CCL Weekly Update – 12/10/2021
It’s two weeks before Christmas and all through the Town, many creatures are moving and preparations abound…..
The trees are aglow, the Post Office is stuffed,
We make lists in our heads…do we have what’s enough?
As we venture into countdown and try to keep track of all of what we consider to be of paramount importance…..Keep the FOCUS. Don’t allow this season of beauty, peace and grateful celebration be turned into a chaotic, commercial frazzle.
Gift with your heart, with your hands, and with appreciation for the ability to give at all. Slow the day down to better enjoy the actual preparation and season. Listen to the music…sing along. Hear the words of hope and love. Really see the lights and the color. The reds of ribbons on wreaths and greens of fresh trees and outside decorations. Breathe the scents that come with crisp outside air…the wood smoke, from fireplaces and warming stoves, the sparkle of fresh snow. Inside, the smells of balsam and cinnamon and fresh baking.
Allow yourself the bits of time to enjoy this special season, as much as you are preparing for others to enjoy it. Take time for you.
As we bring our families together in whatever fashion works for our personal world, accept the changes. This year may be different from others. There may be new traditions, special people among the missing, new faces to cherish.
In this season of love, beauty, gifting and prayers for peace, may you feel the support and grace that surrounds you in our tiny town, and may you always know that whatever is in your heart, that you want to share or need help with, your forever friends at CommunityCare of Lyme will be there for you.
Wishes to you for a very healthy, safe and meaningful Holiday Season!
News and Notes:
Once again, we’re Jingling All the Way!
Please join CommunityCare of Lyme in celebrating the holiday season with the Jingle All the Way virtual variety show. In collaboration with producer Thomas Chapin, we kindly ask you to send your videos, photos, and audio recordings, of songs, dances, stories and any other bits of holiday inspiration to jingle@cclyme.org.
We will also be celebrating with a Community Choir rendition of Silent Night. We would love you to contribute your voice as we create a community choir, bringing all of our collective voices together in song. If you would like to participate in the community choir, please respond ASAP so we can connect on next steps for submitting your audio. Jingle@cclyme.org
Call CCL at 603-795-0603 if you have any questions about what or how to share. The deadline to submit materials is Wednesday, December 15th. The video will be shared for you to enjoy on Wednesday, December 22nd at 7pm. We hope you will help spread Holiday Cheer by sharing it with your friends and family. If you would like to see last year’s Jingle All the Way video please click here.
2021 Lyme Community Holiday Events Calendar
A listing of seasonal events happening in Lyme (and welcoming all our neighbors!) came to Lyme postal addresses before Thanksgiving. If you would like a copy, please reply to this email or call 603-795-0603, and we’ll send out a copy or click here to download a printable version.
December is …
Stress Free Family Holiday Month.
This week we are sharing a blog from National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) By Jessica Maharaj (2018) in which looks at “Major Depressive Disorder with A Seasonal Pattern”, “Grief over the Holidays” and “Managing Holiday Expectations”. This blog post offers some ideas and suggestions for self-care over the holiday season. Please review this post here.
Maharaj, Jessica. “Avoiding Holiday Stressors: Tips for a Stress-Free Season.” National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) , NAMI, 3 Dec. 2018, https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/December-2018/Avoiding-Holiday-Stressors-Tips-for-a-Stress-Free-Season. Accessed 9 Dec. 2021.
Weekly health and well-being tips, resources, and recipes …
Monday’s Menu. This week’s Monday’s Menu is a stuffing breakfast sandwich – a tasty and easy way to make use of your holiday leftovers shared by Rebecca Beisswenger-Maxfield. Please enjoy here.
We would LOVE to learn your favorite holiday recipe(s). Please send your recipes to shelby@cclyme.org
Click here to see all the Monday’s Menu recipes.
Wellness Wednesday. Once per month, we will be sharing a local or national resource, which supports our Health & Wellness. For this week’s Wellness Wednesday we have shared AARP: A Nationwide Resource, which has a plethora of upcoming events. You may review the post here.
See all Wellness Wednesday posts here.
If you have a wellness topic you would like to share about OR would love to learn more about, please contact shelby@cclyme.org.
Orford Senior Center December Newsletter
Our partner organization, Orford Senior Center, has shared their December newsletter, which you can enjoy here. Please review their upcoming program offerings, and menu for their weekly meals.
Covid Update
Today’s Covid Vaccine Clinic in Orford was cancelled. They hope to reschedule.
Let’s all do our best to stay safe and keep others safe, while lifting spirits with healthy ways to stay active and involved. Keep your mask along, and wear it inside or when safe distancing isn’t possible.
Overall, the best protection for the vast majority of us continues to be vaccination – either initial dose(s) or a booster, if you’re eligible. Seek your doctor’s advice if you have any questions about how the current recommendations affect you. At Vaccines.gov, you can search for vaccination locations and make an appointment. You can also schedule directly with retailers, such as Walmart and CVS. Most scheduling is done online, but some locations can work with you by phone. New sites and new practices are happening all the time. As has so often been the case during this pandemic, a little patience will go a long way!
Testing. The federal and state governments are working hard to increase the availability of instant home tests, but it can be challenging to find the kits in stock. The recent state offer of free tests was “sold out” in less than 24 hours. If you receive extra tests that you might like to share, please contact Lyme’s Emergency Management Director, Margaret Caudill-Slosberg, at lymeeoc@lymenh.gov or CCL by responding to this email or by calling 603-795-0603.
Contact CCL if you would like help navigating the system or have questions, and we’ll do our best to get you the most up-to-date answers and help you may need. Email help@cclyme.org or call 603-795-0603.
Extending our Warm Lyme Welcome
With involvement from across the Upper Valley, Lyme has welcomed two displaced Afghan families, as we strengthen our community of support for everyone who lives here. In partnership with Concord-based Ascentria Care Alliance, the Lyme/Upper Valley Neighborhood Support Team (NST), is building a sustainable, community-based model for resettlement that allows us to share the abundance of the Upper Valley. We are all working together to ease a very difficult transition in some wonderful families’ lives. If you would like to help, please contact KJ (kjda@hey.com) or Martha (martha.tecca@gmail.com, 603-795-0603). Donations to support the Lyme/UV NST may be made to the CCL Welcome Fund. Go to cclyme.org/donate or mail a check to CCL at PO Box 127 Lyme, NH. Please note that your donation is for the Welcome Fund.
We are here. Every day. 603-795-0603 or help@cclyme.org.
Reach out when you or someone you care about needs a hand. If you could use information, help, a listening ear or ways to bring someone else joy, contact us at 603-795-0603 or help@CCLyme.org. Our phone is answered every day, usually in person. Our welcoming living room in the Lyme Center Academy is a terrific place to relax, read, visit with friends, or meet with a CCL team member. It is now open often during the week and by appointment. Give us a call to confirm times. Be in touch, any time. You’ll reach a friendly voice, a little (or a lot of) help, and creative, safe ways to be involved.
Coming up:
There is a LOT going on out there! Check out the Lyme Events Calendar (a selection of events from lots of calendars), the Valley News Calendar (especially for all kinds of arts in the area, but lots more), Lyme organizations (see several links at the end of this message) or the Aging Resource Center for ideas.
Lyme is happening!
We are pleased to pass on news shared by Lyme organizations.
- Lyme Historians. Museum open Saturday 12/11 10am – 1pm.
- Lyme Congregational Church. Sundays at 10:30am. Bring a mask. Go to lymecc.org for more information. Christmas pageant this weekend, in hybrid form – a restricted live audience and recording for all to view. Contact Bill Waste or Abbe Murphy at 603-795-2850.
- Jingle All the Way! Virtual Variety Show. Deadline for “acts” (songs, dances, poetry, stories, photos, or other inspirations) is December 15th. Video release December 22nd at 7pm. Email materials or questions to jingle@cclyme.org. Call 603-795-0603 with questions.
- Mindful Movement with Guided Meditation with Tracy Penfield. Conscious breathing, gentle movement (standing and/or in chair) and guided meditation. In the CCL Living Room Wednesday, December 22nd at 10:30am. Learn more here.
- Our Hour. Warm in Winter/Winter Wonderland. What makes you feel cozy in winter? Virtual gathering by Zoom on Tuesday, December 14th at 10:30am and in person gathering in the CCL Living Room on Wednesday, December 15th at 10:30am. Please contact debbie@cclyme.org or 603-795-0603 with questions or to let us know you’ll join us.
- Lyme Food Pantry. CCL hosts every Tuesday at 1pm at Lyme Congregational Church. Call ahead to let us know what you’d like to make your Christmas special (603-795-0603), or just stop by. DELIVERY AVAILABLE.
- Those Guys. Monthly meetings on the first Wednesday of the month.
- Lyme Library. Please visit the library website for current information on hours and programs.
- Happy Feet Clinic. CCL hosts three Thursdays a month at the Lyme Center Academy Building. Appointment required. Expert foot care with nurse Susan Hannah Rose. Call 802-296-1112 0r email nancyallison23@gmail.com to schedule a time.
*NOTE: For any event that’s not online, please be prepared with a mask and clean hands. Safety guidance, and hosts’ comfort continues to evolve.
Check out the Lyme Events Calendar for a full listing of upcoming events selected for Lyme and neighboring communities.
Calendar information is gathered from multiple sources, including:
Lyme and other local listservs
Lyme Library Calendar
Lyme Community and Church Newsletter
Lyme School Events Listing
Town of Lyme Website
Daybreak Upper Valley daily newsletter Click to subscribe
Valley News online calendar
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Aging Resource Center
Please share any additions or edits to calendar items, so that we can include them in the online calendar.
Please note, our events calendar is experiencing some formatting issues, which we are working to resolve. In the meantime, when you open the link to our events calendar, scroll all the way down the page and you will then find the list of upcoming events. Click on the individual event in order to learn more.
We are here for you.
When you seek information, help, or ways to help others, contact us.
The Lyme Community Help Line:
call 795-0603 or email Help@CCLyme.org
Connection to resources you need now to stay active, involved, and well.
Lyme Food Pantry or prepared meals. Deliveries or errands. Help around home.
Just a chat. You name it.
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