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The Effects of Aging with Special Guest Host Nick L · HAVE FAITH LET IT BEGIN®

• 0:05
  Welcome to Half-Faith, Let It Begin. This is Ariel Santana.
• 0:09
  Can you believe I'm seven years old already? I'm old enough now to introduce my dad.
• 0:15
  Ladies and gentlemen, your host, my dad, Angel Santana.
• 0:21
  Two thousand came and a spark was lit. A testimony raw, it wouldn't quit.
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  His mother's voice, a guiding thread. The angels are with you, she gently said.
• 0:54
  Hello, everyone, and welcome to another edition of Half Faith, Let It Begin.
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  Don't forget, we are live every single, well, you know, pre-recorded,
• 1:02
  but yet somewhat live weekdays at 621 and now 730 a.m., depending on how early
• 1:07
  I can get that out for you.
• 1:09
  My name is Angel Santana, and as always, thank you for making us a part of your day.
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  Now, whether you're listening on your morning commute, talking or walking,
• 1:17
  or just looking for a little encouragement, we're grateful that you're here.
• 1:21
  Today's episode is going to be a little different because I'm excited about it.
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  Very excited because joining me, as always, is our special guest host and my
• 1:29
  good friend. We know him as the professor here at the Have Faith, Let It Begin show.
• 1:33
  We call him Professor Nick, who brings a unique perspective throughout conversation
• 1:39
  and willingness to tackle topics that affect every one of us.
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  Today, together, we're going to have an honest discussion about something that
• 1:48
  we all experience, but don't always talk about openly. And that's the effects of aging.
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  And I don't want to break up what he's got to say, but I would like to just
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  say before I introduce him formally, you know, getting older changes us in many
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  ways. And our bodies change.
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  Our priorities change. Our relationships evolve. And sometimes aging brings
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  joy, wisdom, gratitude.
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  Other times it can bring uncertainty, loss, or fear.
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  But through every single month or season of life, one thing remains consistent, God's faithfulness.
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  With that being said, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to turn it over
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  to our guest host today, Professor Nick. Nick, it's always a pleasure to have you, my friend.
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  Thank you, Angel. And then thank you for the platform that you give me to talk
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  about some things that are on my mind.
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  And this one I've been wanting to talk about for a while because it's something
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  that affects me personally.
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  You know, I'm north of normal retirement age now, and it struck me that,
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  you know, when we're younger.
• 3:00
  You have all kinds of ways to learn about what do you do to prepare yourself
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  for a financial retirement.
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  You have, you know, so much commercials on television from financial advisors about, you know,
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  take a look at our website, pieces of mail that come through almost every day about.
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  Preparing yourself financially for retirement. But no one talks about the physical
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  part of retiring and preparing you for that.
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  Because it's really, at least for me anyway, it's new territory.
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  You don't know what to expect. And when things start to happen to you.
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  You can't you begin to wonder is that normal or is there some something else
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  going on so you don't know you know,
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  certainly you know you get up in the morning now it's a little slower and there's
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  a little more aches and pains when you get up and you know the things that you
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  used to do you're doing them a lot slower,
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  but you know thank god you can still do them at all but i i just you know wanted
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  to kind of express that and I want to relate it.
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  So that's enough about myself and how I'm feeling.
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  I want to relate it to the people who cross our lives, friends,
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  colleagues, family who are on the aging spectrum and kind of what,
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  how do you, how do you, how do you deal with that? How do you interact with it?
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  That's what I want to use the rest of my time for.
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  And I'm going to read a couple of pieces of literature that I've come across.
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  One was written by...
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  An author by the name of Gloria Joyce. And I'm going to read her little interaction here.
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  When I was walking down the 29th Street Beach access in Ocean City,
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  New Jersey, for a day in the sun with my daughter, my arthritic knees made the
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  trek difficult and slow.
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  I stopped multiple times on the path to rest.
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  Cassidy, who's the daughter, happily grabbed my beach bag and chair and soldiered
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  it ahead Promising to secure my chair in the sand,
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  She'd offered to carry my things before we set out, but I refused Now she still
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  helped without so much as a harsh word or,
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  and I told you so My willingness to accept help from others has always been a constant battle.
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  As my daughter walked away, I admonished myself for succumbing to pride yet
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  again, even though the Bible reminds me that pride leads to destruction.
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  I hold tightly to my independence and want to do everything myself.
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  If I'm honest, I sometimes turn down Jesus' help instead of turning to him.
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  Yet I know it's the offering and accepting of kindness that allows both the
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  giver and receiver to grow closer to Jesus.
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  Happily, Jesus never says, I told you so.
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  Next time I will graciously say yes to Jesus and Cassidy.
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  So that's a little, a little anecdote right there.
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  And I want to, I want to add to that something else. And this is from actually
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  the actor, Clint Eastwood, who's pretty much, he's, he's, he's north of 90 years old now.
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  And he's had an awful lot to say about getting old.
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  And I read this writing of his, and it's really amazing how this guy can put
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  all of this into one writing. And I want to read that. It's not going to be long.
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  Aging is not gentle, still present, still here, still watching the world move.
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  But the body that carried you through everything, the wars, the work,
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  the wilderness of youth, begins to ask for more than you can give it.
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  Joints that once complained now speak up in the morning.
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  Eyes that once took in everything now flinch at the light.
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  Breathing, which was never required a single thought, starts needing little pauses.
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  But none of that is the hardest part. The hardest part is the quiet.
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  At a certain age.
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  You reach for the phone and remember,
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  There is no one left to call. The people who knew you when you were young,
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  who remembered the same issues, the same streets, the same faces are gone,
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  one by one, then all at once, until the memories you carry have no one left to share them with.
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  So tell the stories anyway, to whomever will listen,
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  With a little more color Than perhaps the truth deserves With a touch of pride,
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  you've earned And a grief you don't always name,
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  You know the person across from you wasn't there You know they can't feel it
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  like you do But you tell them because the telling is holding on,
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  These stories are not just memories They are the proof that a life was lived,
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  That people were loved That things mattered And if no one asks for them,
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  you offer them anyway Quietly,
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  like setting something down on a table And hoping someone picks it up,
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  Old age is not simply what happens to a face or body It is a memory looking
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  for a place to rest And what an older person needs More than advice,
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  more than solutions more than someone telling them how to feel is simply someone
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  willing to sit down be still and listen not to fix anything just to be there,
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  that is the whole gift and it costs nothing.
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  So, the point that I guess I want to get out to your audience,
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  Angel, is if you have someone in your life like that, an aging parent, a friend, colleague,
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  or just someone who you don't know, and they just want to talk,
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  be kind and listen.
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  And let them talk, let them say what they want to say, because it's their life,
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  worth living that they're speaking about.
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  And it's very important for them to be able to have that ability to express these words to you.
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  So, you know, they're not going to be around forever.
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  I wish my parents were still with us. And, you know, I'm thinking back.
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  You wish that you may have done better, but if you're still lucky enough to
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  have these people around you, let them talk.
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  Let them talk as long as they want. Just sit there and listen because that's all they want.
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  Yeah, so that's basically my thoughts on that.
• 11:02
  Wow. Very well said. Definitely something to think about and to talk about at
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  your dinner table and as we all get together this summer months in the beautiful
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  outdoors when we get great weather.
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  You know, I'll tell you, it made me think, made me appreciate more of what I do have.
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  And, you know, as we come to the end of today's conversation,
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  There is one truth that none of us can escape, and that is that we're all getting older.
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  Every birthday, every gray hair, every new ache and pain is a reminder that
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  time keeps moving forward.
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  And aging is part of life that every one of us will eventually have to come
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  to terms with. We can't stop the clock.
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  We can't relive yesterday. But here's the good news.
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  While our bodies may grow older, our faith can continue to grow stronger.
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  And scripture will remind us, like in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 16,
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  through my memories, right?
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  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
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  That's the promise we hold on to. to. And God continues to renew our hearts,
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  our spirits, and our hope.
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  Faith doesn't erase the wrinkles,
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  take away every ache or turn back the hands of time. What it does is it gives us the,
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  day with courage. And it reminds us that our value isn't found in our age.
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  It's found in one who created us.
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  So a life lived with faith keeps our hearts joyful, our spirits hopeful, and our purpose alive.
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  And it gives us a reason to smile, to serve, to forgive, to love,
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  and to look ahead instead of looking back with regret.
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  So what do we do with all that? No matter if you're 25, 45, 65,
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  95, God still works for you to do. He's got work for you.
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  Your story isn't over. Your testimony still matters. Your prayers still have
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  power. Your wisdom is needed.
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  Your love can still change someone's life.
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  So don't fear growing older, just like Nick said. Don't fear it. Embrace.
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  What you're dealing with. And that is that we're aging. God has you today.
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  Continue learning. Continue laughing. continue loving and continue trusting
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  in him because while the years may add up a heart rooted in christ will never
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  grow old nick you get the final say,
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  i you know you said it you said it summed it up perfectly angel it's,
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  You know, it's our obligation to, I guess, give those in our lives a life who
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  are aging, give them the respect of their life lived.
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  I said that we can still learn a lot from them. They have a lot to give just
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  because their age has got nothing to do with it. And it's important for them.
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  And it's something that I know that is, like you said, rooted in the Bible.
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  Yeah. I agree. Well, I want to thank you for joining me today.
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  Thank you for sharing your thoughts during the conversation.
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  It's been a blessing to have you, of course.
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  Nick is going to come back. We are in a 10-part series right now,
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  and Nick is going to come back, and we're going to have discussions,
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  and we're going to tackle every single episode in those 10-part series.
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  We'll hopefully get Dr. Ian involved as well and get a three-part discussion.
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  I'd love to see a tripod of us on there and maybe anybody else that's willing
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  or wanting to come onto the show. You're always welcome.
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  So to everyone listening, thank you for spending time with us and part of your day with us.
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  If today's episode encouraged you, share it with someone.
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  Share it with someone who may need the reminder that every single day of life has a purpose.
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  So may God be with you. May he shine his light upon you and grant each and every
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  single one of you peace on earth.
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  Until next time, never forget, have faith and let it begin. Take care, guys.