CCL Holiday Update – 12/31/2020
A new light has been glimmering!
Or perhaps we should say “Jingling”?
We couldn’t “Jingle & Mingle” this year, so we’ve all been doing things differently … looking hard for the silver linings, offering what each of us has to give, feeling deeply touched by what’s being shared with us, and transforming what it means to be together. It’s something we’ve been doing for most of this year, but somehow the holiday season seems to have helped us shine our little lights, and – maybe more importantly – see others’.
If you haven’t watched the Jingle All The Way! Virtual Variety Show, we hope you’ll take the chance to watch the show. At the same link, we’ve posted some beautiful photos that were shared — more than could fit on the video. Click here to view the show or the photos. If you have any trouble, contact us, and we’ll help. The video has been viewed over 600 times so far (!), and there have been many, many effusive messages of gratitude for the spirit-lifting experience and for everyone who shared their talents and special wishes. Especially grand kudos go to Thomas Chapin, who produced the video.
In this last month of an unreal 2020, there was jingle and glitter all around. The Utility Club Tree Festival and generous donors created a sparkling Common, and Santa bore gifts for all children who visited. It was a special year for holiday lights everywhere, it seemed! The Lyme School PTO Virtual Giving Tree allowed many of us to help make the holidays special for appreciative families, and to provide some needed supplies to teachers, the library, and CCL. The Lyme Food Pantry provided holiday roasts to all who asked. A hearty crew of Al Hewitt Memorial Wood Splitters gifted firewood to neighbors. The Parish Nursing Team provided caring health and well-being support, along with holiday cheer, to individuals and families. Bakers, carolers, crafters, friendly callers, card makers, gift wrappers, and lots of elves delivered holiday care packages, shared meals and treats, welcomed new neighbors, ran errands, and helped in many ways. There were coordinated efforts by both Lyme Congregational Church and CCL, as well as countless inspired individual acts of kindness.
The Lyme School Staff continued their extraordinary work, educating and caring for our children and guiding them in contributing to the community. They nimbly worked through challenge after challenge, with rigorous planning, disciplined implementation, and thoughtful communication. Lyme’s New Fire Station and Emergency Operations Center opened, after years of planning and collaborative effort. (You can view a quick tour by Chief Mundy in the Jingle All The Way! show.) Junket with Judy, the Library’s Zoom-based community “talk show”, launched with warm conversation, beautiful music, and useful information. CCL hosted our first Our Hour by Zoom, a small and sweet gathering where most of us learned something new: that we were chatting with a race car driver! This is all momentum for the year to come. Throughout the community, there’s a lot more for us to explore and learn and build together.
All this good work and good will, and still some of us are just not feeling it.
The exhaustion and loneliness of the pandemic, the darkness of this time of year, the bitter sweetness of holidays, the pain and stress of health and other life challenges …it is a lot. A lot. We care about you and loved ones you may be working hard to care for, as well as those you notice who might benefit from a helping hand or friendly voice. Please, reach out any time. Call 603-795-0603 or email help@cclyme.org.
We’ll need to keep the new light shining.
Can you sense the almost impossibly high hopes all around? We are so ready to emerge from the tunnel of 2020, and for 2021 to be the new year we have been dreaming of. We have felt the tantalizing glimmer of light and hope during the holiday season, yet we’re not quite seeing the end of the tunnel. We will get there, together.
CCL will keep up a “blitz” of outreach, and we’d love your input about the best ways to connect, to spread warmth, to stay safe and healthy, to reduce worries, and to find some joy. Let us know what you need, what you’d like to do, or any ideas you have about ways to help others.
End-of-year giving, if time is right …
CommunityCare of Lyme did not send out a broad appeal letter this season, but put all of our energy into care, service, and community involvement. Generous gifts throughout the year have helped make this possible. We do remain dependent on donations and would welcome your support, if now is a good time for you to give. In case you hadn’t heard: due to a special tax law change to stimulate charitable giving during the pandemic, $300 of donations made by today (12/31/2020) are tax deductible when you file taxes in 2021.
To make a donation online, go to cclyme.org/donate; or mail a check to CCL at PO Box 127, Lyme, NH 03768. We are grateful for each and every donation and every way you are connected with us. You make all things possible! Thank you, dear friends.
This weekend, celebrate the resilience and creativity (and commitment to safety) that have gotten us through 2020.
Get ready to let your light shine. The beams we create together will power us through to the promise of 2021.
With love and great hope,
Patty & Martha
Patty Jenks
Martha Tecca
603-795-0603 (CCL office)
help@cclyme.org
www.cclyme.org
Coming up this week:
Please be extra-careful about keeping yourself and others safe and healthy. ?❤️? And please be kind, as you encourage others to practice safe behaviors.
You can find events and fun activities to enjoy virtually, outside, or following Covid-safe protocols. There are also performances (like “Jingle All The Way!”) that you can watch on your own schedule. Check out the Lyme Events Calendar, the Valley News Calendar, or the Aging Resource Center for ideas. The calendars include free and by-donation food and meals throughout the season.
Below are selections from this week’s Lyme Events Calendar. Click on the event name below for the complete listing.
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