sides of the church.

We power washed the North side of the church and the back deck getting that ready for sealing.

We raked the playground.

We put in some base board.

We sanded the men’s bathroom getting it ready for painting.

We Spring cleaned the children’s closets.

It was a very productive Spring cleaning.

More Goodbyes

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Last night a group of us gathered in Jaffrey New Hampshire for a final dinner with my sister before she heads back to her mission in The Netherlands.

These last four months have been quite a journey as we walked with my Mom through her final days. I have so appreciated Brenda coming home to help carry the load. I recognize not every family is lucky enough to have this experience. Honestly I don’t know how I would have continued to manage my role as pastor if it weren’t for Brenda and her team being willing to work remotely across the Atlantic Ocean through this season.

I don’t know how I would have managed were it not for lifelong friends from church like Paula and Jody, Ray and Deb, Paul and Carrie, Wendy, Natalia, John and Nancy and so many others.

The role of my children in this whole season has also been huge. Amanda, Melanie and James , Joe and Kristine all took regular turns on the daily schedule to help care for Mom. Our family was truly blessed to have this level of unity during this season.

Even as we prepare to say good bye to Brenda there is still so much to do in settling Mom’s final business, but all that is for another day. Today is a day to be grateful for the road we have been blessed to walk together for the last several months.

The Boy and His Bubbles

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I had the privilege of watching my namesake yesterday. Joseph Elon Lillie VII is at the age where he loves bubbles.

I bought a bubble machine for Mom’s funeral, so we could sing her favorite Lawrence Welk song. But the bubble blower-matic was never meant to be a one hit wonder.

Sevy and Oz ( Joseph VII and Joseph V… my grandson and I) went to the park for about an hour to chase bubbles.

Well, he chased. I sat on a park bench.

I did not play Lawrence Welk. Sevy prefers Disney tunes. The bubble chasing was done to the sounds of “Moana”.

When all was said and done, we took a rest in the gazebo.

An Icy Parade Of Palms

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We had an ice storm over night.

The day dawned bright, sunny and cold.

Nature decorated our Palm Sunday service with diamonds in the trees. Some of the towns in our area lost power due to power lines downed by ice laden trees.

I was a little worried it would be too cold for the Parade of Palms our local council of churches had planned.

But by noon the sun had warmed things up nicely.

About 70 people….family and friends gathered with palms in hand to march up our Central St. behind a donkey to commemorate Jesus’ Triumphal Entry.

We finished with prayers by the clergy for our town. I got to pray.

Rabbi Ken prayed in Hebrew.

Jon Bauver the director of The Worship Room House of Prayer prayed.

Father Henry from Immaculate Heart prayed.

Finally Pastor Calvin Miller the coordinator of our event closed us out.

How Did You Spend Your Palm Sunday.?

Freezing Flower Of Promise

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Soooo cold….. It is 19 degrees with a windchill on this fine Spring day. To top it off we have 2- 4 inches of snow coming tonight.

But it its Spring and I am thinking of gardens. I really want to work outdoors this Spring and summer. To clean up. To burn brush. To plant. To water. To weed even. And to harvest!

At this time of year Spring snows are to be expected, even if they are never welcomed. The promise and the hope, of course, is that the snow will not last. It will come and it will go as do all of life’s trials. The roses will bloom again. Until then we hold onto the hope of flowers yet to grow and the memory of flowers faded and passed like the one above.

HERE IS A SONG ABOUT ALL THAT.

THIS POST WAS WRITTEN IN RESPONSE TO CEE’S FLOWER OF THE DAY CHALLENGE.