Happy Birthday Ghia! Today’s Small Steps is a story of the creation of the Zulu people and a celebration of the great plan of Happiness! Come walk with us on this creative spiritual journey! 

Sandy bone Yani, my friends, and

welcome to the creative spirit children.

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Journey podcast.

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And duty also known assist to Cooley

here on our mission in South Africa.

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I'm your guide for today?

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Small steps Where I share small steps

to help you press forward with Christ

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in this wonderful journey of life.

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Today, small step episode is

scheduled to be posted on May 30th.

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Which is a day of celebration.

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What, what holiday you're asking

if you've listened to any of our

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previous episodes, you know, Ghia.

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She's chosen to walk

deliberately through life.

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She's taking us on a journey of

celebrations and with things of

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nature, like the moon and flowers.

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So in honor of Ghia, Today's small

step is the creation of happiness.

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I want to begin by

wishing a happy birthday.

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The, uh, today is the celebration.

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today's her birthday.

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Her beginning.

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She is my sister-in-law.

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We are both married to

the crazy Coolie boys.

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She's an amazing wife.

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Mother grandmother, auntie.

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And she's my backpacking buddy.

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She's been a river guide.

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She's a maker of bread.

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She's a true homesteader,

a Weaver of baskets.

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She spins wool into yarn.

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She's an herbalist and a naturalist.

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She's also an amazing author

She's an amazing friend.

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And I'm sure what you've noticed listening

to her is that she is a storyteller.

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So as my gift to her for her birthday

is I'm going to tell the story.

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Of the creation of the Zulu people.

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my husband and I Have begun.

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is the Zulu language lessons

and It's been really fun.

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one of the first things she introduced

us to was the creation story.

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of The Zulu the African people.

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And so this is a story that

has been passed down from mouth

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to mouth, from generation.

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Degeneration.

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And it tells how the ancestors

of all the plants and animals.

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And humanity began from a single source.

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So, if you don't mind, I'm going

to read this from Khan academy.

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At first, there was nothing, but

darkness earth was a lifeless rock,

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but in that darkness dwell to God.

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quanty whose voice was like the thunder.

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And when angered would shake

the world with earthquakes.

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And willing to Quani

created a single seed.

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He went to the earth.

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The seed was the very first life

from which all other life descended.

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It landed in the soil and

sprouted into a long read.

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The read, dropped more seeds, which

fell off and grew into even more reads.

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This continued until they covered

a massive swamp in the north.

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The land called

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at the end of one read, there

grew a man whose name was

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Known as the first ancestor.

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The great one.

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Very small.

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At first he grew so large and heavy

that he snapped off the end of

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the Reed walking across the land

of He noticed man and women were

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sprouting at the ends of other reads.

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He picked him up from the reads.

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These people were the first humans,

the ancestors of all nations,

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and they spread across the earth.

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The great one, continued

To walk among the reeds.

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He plucked off a ball of fire and around

glowing stone and flung them into the sky.

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These were the sun and the moon light.

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Came to the world.

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He saw many forms of life growing

at the end of other reads, he

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gathered the fish and flung them

into rivers and fields and forest.

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And they began to grow.

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So we harvested birds and antelope

and they darted Into the wild.

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He picked cattle.

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So they could be used by humans.

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The great one, also plucked

from the reeds fierce lions and

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other beasts that were traveled.

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The lands hunting prey.

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He also harvested a goddess.

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A beautiful woman.

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Maresa.

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A beautiful woman who

created rain and rainbows.

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And who invented farm to give

the zoo the gift of beer.

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one of the final acts of the

great one was the most tragic.

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He plucked the first chameleon off the

Reed and sent it to get the humans, the

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following message, man mess not die.

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with the words of the great one

human would become immortal.

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And fortunately the chameleon

was slow and lazy in his journey.

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And the great one grew in patient and

plucked a different lizard from the read.

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This lizard was fast and quick and arrived

to give the word to the humans, but the

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lizard did not bear the same instructions.

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Instead, this lizard under

the words, men must die.

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So from that day, humans became mortal.

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It is said that chameleons

change colors because they are

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so ashamed, their ancestors were

not fast enough to spare mankind.

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The creation of death.

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Isn't that a beautiful story.

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You can just.

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Imagine.

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The first man and woman

walking through the reeds.

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What's interesting is the word Zulu.

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Actually needs the heavens.

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So the place that we live

in is KwaZulu, natal.

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Which means the place.

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Where the people of the

heavens the Zulus live.

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I'm not going to get into the

creation story that we know also

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well from the scriptures, the Bible,

the book of Moses, the temple.

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As well as, What prophets have said,

and the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

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I want to talk about

this plan of happiness.

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We all lived in.

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The heavens before we were born.

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That's premortal life with our heavenly

mother and our heavenly father.

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And although this memory

is withheld from us.

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You shouted for joy when given the

privilege of coming to this earth.

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To receive a body and to follow

God's plan of happiness for you.

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Sometimes.

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It's not all that happy.

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There's opposition in this plan.

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There's light and dark and.

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Sorrow and pain as well as joy.

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And we are to learn

from our own experiences

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I want to tell you about an

experience we've had here on

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our mission that involves.

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Birthday celebration.

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So we have made some

beautiful friends here.

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And one of 'em.

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A gentleman, it was his birthday

and he sent a text out to.

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Elder Cooley because

they're like brothers.

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And he just said he wanted to cancel.

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Any meetings this week is C it

was going to be his birthday

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and he was feeling very down.

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Cause he.

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Was feeling a little

despondent about how is life.

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It was going and just.

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wanted to.

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Be left alone.

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And.

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We quickly called some of the

elders that are in his branch

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that he works with and they.

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Called their friends who

called their friends.

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You know, it works.

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And they put together a beautiful

surprise birthday party form.

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We weren't able to be there.

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Because of some other obligations, but

we went to visit him that night and.

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He literally floated out to the car.

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Uh, to tell us about his

birthday celebration.

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And we went in and.

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Gave him our birthday treats and

he, uh, Told us his story and.

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It was very touching.

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Aye.

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Grew to love him even more

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And.

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My empathy For him grew and.

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Has a little boy he never

felt wanted or loved.

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And.

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His birthdays were never celebrated.

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And this was his first.

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Birthday party.

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And.

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That just broke my heart because I

think of all the joys that I've had in

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celebrating our family's birthdays and.

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Loved ones, birthdays

and friends, birthdays.

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And.

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His life certainly.

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Needed to be celebrated.

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And.

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That Taught me a great

lesson that not all of us.

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Understand or get to live this plan

of happiness And it's our duty.

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As one another's brothers and sisters.

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To seek out and find those souls.

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That need to be celebrated.

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So.

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My invitation to you.

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And celebration of Tia's birthday.

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And.

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the Creation of this plan of happiness.

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Go Find joy today.

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Wake up.

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Maybe take some time to roll out of bed.

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Start with prayer and meditation.

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Drinko warm cup of herbal tea.

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Hug someone.

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Go for a walk.

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See, if you can find a beautiful flower.

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Listen to the birds.

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Look up.

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And see at the sky.

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Maybe there's that full moon

still floating in the daylight.

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Maybe create a gift.

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To give to someone.

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Just live today.

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To its fullest.

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And celebrate.

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The happiness.

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As well as the sorrow, because

it's part of the journey.

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And I promise you.

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That as you choose again, just

like he chosen the premortal life.

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To shout for joy.

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You will find it.

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Happy birthday Ghia.

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. I love you.

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And I invite you my friends to come walk

with Christ And I'll see you on the trail.

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And if you know someone that needs

some light shined on their path,

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please share this with them Thanks.

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My friends.