Monday, 23 December 2013

Pure Joy!

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While we are surrounded at this time of year by songs and messages of good will and great joy, for some Christmas isn't so easy!

This is my first Christmas in 23 years as a single person.  But I was reminded yesterday how much I have to be thankful for and how possible it is to be joyful!

You see joy is so much more than fizzy emotions! Joy is a choice! Often a courageous one! 

It is choosing to rise above one's circumstances, to find things every day that are blessings, allowing others the opportunity to help and love you, and steeling your spirit towards living rather than just existing.

Choosing joy is choosing to do the possible while expecting the impossible!

This little life lesson today was the inspiration behind this:

Uncle Jerry's tweed/wool cushion (18")

Something that brings me pure joy is working with recycled textiles, or rather, re-purposing unwanted, discarded textiles into something that makes me smile!

A while back I was given a scrap bag of tweed & wool. YUM!  These textiles are so wonderfully tactile and there's something very comforting about wool based fabrics.

Uncle Jerry's cushion 18"

This 18" cushion will be given to my great Uncle on Christmas day!  It took less than an evening to make, but totally lifted my spirits! 

My girls have also fallen in love with it so it looks like I'm going to have to make a few more for ourselves! 

It's wonderful when joy is infectious!!  So whether you are dreading a day with the out in-laws, are far away from family and friends, or experiencing Christmas without a loved one, I pray that you can find strength and courage to choose joy this season.

Wishing you all a joy-filled Christmas.

Jxo

27 comments:

  1. That's the spirit, Judith. Hugs! ♥

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  2. Wow! That is a great post Jude! You are a tremendous person with great strength and courage! I am sure that you can ! An inspiration to all of us!

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  3. Beautiful post Jude. I wish you much joy in the year ahead, my dear friend. Di x

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  4. Lovely post :) and lovely cushion! hope you have a merry Christmas :) oh and are there any spaces left on the Irish chain quilt class

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  5. beautiful, both the post and the cushion. Merry Christmas Judith. You're such an inspiration.

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  6. Oh Judith...you've done it!! Lived through one of the hardest lessons that life can throw at us, learnt and grown from it, and such an inspiration to your daughters and the rest of us. I truly wish you the warmest and most joyful Christmas ever.....may all your dreams come true. Hugs. xx

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  7. Hi Judith! very wise words, Judith! Often life doesn't go the way we thought and there can be many kind of difficulties. Then it is most important to remember to enjoy the good things and not mourn over the bad things. This year I didn't have time or space to make Christmas but I'm happy to be healthy, in our little cottage with our 2 furry fiends. And I don't feel cold this winter because I have all the time hot flashes! Hugs and Happy Holidays to you and the girls! x Teje

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  8. Thank you for a beautifully written, uplifting and inspiring post xxx

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  9. our boys always loved the chorus "be brave be strong" and it is good to have singing through your brain at difficult times. Hope Christmas is good for you and the girls and 2014 is a year with new opportunities challenges and life experiences.

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  10. Beautiful post, Jude. You have more strength than most people I know. And more joy. Love the cushion. Such beautiful, tactile fabrics. A very merry Christmas to you and the girls.

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  11. I loooove wool. Have a great Christmas.

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  12. I wish you a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones. I hope you have all the loved ones around you! Happy Christmas

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  13. Amen to that Jude. Have a fabulous Christmas x

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  14. It is a choice. Well said and thanks for the reminder. Merry Christmas and every happiness in the new year. Hugs x

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  15. Such a lovely blog post! Every word is true! Have a lovely Christmas! Eat and drink and be merry xx

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  16. You are the best, I am so proud to call you my friend! I hope you have the best holiday ever, I know your uncle will be loving his cushion.

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  17. Thank you for such wonderful words, it has been a tough year (and yesterday it got even tougher) and I am looking forward to 2014 but like you I do have so much to be thankful for, thank for the reminder. Have a wonderful time with your lovely girls. xx

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  18. This is a wonderful post, and very timely for many of us too. The cushion is fab, I really like the purple fabric in the top corner. Thank you for a great year on the blog. Happy Christmas.

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  19. Beautiful cushion, and lovely sentiment :o)

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  20. Well done, Judith! You're an inspiration to us all, in very many ways! xx

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  21. Thanks for reminding us to be courageous and to try and choose Joy at this time, even when that is hard. Hope you have a lovely Christmas!

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  22. You are a joy to know and knowing how hard it is for you to sometimes make that choice is truelly encouraging. Looking forward to a new year of fun, learning and laughter with you. Love the cushion . xo

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  23. Enjoy the day, Enjoy your girls

    Hugs
    xx

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  24. What a lovely post, and you're quite right to say it's important to focus on the good rather than the bad/different, there is always someone else worse off than you. :o)

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