THE CHRISTMAS JOURNEY

December 18, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

Nine bells just rang at the Old Murdock Senior Center, and I am just finishing my day. Snish is falling outside. Walking the dogs and putting the chickens to bed was a cold wet business tonight, but at last it is all done. I am dressed in the Christmas PJ’s the kids’ mom sent up just before Thanksgiving for all of us.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: JAMES FRANKLIN, ABIGAIL FRANKLIN, MELANIE FRANKLIN, DANIELLA FRANKLIN, PASTOR AMANDA LILLIE, SEVII LILLIE(JOSEPH E LILLIE VII), KRISTINE BARRAMEDA LILLIE (IN FRONT KNEELING), PASTOR J LILLIE(JOSEPH E LILLIE V), JOSEPH E LILIE VI

This was the beginning of our Christmas journey as a family. A lot of familial water has flowed under the bridge of life since this picture was taken.

There were all my birthday celebrations and Thanksgiving with the kids, grandkids and nephews. What a blessed day that was.

ABIGAIL FRANKLIN (FOREGROUND CENTER), TYLER NEWTON (FAR LEFT FRONT CHAIR), SEVII LILLIE (HOLDING BALL), RYAN NEWTON (RECLINER), JOSEPH LILLIE, KRISTINE BARRAMEDA LILLIE, DANIELLA FRANKLIN, PASTOR AMANDA LILLIE, MELANIE FRANKLIN… THANKSGIVING 2024

There was the decorating of The Vicarage.

And the decorating of the church.

JOHN RUSSELL, BUILDING AND GROUNDS, PUTTING UP THE BIG TREE AT CORNERSTONE.

Then the celebration began in earnest.

There was breakfast with Santa and the Cookie Crawl.

FRANCINE (AKA PASTOR AMANDA) AND ABIGAIL START THE COOKIE CRAWL

And the town tree lighting.

MRS. CLAUS, SANTA CLAUS, MEALNIE FRANKLIN AND THE GIRLS

This week has been a whirlwind of parties. It started Saturday with our Deacon, Staff and DLT leader Christmas party.

Yesterday was a full day of connection and celebrating. It started at 9 AM with a meeting of the town, pastors at Sippin Serendippity.

Then it was on to Cornerstone’s weekly staff meeting. With the upcoming holidays, this will be our last staff meeting for 2024.

After that, I went to one of our DLT groups to join their Christmas party, and to discover the prophetic words from God they received during our sabbatical.

Then, after a brief rest, I was off to the cornerstone youth Christmas party.

Today, I spent the day finishing up the decorations at the Vicarage and cooking for a dinner party we hosted this evening with some missionary friends.

This weekend, the Vicarage is hosting a cookie swap for the Tenney side of our family. I have to say I am really enjoying this Christmas journey.

What does your Christmas journey look like?

THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS 2024

November 29, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / Leave a comment

This year a dear friend blessed me with a 24 pound turkey for my Thanksgiving feast. I stayed up until about 12:30 A.M Thanksgiving morning cooking and slicing the bird for dinner next day. Then after a few hours sleep I was back up and cooking the rest of the meal. I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner! I love spreading the table for this holiday.

Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels.com

This year we were 11 around the table. It’s been a long time since we have had that many at a holiday feast at the Vicarage. We hosted both of my nephews this year. I haven’t seen Ryan (the man in the recliner) for about a decade or more.

Melanie brought the Mac and cheese. Kristine brought the pies and spring rolls. Tyler brought chocolate peanut butter cookies. Dinner was a hit all around.

I opened presents for my birthday. I got cash from my son and his wife.

I got this amazing cross-stitch from my daughter and her husband.

I got these cards. This year my grand daughters were old enough to pick out their own cards for me.

And my daughter, Amanda, bought me this gorgeous wood burned portrait from one of my favorite artists, Tamie Charbonneau.

After dinner we set about decorating the Christmas tree.

It was a day full of blessings. From The Vicarage to your house….Warmest wishes!

THE REGION CELEBRATES

November 21, 2024 / joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

The holidays are upon us, and with the holidays comes holiday preparations and celebrations! Our region is becoming more and more like a Hallmark movie every year.

Gardner is hosting a special Thanksgiving market this coming Saturday. I think I shall have to go and take a peek.

Meanwhile Winchendon is hosting its annual Festival of Lights on December 7th. Here is a list of all the events happening.

Don’t Miss The Festival of Lights: Saturday 12/7!

Kick off your holiday season with a day full of family fun and festive cheer! Here’s what we have planned for you:

Pictures with Santa by Rustic Lens Photography:

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM & 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Breakfast with Santa:

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Suggested donation: $8 per person

Holiday Craft Fair:

9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Come support local vendors

Gingerbread Man Decorating:

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

$8 per kit

GNOME PAINTING

2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

$8 per gnome

Letters to Santa:

12:00 PM – 4:00 PM

$10 per kit

Tree Lighting at Grout Park:

5:00 PM

(The park with the big metal bicycle near the bike path!)

Mr. & Mrs. Claus Appearance:

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

“The Night Before Christmas” Reading:

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Old Murdock Senior Center

Caroling at Grout Park:

With Mr. & Mrs. Claus

Also on December 7th is……..

Yippeee! I love the cookie crawl.

WHAT FUN THINGS DOES YOUR TOWN DO FOR CHRISTMAS?

THE EXTENDED FAMILY VISITS

December 22, 2023 / joseph elon lillie / 2 Comments

It is Christmas and with Christmas comes the visits from extended family. I love these times of sharing and family memory.

Kristine’s Mom called today from Ilo Ilo and I imagine we will be hearing from Kristine’s sister n Singapore sometime this weekend. I also expect we will be chatting with Brenda from The Netherlands. And my son Joe will undoubtedly chat with his friend Bill in South Korea as well.We are a global family!

I enjoy hearing about the goings on around the world. I also love seeing family, right here at home, we don’t get to see very often. Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom stopped by this afternoon and stayed for a visit.

Usually they just pop in with a holiday bread and pop back out. Mom, Carol and Tom are the last living members of their generation in our family. Mom and Carol are the last sisters from a family of eight. Both are living with dementia and both are easily tired out. Today was a good day, though, and all three felt like visiting. So I put on a pot of coffee.

Uncle Tom pulled up a chair for Aunt Carol in the living room and we left the sisters to visit while we had our coffee around the new dining table Joe and Kristine bought me for Christmas. Mom and Aunt Carol chatted for about an hour about their grandchildren while Uncle Tom and I talked about wildlife and ancestry. The stories of the old days are some of my favorite conversations.

Our visit today reminded me that I still need to pick up some holiday breads and drop them by the cousins houses before Christmas comes. Well that’s a job for tomorrow morning. Tonight I need to do some wrapping of the Christmas presents I bought this afternoon.

WHERE ARE YOU AT IN YOUR CHRISTMAS PREPARATION?

THIS DAY AT THE VICARAGE 11-11-20

November 11, 2020November 11, 2020 / joseph elon lillie / 1 Comment

As the holidays approach this year our state, Massachusetts, is preparing to face what may be its greatest days of challenge since the pandemic began.We received new protocols last week which include mask wearing in all public spaces including outdoors and even when you can socially distance, a 9:30 P.M. curfew, and a suggestion that families should not unite over the holidays and that no gathering over 10 people may be had in private homes. The buzz today is that governor is getting ready to reactivate the field hospitals in MA as our hospitals in the state are reaching capacity.

The gathering thing is not a hardship for us at the Vicarage our whole family together is 7 people, but I know many families for whom the gathering rule is going to be massively difficult come the holidays. I have now been wearing a mask so long in public the idea of not wearing one is almost uncomfortable…and please the idea of having to be in by 9:30 is a super-blessing for our family.

That said a pall has been laid over the holidays and everyone is feeling it. Everything is changing, including the way we are used to celebrating. We have to find new ways, new methods, new opportunities and we have to try them.

We were at Hobby Lobby the other day and my sister bought this urn. Now all four of us are dropping in a note about something we are thankful for every day. We will empty it and read our thanksgivings on Nov. 26th. As we eat our turkey pot pie…. I think the idea is that we have to figure out how to be thankful even when we cannot be traditional.

What creative thing are you doing to face the challenge of this year’s holiday season?

Notes From the Vicarage

A minister's family living in a micro forest garden

holidays