It Is Finished

"It is finished". Ah, those words can bring relief. I think of many situations in which "it is finished" marks an end to something long, laborious or difficult. In most recent history, we have said "it is finished" to 2009. This completion was celebrated by most with an exuberant countdown marked with a renewed sense of anticipation and excitement for something good to come. We usually approach the end of a year with a time of reflecting on our successes and failures and hopes and dreams for what the next year may hold.

Graduation is another moment in time when the completion of something lends itself to the anticipation of something good. The labor of education is over, complete, finished. Walking across the platform with right hand extended to receive that piece of paper that proclaims "it is finished" creates an upsurge of joy that can fill your heart. Suddenly all of the work that went into that diploma is replaced with a sense of accomplishment and promise of something great to come.

Likewise, I can remember after the very long and difficult birth of my son, repeating the words, "it's done, it's finished" over and over again. It was in that moment that the completion of nearly 10 months of pregnancy had culminated to this incredible pinnacle of time that held both great relief and great anticipation. Yes, it was finished....and yet it had just begun.

While all of these things can have great significance in our lives, there is nothing that compares to the moment in time when Christ uttered the very words "it is finished" from the cross. In that exact moment in time, Christ took all of history, all of the very present, and all of the future and completed the transaction needed to save the world from sin, once and for all. I have heard some say that they feel as though they are heaping more sin on Christ's head when they sin. To this I most heartily disagree. While I believe it grieves the Lord when we sin, I also believe that when He said, "it is finished", there was nothing more that needed to be done. He did not say "it is finished for now", or "it is finished for awhile". The task of taking my sin (all of my sin), your sin (all of it) and the sin of the world (all of it) was complete.

And not unlike the previous examples, I can't help but imagine the great sense of anticipation and promise that came with those very words. In that moment when the veil was torn and the ground heaved in a violent sigh of relief, creation knew that the finishing work of salvation was complete. And, because of this, I now have a choice.

Because He said, "it is finished", I can now say, "I have begun".

Holiday Frenzy

My heart goes out to many who find that the holidays bring to the heart sadness, loneliness, disappointments......anything other then the expected feelings of joy and good cheer. I love Christmas but have found that the stress of buying the perfect gifts on a shoestring budget, making sure that I have forgotten no one, and making plans to visit family and friends tends to leave me feeling overwhelmed instead of cheerful. The past couple of days, I have noticed my anxiety levels rise as I am trying to coordinate the calendar - my biggest source of holiday malaise. I am a people person - nothing gives me more joy then spending time with those that I love. What to do when there just isn't enough time in a day or in a "vacation" to see and do all that my heart longs to???

The biggest thing I do not want to do in the midst of all of the extras we have attached to Christmas is forget why it is that we celebrate. I celebrate Christmas because it the recognition of the birth of my Savior, Jesus Christ. He came in the simplest of ways - born in a stable - resting in an animal feeding trough - wrapped in loose cloths. Yes, He was celebrated in the heavenly realms as the angels sang for joy over the quiet sheep-lined hills. It is a joyful time! I must recapture that joy and eliminate expectations that rob that joy! GOOD NEWS OF GREAT JOY - A SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN! AMEN! Ahhh, the peace is stored to my anxious heart!

Missing Mom

Tonight I am missing my Mom.

She has been gone 10 1/2 years. In some ways it feels like a lifetime ago that she left this place and other times, just yesterday. I miss her laugh....it was a laugh that came from the depth of her being. I miss hearing her say my name. She had a way of saying it that always made me feel like I was her favorite person in the world. I miss hearing her tell me about a book she was reading. She was an avid reader and could easily read 2 or 3 books in a week. I miss seeing the delight in her eyes as she would tell me about something funny she read or heard. I miss smelling the aromas of her cooking - especially during the holidays. I remember waking to the smells of celery and onion on Thanksgiving morning as she was busy stuffing the turkey. She was a splendid cook, and we all relished enjoying the bounty of her hands on holidays. I miss what could have been. I miss that she has never laid eyes on my daughters. I know that she would delight in Emily's tender spirit and in Olivia's spunky "girly" spirit. I know she would laugh at Chad's jokes and be amazed at how grown up he is becoming. I miss hearing her words of wisdom as she always knew the right thing to tell me when I was anxious or upset about something. I miss having a mother. I miss talking about her in the present. I miss her physical presence in my life. I miss you Mom!

Hope-Bearers

My eyes have been opened. No longer do I live in a community and NOT see the vast needs that exist right inside our own borders. Right under our noses. Before my opportunity to step inside the world of the hurting, hungry, destitute, I lived ignorantly. It changes you to witness the hunger (physical and spiritual) and destitution. I can no longer drive the streets of this community admiring the well-manicured lawns and not think about the depth of needs that exist.

While I am saddened by this awareness for many reasons, I am compelled to speak out, to act upon those feelings. I realize that my own needs seem to diminish in intensity in my awareness that some are wondering where they will rest their heads tonight or what they will find to fill their baby's tummy. It is easy for us to make assumptions as to what caused the predicament. Is it laziness, wastefulness, undisciplined selves? Understanding the "whys" are important. Don't get me wrong. To meet needs without rooting out the cause only enables neediness. But, have we grown accustomed to assuming and excusing our lack of compassion? What if we assumed something different? What if we assumed that with some compassion, with some of our lives poured out into theirs, a change can happen?

I am called, as a Christian, to be a hope-bearer. Not an assumption maker. I must be willing to share my hope in order that someone else may find theirs. We have bought into the notion that individual is best. That handling things on our own is the brave thing to do. And, sadly to some, that we are entitled to better. None of these are true. We were created with a need for community. We were created for connection with others. And, none of us is entitled to anything but what God has willed in our lives. The sense of entitlement, from what I have witnessed, is a great source of heartache amongst many of the needy. Yes, there is a huge chasm in our world that exists between the poor and the wealthy. What gets us into trouble is when we think to ourselves, "they owe me", "they have to give me what I am lacking". In a sense it is a reaching and grabbing motion with the hands instead of a position of palms up, waiting to receive.

The fact of the matter is that there will always be poverty. There will always be those who have much and those who do not and varying degrees inbetween. Does that abdicate our responsibility to have compassion? Or to step up and offer what we can of ourselves to give someone else hope? Absolutely not! For those of us who know from where our hope comes from, we need to share! It isn't something we are supposed to keep for ourselves. For hope grows when we share it. As we are reaching out to feed the hungry and clothe the poor, I need to remember this.....to take opportunity to feed the souls too. At the core of every human being is a place that is empty without God. A place designed and created for God alone. If I, who knows this to be true and has experienced the life-giving presence of God in my life, am not willing to tell someone this, then I am not a hope-bearer. I will have failed my responsibility, failed my destiny.

Catchin' Up

Well, summer has passed us by, and life has moved from a moderate pace to crazy. I have a first grader, third grader, and sixth grader this year. Wow! I feel old. Chad has been very busy with football and acclimating to Middle School. Quite nicely, I gratefully admit.

Where does time go? Really! I was having a discussion about time with a friend last week. She said something that made so much sense. When we are young, say single digit age, time seemed to pass by so slowly. And, as we all have felt, the older we get, the faster time seems to travel.
She once heard someone say that when someone is four, a year is a quarter of his or her life. When someone is 40, a year is 1/40 of his or her life. Wow - the simplicity of that statement.

Needless-to-say, I have been contemplating time. Chad and I were conversing today about Heaven. He is worried that he will be bored in Heaven because of the fact that it is forever. Don't you just love the innocence of childhood? I sure do! I remember thinking the same thing. Perhaps never speaking it out loud, but the thought crossed my mind. I remember a choir director of mine saying that we would be singing all the time in Heaven and thinking, UGH! I like to sing, but not all of the time. Anyway, my response to my son went something like this.

Imagine a place where there is nothing bad. Nothing. No ill feelings at all. Nothing to make us feel lacking or wanting or pain. Think of a time that was so fun that you wished it would never end. Capture that fleeting moment and imagine that feeling for eternity. See, we can hardly grasp such a possibility, but it will be. Heaven is completely void of anything bad. Our connection with our Creator completely restored. Pure joy. I reassured him that it isn't anything to dread or worry about, and I reassured him that his feelings are normal.

God is so good and we can't fathom that. Yes, we try to wrap our temporal brains around Him, but we can't. We project our own disappointments, failures, inadequacies on God by blaming Him when life doesn't go our own way. But, our projections do not change Him, not even one iota. I am so grateful for that. I am so grateful to know that in the midst of uncertainty, sadness, and disappointment in life, I have a deep resonating hope. He is who He says He is, and He does what He says He will do. And He is creating a place for me in My Father's house where I will one day fellowship with My Creator and My Savior. Hallelujah! AMEN!

Kid Funnies

Here are some kid funnies!

Olivia:
(age 4) - apparently Olivia had heard things on the news that she didn't quite understand about the weather. #1: Tornadoes were heard as Tomatoes #2: "Tomatoes" had "eyes" (weatherman must have said, "eye of the tornado") #3: stay clear of the windows

Now, fast forward to the tornado (tomato?) siren sounding. This is my sweet terrified 4-year old: "Mommy, quick, the tomato is coming! And hurry, move away from the window, it is going to see us and come and get us". (How sad is that!!!)

(age 5)- One day my friend was playing the game "Farkle" on Facebook. Olivia responds: "Farkle....that sounds like a bad word....in MY head."

Emily:
(age 2)- One morning, while laying in her crib, says to me as I am getting her up, "Mama, do you have a little bit of chocolate?" (I am not kidding, she said it word for word)

(age 3)- "Mommy, I am going to marry my blankie when I grow up"

(age 4)- "When I grow up, I am going to live right next to grandma and grandpa. You can come visit me there if you want."


Chad:
(age 2)- Out in the flower garden one day, Chad was digging with his little plastic shovel. As it begins to sprinkle, he crinkles his nose, looks up at the sky and asks, "hey God, you do that?"

(age 3)- When asked where his daddy works, he responds: "my daddy works at church. My mommy is the cooker and babysitter".

(age 4)- In the drive-thru line at McDonalds, Daddy was getting frustrated. Chad, from the back seat responds: "Daddy, just take a few deep 'breath-ez', that always helps me."

Difficult Days

It has been a long time since I have posted anything. There has been much going on that has left me feeling at a loss for words. The fragility of life is before me right now. I have been following a little girl on CaringBridge who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor - a very aggressive one and one that is located in such a way that they could not fully remove it with surgery. She is a trooper and at the same age as my Olivia. Makes me feel so sad for this family. Most recently, my dearest friends in the world are going through a deeply painful experience. It is a dark time for them, and as friends, for us as well.

I have been contemplating this over the past days and considering what it means to walk alongside someone who is hurting. There are moments as you shoulder hard times with someone that you feel so completely helpless. In my helplessness, I want to run. I somehow want that helplessness to travel with me to be left far from the situation. For me then to return with a solution. But, I have come to accept that simply being present has a component of comfort that cannot be adequately expressed. To you my precious friends, I tell you that I am present. That I am available to support and comfort in any way that I can. And, that I will indeed not run but remain, prayerfully awaiting God's plans to unfold before us, and anticipating the jubilant dance that follows good news! I love you all!

Frogs and Snails and.....Honey Pots

I know they say that the "twos" are "terrible". But, aren't they also delightful? These little people are learning to navigate their worlds independently, with lots of tumbles and hilarious misuses of the English language (I am assuming that this is universal, so any language, really). Sometimes I have thought that the cuteness and hilarity are the rewards that propel us to continue on each day in expectancy of yet another reward. Joy in the journey.

One of the things I have enjoyed so much in motherhood is that we get to delight in childhood toys once again. When my son was born, I went crazy for Winnie-The-Pooh. And, fortunately for me, it was everywhere. Hmmm.....there is something to be said for the enticements of marketing and advertising. Anyway, I was thrilled to bring home books and toys that brought me back to a happy place in my childhood. I would spend hours with my little boy encountering the "Hundred Acre Wood" in story and play. Piglet, Tigger, Roo, Eeyore (to name a few favorites), picnics and adventures filled with friends and honey pots. Needless to say, Winnie-The-Pooh was a part of our lives back then.

One day, while driving the familiar 40 minutes to Grandma and Grandpa's house, our son was nestled safely in his car seat and seemingly quiet in his thoughts. Out of the quietness of the moment, a little voice in the backseat says "Daddy, you my best fwwwiend", with all the tenderness a little two-year old could muster. Deeply touched by the sweetness of the moment, I say, "awww, Chaddy, that is so nice to say. Am I your best friend too?" "No," he replies, with a similar tenderness and thoughtful pause.........."Yooou my honey pot!" Glorious reward!

just thoughts

Been awhile since I have written anything. I have some anxiety filling my thoughts and heart today. I hate the strangling feeling that anxiety has at it twists and tightens around my chest and throat. Tonight I am nervous about a job interview I have tomorrow. I am disappointed that my business venture hasn't replaced my lost income, and yet feel grateful that this new opportunity has been given to me. It seems that no matter how old I get, interviewing NEVER feels good. So, I am praying for peaceful thoughts tonight and doing my best to distract. Writing feels like a good release tonight.

Favorite things:

spending time with cherished people, laughing, reading a great book, watching a great movie, smelling something yummy baking, looking at things of beauty, listening to the songs of nature, sharing memories, hugs, singing, big fluffy clouds, fireworks, watching decorating shows, watching cooking shows with Emily, Olivia's kisses, Chad's jokes, Barry's laugh, getting lost in moments of realizing how big God is and how small I am (along with my problems), hearing the purr of my cat (although she is very intense after being alone so long), decorating my house, finding a solution to a problem, discovering something new and delightful...........

Wow, that will snap you out of funk - jotting down favorite things makes you smile as you think about positive things - try it for yourself!

Of Mice and My Man

My tender heart has caused some problems in our marriage. One Fall, in a small town in Minnesota where we called home, we were visited by some friends. These were really quiet house guests, didn't ask for anything, and seemed to respect our privacy. In fact, they were so shy that we didn't even know they were there. That is, until one night.





As we were sitting in the living room one evening watching the news, out of the corner of my eye I saw him (or her) scurry down the hall and into the kitchen. Eeeeeeeeek! You guessed it, a little mouse. After searching every inch of the kitchen, we never saw where this little guy went. The busyness of the next day lent itself to forgetfulness. But, like clockwork, at the exact same time during the nightly news, our little house guest emerged and followed the same path into the kitchen.




Hence, the beginning of our marriage problems.





After a rather emotional conversation, Barry was off to Wal-mart for a live trap. If you haven't ever heard of such a thing, yes, they do exist. It is a little plastic box that traps the mouse in while preserving its life - no poisons, glue or violent snaps. Then you can kindly take the mouse and transplant it away from your house. Plan in motion.





We placed the trap in the path that we had witnessed this little guy taking, and voila! The first night out, he was trapped. Cute little guy. (My dearest friend is squirming right now if she is reading this - mouse lover she is not!). Anyway, hubby takes the trap and walks across the street to an open field and lets the mouse out. Ah, I can rest peacefully knowing that we didn't harm the little guy and most importantly that he was out of our house! However, the very next night (you guessed it, during the evening news), behold.....the mouse was back. Or, much to my disgust, a cousin perhaps of the one we just freed. So, trap in place, we caught him yet that very night. This time, hubby decided to walk a bit farther away, in case it was the first one that had returned. Freedom unfurled again.



Can you believe that this happened again a couple days later? We were completely dumbfounded and disgusted. Press repeat on all of it (ALL of it), except this time my dear husband was RESOLVED to get this mouse FAR away from our house. It literally was 1:00 a.m. when we heard the rattling inside that little plastic trap. "Barry, we got him. Can you please go let it go?" Much to his displeasure, he climbed out of the warm bed to head out into the brisk Fall night and release this mouse. This nemesis that had come into our lives and refused to leave. You see, we really didn't want to believe that we had three mice in our house. Much easier on the psyche to think that this mouse loved being a house guest, that it found its way back each time. That faulty assumption is what led to the next series of events.





Armed with the trap, van keys, and determination, my Beloved sets off to teach this mouse a lesson. Being the wee hours of the morning, the options were endless. Not a soul in site. He drives for awhile and finds the perfect spot. A grassy field just outside of town! Alas! Surely this mouse will not come back from here! Grabbing the trap and using only the light of the moon and a distant street lamp, release and freedom for the mouse is moments away. The mouse, seemingly very attached to our family and clinging to entrapment, does not come out easily. A quick jiggle of the trap and finally he is released. Whew! Hubby thinks little of the gentle thump he felt on his leg after releasing the house guest and climbs back in the van to head home to his warm bed and sweet dreams. All the while grumbling under his breath about how annoying his wife's tender heart can be at times.





"What was that?", he thinks, as panic starts to rise. "What is that tickle on the back of my leg?" His heart starts to race as he remembers the thump. "Hmmmm......could it be?" "Nah"......he keeps driving. "There it is again! OH NO!" Without a second thought, he has swerved the van to a stop on the side of the road (now in town and under full street lamps), whipped off his sweat pants and stands shaking his pants violently, adorned in skivvies, socks and shoes. Realizing his vulnerable predicament, gives the pants one more shake, tosses them in the back of the van (of course NOT willing to put them on again) and heads home. Anger and disgust filling his thoughts and blazing out of his eyes, I see him trudge up the sidewalk of our home, still adorned without pants, empty trap in hand.......

......lucky for ALL of us (mouse included), this was end of our house guest problems. Prudent for our marriage that I abdicated mouse disposal techniques to his discretion.

Daunting Day

My day before me feels daunting. I really hate the feeling that sometimes hits me as my eyes open at first light. Reality of what lies ahead comes crashing all around me forcing out the feeling that blissful sleep has cocooned me in during the night.

Let's see: finish laundry, pull out suitcases to start putting in the clean laundry, begin straightening the house so that we can come home to organization (so that our chaos of reentry won't be met with more chaos), hair cuts for Emily and myself, get vehicle cleaned out and ready for guest travelers, figure out what entertainment items need to be packed for kiddos. Hmmm, feels like I am forgetting something. Oh yes, I need to create a check list for myself (on real paper) so that I don't have that nagging feeling of forgetting something.

I best not spend any more time enjoying myself on this computer, my day is too short!

Fine-Feathered Friends

Writing is such an incredible release for me! I am loving having a venue to jot thoughts! Somehow getting it out on paper (so to speak) opens more space in my mind. Ahhhhh, I love it!

So, I am thinking about birds tonight. Have you ever considered how many species of birds exist? It is quite staggering. I give credit to my mother for my love and fascination with birds (and nature for that matter). We had a bird feeder in our backyard while I was growing up and a bird book on the coffee table near the picture window. Many times we would excitedly take the book and try to discover what new bird was visiting the feeder. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Purple Finches, American Goldfinches, and Evening Grosbeaks were some that caused excitement when they first visited us. Stunningly beautiful. Stunningly unique. Thanks Mom for instilling in me an appreciation for nature and for God who created it - I miss you!

Elastic Hearts

Motherhood, is there anything else quite like it? Have you ever known your heart to be so incredibly elastic? There are moments in raising my children that I wonder if it truly will burst this time, as it stretches and swells beyond its borders. I remember gazing into my son's eyes when he was about 2 months old, those colbalt blue wonders, and feeling lost in hopeless abandon to the love I felt for this little child. And, wondering if my heart could survive the massive expansion as the second child arrived and third. Miraculous how God contructed our hearts to love deeper and wider with every opportunity to love.

Mothering my children has opened my eyes in a new dimension, given me insight into the love of God and to His massive heart. Where my heart has conditions (whether I like to admit that or not), His does not. How quickly my bursting heart can collapse and deflate in moments of frustration and anger. I have to choose to love in spite of feelings, where God IS love. There is never a moment that He is not Love. That is why we can completely trust Him. Everything that He does as He parents us is in the context of Love. While certain times in our lives may not feel covered in His Love, we MUST grasp this truth. And we must CHOOSE to believe in the same way that we must CHOOSE to love.

Part Two: Redemption's Tapestry

And dying.......banished from their birthplace, from THE birthplace. Eternally separated from God's presence. The entrance to the garden was blocked from reentry so that they could never return. Isn't this what they deserved for their disobedience? Was God cruel and harsh? After all, why throw them out of the only place they knew? Wasn't being naked and ashamed punishment enough?

Was it punishment or was the stage now set for grace and redemption? Think with me about the necessity of the banishment. Why was it that God could not allow Adam and Eve to remain in their birthplace? Oh yes, it has to do with the Trees. Two trees were of enormous significance in the garden. We all remember the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The tree that was off limits and used of the serpent to temp and entice, snare and ravage. But, there is a second tree. The Tree of Life. Eating of this tree meant remaining in your present state, forever. In humanity's case, separated from God. Banishment from the garden was God's love and protection in action. It was so vital to God's plan of redemption that they not eat of that tree, that He placed a guard with a flaming sword outside the garden blocking its entrance.

For you see, redemption was set into motion. Redemption that would be woven through the tapestry of history until another tree comes into view. The Tree of Life that held our Savior, Jesus Christ. The One who bridged the chasm that once separated Creator from His creation. The One who will bring us full circle back to the fellowship and connectedness with Himself we were created for. Who can fathom the breadth and heighth of the love that God has for us!

Part One: Where ARE You? Genesis 3

Have you ever stopped and pondered what the Garden of Eden was really like? Earth in its glory. Perfection. God walking through the garden in the cool of the day. What was that like? What was it like for Adam and Eve to walk along in the cool of the day with God? I love that image. Fellowship and connectedness at its finest. What did they talk about? Did they marvel together at the "goodness" of what they beheld in that Utopia? I believe so.

Now, ponder for a moment the tragic turn of events as God meandered through the Garden. "Where ARE you?" he called out. The connection and fellowship broken. Did He ask because He didn't know that His prized creations were hiding and peering out from behind that bush? Or was He calling them out because they were behaving as never before, painfully aware of their nakedness and deeply ashamed? Oh, the crushing pain in that question, Where ARE you? For the first time, a chasm existed between Creator and created. A chasm that leaves creation unplugged from its source, writhing in unfulfilled potential and intention. And dying............................

A Symphony of Fireflies

I remember as a child the magic of Fireflies dancing in an open meadow at my sister's house. It was a stunning display of flickering lights that made the night seem somehow whimsical instead of frightening. We were all gathered one year, as we did annually, to delight in fireworks that my brother-in-law smuggled into the state (as it was not legal to have fireworks in Minnesota). As we were waiting for our entertainment to begin, we looked out to the meadow in front of us and saw a display of little green flickering lights like I had never seen before. It was almost a symphony of lights, random and breathtaking. We laughed with delight to see what looked like millions of Fireflies doing their best to "open the show" for us that night. A memory I will treasure forever!

For the Love of a Cat

I love my cat Maisy! She is a beautiful calico cat with very unique markings and gorgeous blue eyes. I love watching her as she lays stretched out on the bay window watching the birds at the feeder and soaking up the warm rays of sun coming in. I love to hear her purr as she nestles underneath my chin (one of her favorite perches). I love to hear the jingle of her little bell on her collar as she comes running at the sound of my voice. I really love that I can press my nose into her fur and she smells like nothing at all! Ahhh, the joys of being a cat owner!

Brand New

There is something rather intimidating about starting something new. Be it a new job, a relationship, motherhood....even this blog page. I thought it would be a fun way to write, something that I have always wanted to do. So, here I go!

It has been a long-time inkling in my heart to write something and title it Kaleidoscope Wisdom.

Why? What do you you think of when you come across the word Kaleidoscope? I think of a myriad of colors swirling and beautiful. I think of, depending on how you capture light, shadows and brilliance dancing before my eyes. I love sparkling, shimmering colors.

Now, imagine if you will, those colors - the reds, blues, greens, golds, oranges - representing pieces of our lives. For me, red indicating times of strong emotions (both positive and negative), blues representing times of tranquility, greens of productivity. And so on. Our lives, then, being displayed if you will as a Kaleidoscope, ever changing and unique. Even the most difficult or painful moments add to the color of who we are and when mixed in with the other colors, makes for a beautiful image.

When we hold the Kaleidoscope up to the light, the colors are brilliant and beautiful. For me, this represents God. He is the Light. Through Him, the bits and pieces that make up our lives come into clear and brilliant view. Without Him, without the Light, we do not see how each moment in our lives comes together to form beauty. In essence, without Him, it is senseless. He alone takes the shards of red, orange, green. blue, and puts them together into something spectacular, radiated through His light....if we are willing to truly look, we will see.

Where, then, is the Wisdom piece? Well, I thought that this blog may be a spot to share my thoughts on things.....friendship, peace, forgiveness, healing....bits of wisdom gathered from my life and experiences to be shared with those who want it or need it and left behind by those who do not.

I hope it will bring a sense of release for me as I create, and a sense of hope and enjoyment for those who travel to this spot! God bless us all on this incredible journey of life! Thanks for visiting Kaleidoscope Wisdom!