MOTHER

MOTHER

Mother, Oh, Mother, why can’t you stay
forever and ever, just as you were?
Lively and full of laughter and song,
Dancing and prancing, always so strong.

Mother Oh Mother, why can’t you be,
with us forever, so happy and free?
Cooking and sewing, for one and all,
Donuts and quilts, love from the soul.

Mother, Oh, Mother, my memory is clear,
The hardships you suffered, year after year.
The sacrifices given for nine little boys,
White shirts, pressed pants, for church on Sunday’s.


Mother, Oh, Mother, full of God’s love,
I give thanks to God, for his gifts from above.
Seventy plus years of grace, what a life,
Fifty plus years as husband and wife.


Mother, Oh Mother, our joys will not end,
God promised us eternal life up in heaven.
A mansion I go to prepare for thee,
Mother, your mansion for all eternity.

Mother, Oh, Mother, smile every day,
Share your hope with all that you see.
God’s plan is hard, for our human minds,
Our good is promised, pain intertwined.

Mother, Oh, Mother, keep hold of your faith,
Ask God for his blessing, to keep you each day.
Trust him as we know, you always have done,
Keep trusting, Oh, Mother, until you are home.

Mother, Oh, Mother, you are so loved,
By Dad whom God joined you as one,
By sons and daughter-in-laws one and all,
By Grand and Great-Grandchildren,
some big and some small.


Neil I. Lillo
October 28, 1988

My mother met her Savior on February 9, 1990

SOUTH CENTRAL REALTY

SOUTH CENTRAL REALTY


Tim and Rose represent,
What good folks call, Real Estate Agents,
They took care of their clientele,
They sold their houses,
They did it well!

Tim and Rose a special pair,
They made their mark with flair,
They laughed and joked every day,
They sold a lot, they earned their way.

Tim and Rose will be sadly missed,
Dissolving their South Central Realty business,
As they sell off items dear to them,
May they remember the good times- God did send.

Tim and Rose have blessed this world,
Both faithful stewards of God’s love,
They worked the vineyards while it was day,
May they now enjoy a more restful way.
We pray.

October 26, 2006
Neil Lillo

Autumn Adventure’s With Annie


Autumn Adventure’s with Annie,
Have been an annual feat,
This year we trekked to St. Ansgar,
For a tea and salad treat.

I went golfing in St. Ansgar
Acorn Golf Course I did play,
While the girls had tea and shopped a bit,
I picked them up at Three.

We motored on to Harmony,
Some Amish took our dough,
We bought some homemade baskets,
Caramel candy sold there too.

I bought the girls both Love Rocks,
In Harmony today,
They had patterns like the Grand Canyon,
Pretty heart shaped rocks from me.

Autumnn adventures spent with Annie,
A joy to do each year,
We pray she comes back here again,
Before the trees turn bare.

Neil Lillo
September 30, 2006

America Weeps

AMERICA WEEPS

America weeps for those we lost,
On that fateful day.
When suicidal demons,
Went on a killing spree.

America weeps for fireman,
That rushed up flights of stairs,
Right into a fiery fate,
Saving others lives, not theirs.

America weeps for Freedom,
we now seem to have lost,
We used to have open borders,
a free country has its costs.

America weeps for Justice,
So far gone unpaid,
We pray one day Bin Laden,
Answers for these deeds.

America weeps, but don’t be fooled,
She never shys away,
We will wipe our tears, then unleash terror,
Freedom will win the day.

God bless America when we weep,
God bless us now in war,
Guard all who serve this nation,
Now and evermore.

Neil I. Lillo
September 11, 2001

LILLO REUNION 2006

LILLO REUNION

2006

We came to Eau Claire to re-unite,
Uncles, Aunts and Brothers alike,
We came with one thing in mind,
To have some fun with this family of mine.

We came to celebrate, with a Lillo jug,
A Lillo men tradition, as we age,
Brother Roy ,turned 60 this year,
Brother Dave will pass the jug, I hear.

Uncle Milo came, wife Shirley in arm,
Uncle Norman arrived, with Tim, his son,
Aunt Leona arrived with her whole family,
Aunt Ardith & Harold, came from Oklee.

Uncle Sonny, and dear wife Arlene,
His daughter Kelly,the planning Queen,
A host of cousins, enjoyed shared time,
From pool to hot tub day and night.

Brothers came from far and near

Birthday boy, Roy, from right in Eau Claire,

Brother's Jim and Gary, Alaskan's now,

Dave from Sioux Falls, Arnold from Mankato,

Six of us brother's re-unite,

Celebrating Roy's 60th Birthday tonight,

Celebrating with thanks for these years of grace,

Little brother Roy, does not show his age!

Neil Lillo
August 20, 2006

L-R Karen (Mrs. Neil Lillo), Jim Lillo, Joanne Abbe, JoAnn Lillo, Sonny & Arlene Lillo, Arnold Lillo, Dotty(Mrs. Roy Lillo) Janice (Mrs. Arnold Lillo), Roy Lillo, Kathy Pedersen, Susan(Mrs. David Lillo),Steve Pedersen, David Lillo, Leona Via, Gary Via, Gary & Gail Lillo, Dennis Via, Sue (Mrs. Gene Lillo), Milo Lillo, Ardith Kessler, Gene Lillo, Shirley(Mrs. Milo Lillo), Harold Kessler & Tammy Jo Lillo.

Just part of those attending Friday night!

ARMY MIKE

ARMY MIKE

Today I met, a mighty man,
Serving his country, guarding our land,
Army Mike is about to leave,
For Iraq, for duty, overseas.

Army Mike, has my respect,
For giving his all, in my stead,
He protects both me and my family,
Puts his life on the line, to keep us free.

Army Mike, will go to Iraq,
His Army Unit, departs in two weeks,
While I go golfing, in southern climes,
He marches into battle, with God by his side.

Army Mike, is my hero today,
Yes, Kirby Puckett, got a lot of play,
If programs are held, to honor the best,
Army Mike, would be my choice.

May our prayers go with you, Army Mike as you go,
Far overseas, to battles unknown,
Our prayer is that you, will return someday,
So we can thank you again, for your valiant ways.

May God bless and keep you, Army Mike Paton!
You make us proud!


(A neighbor of his dad, Tom Bertrand)
Neil Lillo
March 13, 2006

I urge all his family and friends to pray for Mike until his return!

The Lord will send angels to be by his side every day—this I believe!

The Vacation Of Neil Lillo March 2006

I wrote this as Karen was in Arizona visiting her sister Joanne.

THE VACATION OF NEIL LILLO
(In the mode of The cremation of Sam McGee)
By Robert W. Service


There are strange things done in the land of the sun,
They golf from dawn to dusk;
They never worry about wintry tales
Snow drifts as high as a bus.

My wife went south, she has been gone a month;
She enjoys the life in the sun,
I am wintering here and shoveling snow;
I’m dreaming of a hole in one.

Now in the cremation of Sam McGee,
This man was never warm,
But that is not my fate because my mate;
Karen was there in my arms.

Now that she’s gone, I am never warm,
I use a bed buddy every night,
It will never replace, her tender embrace,
Even when I’m squeezing it tight!

I look for the day when I tee off again,
My ball flies straight to the hole,
I pick up my tee and bend at the knee
As my foursome claps as a whole.

I am sitting here on the first day of spring
The temperature is seven degrees,
The low wind chill doesn’t give me a thrill,
As she enjoys a warm southern breeze.

It seems so odd that we have trod,
Together in winter and spring,
Then she goes off to a warm summer loft,
I am left here with winter’s sting.


I made a promise to my Goddess,
That I would join her there,
I would fly to Arizona, be beside her,
I would shed my winter ware.

I landed in the sun, my freezing days done,
My long john’s can go in the drawer.
While I break out my shorts, look for golfing resorts,
You will spoil this Norske for sure!

I went golfing with Brother Dave the first day,
I was here in the land of the sun,
We beat up that course, got sunburned so crisp,
We lost some balls in the wash.

Lori & Jeff put me to the test, Kyle my caddie that day,
I was doing real fine, till hole number nine, then my luck went the other way.
Hole number eleven, was like heaven, as I hole out a bunker shot.
I was on cloud nine, this golf game is fine, I’m sure I will play it a lot.

We enjoy Arizona, it sure is warmer, than Minesota’s clime.
We will return, get sunburned, again about Easter time.
Joanne has been great, hospitality first rate, we both want to return,
We pray we can, do this trip again, vacation in the land of the sun.

There are strange things done in the land of the sun
By the men who hit a round ball,
Their golf trails, have their wild tales
That are sometimes believable!
The Arizona sun, has seen things done,
That would make a northern man cry,
Some men keep score never more than four

No matter how many shots they try.

Neil

March 2006


There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold;The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold;The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did seeWas that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge I cremated Sam McGee.
Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.Why he left his home in the South to roam 'round the Pole, God only knows.He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;Though he'd often say in his homely way that he'd "sooner live in hell".