Tattered Goods and Joy to the World

I was so excited when I arrived home tonight to find

my recent purchase from Tattered Goods.

 

I'm not a fabric person and know absolutely

nothing about sewing.

I can't even sew on a button,

for heaven's sake.

 

In my neck of the woods, when someone is

completely insane or just a little "backwards,"

as my mama would say, or rather has no clue,

we say,

"Bless her heart."

Because my daddy said,

"If you can't something nice about someone, don't say anything at all."

 

So some of you may be saying,

"Bless her heart,"

because I have no clue

whatsoever!

 

But this cloth is so soft, so pretty, so White Lace and Promise,

so farmhousey (Spell check says this is not a word!)

and yet so elegant.

My sister-in-law would call it

"Rustic Eloquence."

 

Either way, it's BEEEEaUUUUtiful!

 

 

But as beautiful as it is, I find more beauty in the message, 

JOY  to the World.

 

Been thinking alot these days about Christmas.

 

This week in Sunday School, everyone was asked to share what Christmas meant to them.

In the midst of the joy of the season, there is always sadness.

 

I listened with tissue in hand as my brothers and sisters shared their hearts.

 

Grieving over lost loved ones, a brother, a brother-in-law, and most recently, a dad.

 

A mom worries about her son in prison.

 

A young fresh-out-of-college teacher worries about the little ones in her classroom

who will have no Santa.

 

A father will face a Christmas without his son who is in Afghanistan fighting for our country.

 

Dismissed from a job after 25 years of service..

 

 D-I-V-O-R-C-E...

 

 awaiting the birth of a baby with uncertainty...

 

past loss, no joy, and brokeness...

 

The list goes on and on...

 

I don't know about you, but I can't dismiss pain.

I see it in a tear, a slumped shoulder, a head held down,

brokeness...

It's real.

To pretend it isn't there, is to do one an injustice.

 

so,

Where is the JOY?

 

 

 

 

The place I find hope, peace and joy...

 

THE BOOK!

 

It's where I find comfort for a broken heart.

It's where I find peace in the midst of confusion.

It's where I exchange my fear for hope and love.

 

 

It's where I find Jesus, my joy.

 

Hope you'll find JOY this season.

May God wrap His love around you

and may you experience His presence

in This, His Season.

He is The ONLY Reason for the Season!

 

Bonnie:)

 

P.S.  On a lighter note...

 a friend commented,

"When someone gets an attitude during this time of year, say to them,

'It's not YOUR birthday!'"

 

Visit Tattered Goods at

tatteredgood.blogspot.com

or

www.tatteredgoods.com

 

GREAT FINDS!