Thankful Thursdays

Greetings all from Sydney on a wet and wintry day....but who is complaining?  It is great quilting weather .....at least it is for those of you who can get away from the laptop!!  LOL

Today's Thankful Thursday post is little different from normal.  The first message I want to share is not from a grateful recipient but I still think it is well worth sharing.  Some days, many days, my Aussie Hero Inbox is just the loveliest way to start my day.

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This morning I received an email from Kerry and it said in part

"I have recently started a 'Sit & Sew' group at the XXXXX Neighbourhood centre along with my friend Leonnie. 

Having heard of Aussie Hero Quilts when you were interviewed on 2GB a few months ago, we decided to make this a part of our community interaction for the group and as a result we have made 2 quilts to be sent to our Aussie Heroes  overseas.

This project is close to  my heart as my nephew is currently serving in Afghanistan.  He has kept me informed that the quilts are arriving all the time and is impressed by how they are received and the appreciation of the service people who get them, he has encouraged me to stay involved with this program. We are very lucky as he is at the end of his tour and will be returning to soon, we are all looking forward to the happy reunion."

I was so pleased that Kerry included her phone number as that meant I was able to give her a quick call whilst out and about today.  Kerry said that her nephew had deployed on other occasions and when she mentioned Aussie Heroes to him he knew nothing about it.  Of course he didn't because we had not been in operation that long.  He told her he would keep an eye out when he got over there.  She said she got a facebook message from him when he got there and it was obvious that Aussie Heroes was very visible and was having a great impact.  :-D  I have been grinning all day!

Next I received a thank you for a quilt made by Robyn D from Townsville which I sent off. Now I don't have Robyn's contact details so I can't pass this on to her in person, but if you know her,or if you are reading this yourself, Robyn, please get in touch.  Also in the parcel was a laundry bag that Bev made from a tea towel that had come out of my stash which marked the Royal Australian navy's 75th anniversary.

This is Robyn's awesome quilt.  The photo does not do the colours justice at all!

Overnight I received an email with a letter attached.

Dear Jan-Maree,

Your quilt and laundry bag both arrived safely.  I was absolutely blown away with these.  Not just by the quality of the quilt and bag, but by the thought and effort which has gone into sending them. The personal information that you have added in your covering letters makes these gifts all the more special.  Your personal connection to the tea towel is particularly special.  This laundry bag will be well loved and looked after.

And the quilt......Well!  As you can imagine from looking at the attached photograph, the cabins over here are pretty drab.  They are pretty much devoid of personality.  Robyn D has done an outstanding job with this quilt.  It is well made and the colours are absolutely vibrant.  My cabin now has a very individual and warm/homey feel to it.  With another few months left to run the added colour and warmth in my life is very much appreciated.

One of the first things I heard about on the informal grapevine when I first arrived here is your organisation, and the colour and individuality you bring.  Back home I have a wife and young family - you must have known that my son's favourite colour is orange.  This will ensure that my new quilt will remain a family favourite for years to come.

By having your network at home sending over here not only brings colour to our life, but reinforces the fact that we are not alone.  It is nice to have a constant visual reminder that the folks back home care enough to go to all this effort for us.  These quilts and laundry bags are special to us not just for what they are, but also for what they represent.

Once again, thank you very much.  if you get the opportunity please pass on my thanks to Robyn and Bev.

I wish you all the best in the future.

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I had to read this part twice.

By having your network at home sending over here not only brings colour to our life, but reinforces the fact that we are not alone.  It is nice to have a constant visual reminder that the folks back home care enough to go to all this effort for us.  These quilts and laundry bags are special to us not just for what they are, but also for what they represent.

What a lovely message to send to us.  

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While we are enjoying some thank you messages here are another few...

Dear Evelyn

Thankyou  very much for your lovely quilt. I can honestly say that I and all the crew in NEWCASTLE that received quilts and bags were very happy and excited to receive them. I have constantly been amazed by the stories and work done by all those at Aussie Hero Quilts workshops and please know your efforts are very much appreciated.

Hi Louise,

Thank you so very much for my laundry bag! I absolutely love the colours and patterns. I really appreciate the effort and time you have taken to create this for me. Thank you also for the licorice and Blistex. Coincidentally I had just lost my lip balm and was telling one of the girls onboard how much I missed it when I opened your package so that was an unexpected pleasant surprise.

Receiving this gift today has completely made my day and it will be something that will make me smile every time I look at it on our continuing patrols in the Middle East. It is easy to forget that other people apart from family appreciate what we are doing and it is very heartwarming on these open lonely seas so far from home to be reminded of others back at home thinking of us.

Kind Regards

Hi Jan-Maree,

I received my quilt in the mail yesterday while alongside in XXXXXXX. Thank you very much for the time and effort you guys have put into making my quilt, I really appreciate it.

Take care 

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It appears that HMAS Newcastle has received some more mail so hopefully we will be hearing from a few more recipients in the next few days.

As usual on Thursday here is the role call of Friends who have put parcels in the mail this week.  If you are not on this list and feel you should be please let me know.  If you have photos to send me of your quilts please get them to me as soon as possible as am busy tomorrow morning and may not have time to add the photos in at the last minute.

Claire

Debbie

Evelyn

Helen

Jeanette
Judith R

Judy S

Julie Ann

Kiwi Karen

Kylie

Liz

Louise

Lynn

Lyn B

Miriam

Pam Y

Rita C

Sandra

Stephanie D

Su

Sue N

Till next time........................keep spreading the word and happy stitching!  JMxx