Grati-Tuesday 17 Dec

Time for a good news post I think.  We have some great thank you messages tonight, including one that really touched me.  Sit back and enjoy.  

.......

Dear Lenore

Thankyou with all my heart for the amazing quilt and laundry bag you sent me. When I saw the package in my pigeon hole I was filled with excitement. So much so that I nestled the package under my arm like an expectant father and carried it to my room. I gently cut away the tape to reveal the most amazing of quilts and personalised laundry bag. The lovely card, chockies, Christmas card and bon-bon served as a catalyst for a range of emotions to rise up including excitement, gratitude and immense pride at serving our country. So much so that the first use of the laundry bag was to wipe away a tear. 

My cabin is now a glorious and bright place of solace with the quilt strategically placed so it welcomes me when I return from a 12 hr shift of night duty. 

My quandary here in Afghanistan was to identify a tangible item that would capture the essence of the deployment and could be passed down to my children. You gracious gift and expert handiwork will forever remind me of the privilege I was given to serve, and the unique fabric we as Australian's share. 

I have attached a couple of photos proudly displaying my AussieHero Quilt and laundry bag so you can put a face to a name. 

Kindest of regards and Merry Christmas to you and your family, and again my heartfelt thanks. 

.....

Sometimes I struggle with sharing a thank you message that I receive as it feels a little conceited to share some of the gorgeous messages I receive personally.   Usually I edit out the parts that refer to me by name to save my embarrassment but this one I felt I had to share and when I showed it quietly to a couple of Aussie Hero Friends they insisted that it go on the blog.    

.......

Dear Jan-Maree

Thank you so much for my AussieHero Quilt and Laundry bag. I hold the receipt of my precious AHQ package with the same esteem of any accolade I have received in over 31 years of service including promotions. I work in a US led Operations Centre where care packages and letters of gratitude from schools stateside are common. It would be easy for an Aussie to feel left out in such an environment.

Your indefatigable efforts in firstly founding and coordinating AussieHeroQuilts leaves me in awe. My departed grandfather spoke of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels in Papua New Guinea. In the 100th year of ANZAC tradition I can speak of an AHQ angel whom I will be forever indebted to!!

Kindest of regards and Merry Christmas to you Jan-Maree.
.....

This laundry bag was made right under the nose of the Photographer who was present the day we filmed the video in Canberra.  It wasn't till the bag was completed and handed to him that he realised it was for him.  :-D  Love it when a plan comes together!  And the best part...... I did not have to rely on him to take a picture as I had my camera there!  :-D

I have already shared a pic of this quilt but not sure if I have shared this one.  This was made by Louise and quilted by Stephanie T. It hangs in the cafe in the Middle East called Bean Around the MEAO - a hub of warmth and friendliness that I am told everyone frequents.  They have recently moved into new digs and look! Here is our quilt, hanging front and centre where people have to stand to pay!  Pretty cool huh!

.....

Dear Bett,

To my pleasant surprise I received your quilt today. We work with a lot of other nationalities here in Kabul and to receive some more Australiana that I can proudly display is very welcome.

You have been lucky to catch me. In the upcoming weeks I will be heading home and hopefully catching the birth of my third child (and I think your quilt will come in quite handy) bringing to an end my 6 month tour.

I wish you and your family a merry Christmas and I thank you for supporting the troops that are currently away from their families over this period.

Yours sincerely,

.....

Pam K made this quilt and it was presented to this fellow as he was departing for deployment. 

.....

I was surprised to receive my own personalised "Breaking Bad" quilt and laundry bag on the weekend (which my wife had ordered for me). I was blown away by the thought and effort that went into the package Lisa N put together. She even found some Heisenberg branded 'drugs' to send. I got a laugh and also got emotional at the whole thing. It is currently hanging in my office and I frequently get told my quilt is 'badass'. It won't be in my office for much longer, as the temperature is dropping quickly and it will be needed on my bed.

Thanks again for the great work you do, it is greatly appreciated.

.....

Hi Chris and Donna

A massive thank you to both of you! Receiving the quilt and laundry bag plus is a bright spot in what is slowly becoming groundhog day!

Everyone is very jealous of the quilt, it is brilliant.  I've already told the Mrs it will be on our bed when I get home. The goodies were gone in about ten minutes and hopefully you will be happy to know that a few of your rank slides will end up back in Britain. It is a great opportunity that we have over here, we are the only Aussies that work daily with British Allies.

My first posting was to Newcastle and I was lucky enough to be retained for the FRNSW for a few years which was a great experience. Thank you again for the all the goods I loved receiving them and it is very much appreciated. Hope you have a great Christmas and New years 

.....

Hi Lynn,

Thank you so much for the gorgeous quilt you made me - it is great to get such a personalised one. Of course I love travel & I love photography so you captured it all perfectly. I was pretty chuffed that Jan-Maree ordered the fabric from the US - that's going above and beyond!

As you can imagine my job takes me all over the place so my quilt often travels with me. It's nice to have something personal in each transit room I live in!

Anyway, hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas & New Year. I'll be home mid-January so I am looking forward to that. Counting down the days now!

Kindest regards,

.....

Hello,

I just want to pass on my appreciation to you both for the lovely Christmas present you took the time out to send me.  I wish you both a very merry Christmas and all the best.

Thankyou again,

.....

Joan & Robin,

I wish to send out a BIG thank you for your laundry bag I received today. I picked this one out especially as blue is my favourite colour and it has many Saloon labels on it (as I don't mind a beer).

It will add colour to my tent and now I will be easily able to spot my laundry from the rest.   It's the small things over here that make a big difference and put on a smile on our faces.

Thanks again, you have made my day!!

.....

Good evening Carmel,

I received the quilt you made for me and it is absolutely beautiful! I just wanted to take the time to say thank you so much for creating such a lovely and cheerful piece of home and I will treasure it for years to come. It has pride of place on my bunk and brightens up the room considerably. It's one of the first things I show people when they pop their head around :)

Thank you so much for including the lollies as well. They were much appreciated by everyone in my section.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

All the best,

.....

Dear Jan-Maree,

I am just writing to say thank you so much for the beautiful quilt! I have it as an extra much needed layer on my bed over here in the Middle East at the moment, and it makes me room look so much more welcoming and homely. Every time I look at it it makes me think about the generosity of people at home, particularly Lynn who put so much time and effort into making it.  I love the sparkly flecks and the serene renaissance women in the pattern - helps remind me to be serene over here if I’m particularly frustrated!

Thank you again for all your efforts Jan-Maree, it really does make a difference and it’s so appreciated.

.....

Hi Robyn,

I am the recipient of your lovely laundry bag.  Thank you for taking time out of life to think of our deployed members and to make a thoughtful gift for them. I am the lucky one who has received your bag.  It will definitely be put to good use and I am very grateful for it.

I deployed at short notice to the Middle East this year and I am here for an unknown period of time.  It's always difficult being away from family and our beautiful country and your laundry bag is a nice reminder of home.  

I am an Environmental Health Officer in the Air Force.  My job is preventative health, I aim to prevent all serving members from becoming sick.  I look at things like water quality, food quality, vector borne disease etc as well as occupational exposures such as noise, air quality etc.  My job is very diverse and I love it!  I am proud to serve our country and especially when I know it is protecting kind people like yourself.

Gestures like yours go a long way in helping morale in these sometimes unpleasant environments we are in and to remind us that there is a reason we are here.

Merry Christmas to you and your family.  I hope you have a wonderful holiday season.  Thank you again for the laundry bag, it is very much appreciated.

Take Care

.....

Good Afternoon Noeleen,

I would like to express my gratitude for your lovely gift of my laundry bag. The organisation you are a member of is truly a morale booster for the serving members deployed. Unfortunately I didn't hear about the organisation until I had been in area for a few weeks and hoped I would be able to receive such a gift, not to use but to keep as a keep sake on my return.

We are working long hours over here and receiving such a surprise in the mail really does make it worth while for us. We know our families are very proud of the work we do, but its extra special knowing that your organisation really cares about us as well.

I thank you so much for your time and this gift will be treasured for years to come.

.....

Good evening Fran,

First of all I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your time and effort in making the awesome quilt and laundry bag you made me.

It has really brightened my room up, and made the place more homely, well as much as it can :).

Thank you very much for your time, effort and support you give us guys over here.

I wish you and your family a very merry and safe Christmas.

.....

Hi Jan-Maree

I can’t say thank you enough, the quilt made by Tamsin arrived today. :) What perfect timing too, the weather has started to get a bit colder at night so will be great having it on my bed each night :) What a wonderful surprise, it is amazing and gives my great pleasure and pride of Australia and Australians. Can you please pass on my sincere thanks and gratitude also the little extras in the box, they will be specially enjoyed by all of the guys and girls on deployment with me.

Tamsin wrote a lovely letter as well letting me know the passion that the Lady’s have enjoyed making quilts and I know that they are enjoyed from those so far away.

Many many thanks to all the Aussie Hero quilting team and those that support us while away from our family and loved ones.

May you have a wonderful christmas and a prosperous new year,

Kindest Regards,

....

Dear Tracie,

I would like to begin by thanking you immensely for the kind gift you sent. It has lifted my spirits during what is proving to be a very long deployment away from my family over Christmas.

The laundry bag is very handy and saves me losing socks and jocks on the way to and from the laundry. The quilts brings some much needed colour to my room and keeps my feet warm as, believe it or not, its starting to get cold here! Which is a nice change from the high 40 degree temperatures we’ve almost gotten used to.

Thank you once again and I want you to know how much Aussie Hero Quilts have boosted  morale for myself and the other guys who have been lucky enough to receive a parcel too.

Kindest regards and wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

.....

Hi Stephanie,

I wanted to write and thank you for my beautiful laundry bag. It is such a generous and thoughtful gesture to make something for a complete stranger as you have done for me. The environment we are deployed to is very grey - lots of concrete, gravel, dust, sand and absolutely no trees or grass. Your laundry bag has therefore brought some much colour to life over here and to my little sleeping space in the shared tent I live in. We use communal laundries, and they are a good five minute walk away (through that dust and sand), so a laundry bag is definitely a must-have item here. It is pretty cool to have one as funky as the one you made me! A deployment can feel pretty long and drawn out when you are away from home, and receiving a gift such as yours is a great morale lifter. Thank you again for your kindness. I will look to pay it forward in some way, and I hope that one day you too are on the receiving end of such generosity.

.....

Dear Sue,

I am the lucky recipient of your wonderful laundry bag and just wanted to thank you for not only the bag but also the card with the crossword and more importantly, the answers.

Well, time to get back to it. I am on night shifts.

Thank you again Sue. I wish you and your family the Merriest of Merry Christmas's and the Happiest of Happy New Years.

Regards

.....

Finally a thank you from me. This was given to me on Thursday night by Carole J and i just want to say thank you. I can't find your email address and I know I must have it so thought I would thank you here.

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

Jan-Maree xx