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Kelly Melcher: It Didn't Happen as I Expected… But It's Still Good · Why I Believe

• 0:01
  Hello and welcome back to Why I Believe.
• 0:03
  I am your host, Michelle Von Ruden, and today I have joining with us Kelly Melcher.
• 0:08
  Kelly, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
• 0:11
  Yeah, my name is Kelly and I'm a stay at home mom right now and I have two little ones.
• 0:15
  I have almost four year old and I have a one year old and then I have my third on the way.
• 0:20
  I really like being in arts and crafts with my daughter who likes doing it too.
• 0:23
  So that's a plus.
• 0:25
  But yeah, I've been born in Wisconsin and I live here now and I love it.
• 0:29
  So.
• 0:30
  Awesome.
• 0:30
  And so when do you do?
• 0:33
  June, September.
• 0:34
  Two in September.
• 0:35
  so you have the whole summer to be pregnant.
• 0:36
  oh
• 0:38
  summer before, so it'll be kind of interesting, or this pregnant I guess, during the summer.
• 0:43
  Yeah, awesome.
• 0:45
  Well, congratulations on the new bundle of joy.
• 0:48
  So Kelly, tell us a little bit about you.
• 0:51
  So you're married to Bill, right?
• 0:54
  And when you guys were engaged, something big happened.
• 0:58
  What happened?
• 0:59
  Yeah.
• 1:00
  So we got engaged in 2019 and then in 2020, everyone always says, oh, it's COVID, but like COVID was like the least of our issues.
• 1:08
  I actually was at work in January, 2020, and I noticed I couldn't like read my charts as well.
• 1:14
  And so I like called my dad who's a doctor and he's like having to do an eye exam at home.
• 1:18
  And I realized I was envisioning one of my eyes.
• 1:21
  And then I lost vision the next day, a couple of days later.
• 1:25
  So basically our life.
• 1:28
  Yeah.
• 1:29
  And like when I say I lost vision, like I could still see like shapes and like colors, but like things would swirl.
• 1:34
  So it's like if I was looking at like a page on a paper, like all the things would just swirl together.
• 1:38
  So you couldn't like read anything and like see very far either.
• 1:42
  But yeah, so a lot.
• 1:45
  So those marriage vows we hit really early when we were engaged too.
• 1:48
  So because 2020 was for better for worse and like in good times and bad and also in sickness.
• 1:53
  So we kind of hit all of those while we were engaged.
• 1:56
  So 2020, A was COVID and B, you couldn't see.
• 2:02
  Yeah.
• 2:04
  like a fully functioning, I live by myself um and I live away from family and I was working independently and then all of a I went from that to not able to drive, read, work,
• 2:14
  do like anything, to living with my parents until we got married.
• 2:17
  So it was like a whole culture shift, like world change.
• 2:21
  Yeah, how long did it take them to find out what was actually wrong?
• 2:25
  So I was very fortunate, my dad's a radiologist, so he read the scans too, and he saw lesions on my scans.
• 2:33
  And so it took him about a week, because you have to get CSF testing done, which is basically where they test your spinal fluid to see if you have bands in it and stuff.
• 2:41
  So basically, it took about a week to get the diagnosis, which is great, because the sooner you can get a medication for multiple sclerosis, which is what I have, then the
• 2:51
  better off you are usually long term.
• 2:53
  Wow.
• 2:54
  But I was like a weird case, because usually with MS you have like a lot of lesions already, but because mine hit my optic chiasm and kind of hit behind my ear, I had
• 3:02
  symptoms right away, which is not typical.
• 3:04
  So I'm kind of a weird case of MS.
• 3:06
  So you essentially caught it early if there's such a thing.
• 3:10
  Yeah, yeah, because like usually, like the brain has so much overlap that like if you have a lesion one area, like other areas can compensate for it because it hit my optic hyasin,
• 3:19
  which is where the nerves cross for your eyes, I immediately couldn't see.
• 3:23
  And so that's why it also affected both eyes, which is kind of weird.
• 3:27
  And yeah, so I was like fortunate that like because it hit those areas that don't have a lot of overlap in the brain, they caught it right away.
• 3:34
  So
• 3:37
  Yeah, I would say that's a little miracle for you, catching it early and, you know, being able to start treating it.
• 3:42
  Because, yeah, I've known people that mess and it can get really bad.
• 3:46
  And like I've been fortunate because I've only had like the one attack so far so and yeah, so hopefully praise God it don't get any more in the future too, but Yeah
• 3:59
  So how do you live your life differently now with that diagnosis?
• 4:03
  I will say I'm a lot less of a planner.
• 4:07
  So like pre this, I was a big planner.
• 4:08
  And then I love that phrase, like, oh my God, laugh, tell me your plans.
• 4:11
  Because like I had my whole life planned out with me, they'll get married, wait to have kids until like a year and then like have like four kids.
• 4:17
  And like, it's just funny because you just realize like we have no control in this life.
• 4:20
  And just also it makes you live with gratitude.
• 4:23
  I love Chris Stefanik, who's always talking about living joy, like as a Catholic.
• 4:27
  And it's like, because we have so many blessings and so many graces too in our life.
• 4:30
  And like every day when I get to wake up and I get to my kids smile, like that is such a blessing.
• 4:34
  And it just kind of shapes your life differently.
• 4:37
  It also makes me realize too, that like everyone deals with stuff.
• 4:41
  And a lot of times like for my disability right now, it still affects my life day to day in terms of like driving, like I had to supplement my driving distance in terms of I have
• 4:50
  a little bit of color blindness too because of this.
• 4:52
  so like I can't, I was sometimes playing games with my daughter.
• 4:55
  asked her what color it is, kind of trying to work on her colors, but also cause I can't tell.
• 5:00
  ah But because of that, makes me realize everyone deals with stuff.
• 5:03
  And so you don't always see what people are going through or dealing with at the same time.
• 5:09
  Yeah, and you know, before we got on to Kelly, we were talking about how you feel like it's kind of an invisible illness.
• 5:15
  And-
• 5:16
  a lot of people that mess like they have like the walkers, the wheelchair and like we have our house is all one living just in case something like that happens to me.
• 5:22
  But like, yeah, right now it's just invisible.
• 5:25
  So like I'm in a grocery store, I can't find something like I asked for help.
• 5:28
  And like I've been at like grocery, I've been at restaurants where people are like, Oh, what are you blind?
• 5:32
  And I'm like, well, I have low vision.
• 5:33
  So I can't read the board there.
• 5:34
  So could you just tell me what it says and stuff?
• 5:36
  But um, no, it gives you like a lot of like, just sympathy for what you just don't know what other people are going for.
• 5:43
  going through at that time and just realizing like, God is so good, there's blessings too in this because I, before this, I wasn't a great Catholic, I'll probably admit that.
• 5:52
  Like I was kind of more lukewarm and since this, I've really become quite strong in my faith and just realizing like, God works through so much stuff in history, like the good
• 6:00
  and the bad and brings good out of it.
• 6:01
  And so like, I know that God will bring good out of this too.
• 6:05
  Even this is like my off-rated up situation, so.
• 6:09
  well, and like how you said that because, you know, I think there's periods in all of our lives, whether we are, um, criminal Catholics or convert to Catholic or not even Catholic,
• 6:17
  but just Christian.
• 6:18
  Right.
• 6:19
  And I think there's always going be times where we kind of take a step back or really lean in or just go, I don't know what's going on altogether.
• 6:28
  There's probably some people here that are listening that don't fit in any of those categories.
• 6:32
  Right.
• 6:33
  And I think it's.
• 6:34
  important to share.
• 6:35
  what made you decide at that point to lean in?
• 6:37
  Because you could have gone any direction, but you chose to lean in.
• 6:42
  Yeah, I like the phrase the father Mike that says like grief can make you bitter or better, and I'm not going to lie when I first got diagnosed and then COVID happened and my
• 6:50
  wedding got canceled and like all this stuff like I was very bitter and like me and Bill still got married that summer because we want to live our life and start living together
• 6:57
  and all the stuff that goes with that.
• 6:58
  um But when I moved in with Bill like I was not the same person I was before we were dating like I was very like happy go lucky.
• 7:05
  It is kind of like oh before we were dating and now it's very like just sad and angry.
• 7:10
  And Bill didn't know what to do, because you can't make someone else happy.
• 7:13
  They have to choose for themselves to be happy.
• 7:15
  And so Bill had the idea that we should do the great adventure story salvation timeline by Jeff Cavins.
• 7:21
  And so we did that.
• 7:22
  And it was through that I just realized there is nothing new underneath the sun.
• 7:26
  There's so many stories, people that lose their vision in the Bible, like Saul, Tobit, so many.
• 7:30
  And just seeing how God works through our sufferings and brings good out of it was kind of the kick in my...
• 7:38
  like the kickstart that I needed to kind of refocus on my faith and be like, yes, there's a reason I have this.
• 7:42
  Will I know exactly why?
• 7:43
  the prolegates probably no, but there's a reason why I have it and God can do good through it.
• 7:50
  Yeah, you're kind of in the middle of it, right?
• 7:52
  We don't have that hindsight 2020 yet, because I mean, this is still fresh, right?
• 7:55
  We're only what, six years into this?
• 7:58
  To the MS diagnosis, into your marriage, right?
• 8:02
  And now you have two kids with one on the way coming in.
• 8:05
  So how does being a mother with MS play into your life or does it not change anything for you?
• 8:12
  So MS is triggered by heat and stress.
• 8:16
  lack of sleep when you're pregnant, because when I'm pregnant I don't sleep well and postpartum you don't really sleep.
• 8:21
  So that puts a lot of stress on my body.
• 8:22
  So my body really feels it.
• 8:24
  And so my MS does fix that.
• 8:26
  also sometimes holding babies, I'll get overheated and my vision will start to blur.
• 8:31
  So I have to not always hold my baby because I just can't physically do it.
• 8:35
  um But yeah, the lack of sleep is a big thing.
• 8:39
  And like a lack of sleep, just affects everything in life too.
• 8:41
  Like when you're a new mom and stuff like, So that, yeah.
• 8:46
  So that lack of sleep puts some stress on my body.
• 8:48
  So like, I just feel pregnancy a lot more and I feel like postpartum a lot more, but so that's kind of how it kind of plays more of being a mom.
• 8:56
  Also, I'll always be like a helicopter parent because like we go to the parks with like other moms and like they always let their kids run around.
• 9:02
  I will always be following my kids on the playground because I just can't see that far.
• 9:05
  And so I'll always be like kind of the one.
• 9:08
  of helicoptering around just to make sure that they're safe just because I just can't see that far away from them.
• 9:14
  Yeah, no, that's fair, right?
• 9:17
  And then there's only so much distance you can cover in a period anyway if something were to go wrong.
• 9:22
  So I get that.
• 9:24
  Yeah, I think we were pretty...holicoptery with Hunter, the first one.
• 9:29
  Maybe not so much with Emily, but that's because we have Hunter and he's fast and we can just send him after the kids.
• 9:37
  No, definitely gets less as the other kids come along too.
• 9:41
  Yeah, so I want to kind of dive into a little bit about the going into your wedding with all of this and living in for worse before you even got to get better, right?
• 9:52
  How did that affect anything?
• 9:53
  I know you said, you know, you guys are kind of, you weren't the happy-go-lucky person that you are, which I find hard to believe.
• 9:59
  ah But you guys went and did this Bible, was it the Bible in a year or something similar to that, right?
• 10:09
  a of a situation, Jeff Kavan's story.
• 10:12
  But I'm into the Bible, 2021.
• 10:14
  So yeah.
• 10:15
  Jeff did the Bible in here too, ah
• 10:20
  How did you walk through that?
• 10:21
  I think I remember hearing you say one day at buddy Bible study that you guys use API.
• 10:26
  Yeah, Dr.
• 10:32
  Sree has this, we went to a marriage talk by him and he has this API model, which is assume positive intent.
• 10:40
  um And so he says that like before, so there's an instance one time where he said something to his wife and he was like, geez, like she could take this the wrong way.
• 10:49
  And his wife said, I'm gonna assume you did not mean that.
• 10:52
  And like even the gray saying like, I'm gonna assume that's not exactly what you meant, because that would have been hurtful.
• 10:57
  So me and Bill kind of kind of tried to practice that where it's like, instead of assuming, because we both live by ourselves for many years.
• 11:03
  So living by yourselves many years and also moving together, there's a lot of stuff you have to navigate.
• 11:08
  And so it's just kind of assuming that like, that's not how you meant to say that, or that's not what you meant from that is just
• 11:15
  that you love me and you're just saying it differently because girls vs boys talk differently too.
• 11:19
  And so like for example like cooking like they'll be like oh why'd use that utensil you should use this one and instead of saying like oh welcome home like thank you for cooking
• 11:27
  he'll say that first and like he's not he's trying to teach me it's just i'm not always the greatest student i'll put it that way like i kind of have a little irish in me that
• 11:35
  kind of gets a little feisty so but yeah that's the motto that we kind of try to do in our marriage um but it was interesting michelle because we had a one-year wedding
• 11:45
  anniversary or one year anniversary like wedding party for all our guests who didn't get to go to our wedding.
• 11:50
  And a lot of people at that wedding said like, you're so lucky you got diagnosed before you got married.
• 11:55
  Because they're like, he could have like, but I would just kind of took it.
• 11:59
  I didn't take it the greatest because I was like, well, even if he would marry it, like that's still the wedding vows.
• 12:04
  You know what I mean?
• 12:05
  He still would have stuck with me because that's like, we know like the sacramental vows of marriage.
• 12:09
  that's a lot of people said to me is like, I'm so lucky I found out before so they'll have a choice.
• 12:14
  whether to stay with me or to leave.
• 12:16
  And like, I'm not gonna lie, like seeing how much my husband sacrificed for me during that first couple years, like, I just, yeah, we know that we can get through anything in our
• 12:23
  marriage because we went through that.
• 12:25
  And so kind of a blessing where it's like, this all comes up, I'm like, I'm not too worried about it because we'll get through it, so.
• 12:31
  Yeah, you guys have already fought the hard battles, right?
• 12:34
  Yeah.
• 12:35
  So how do you use that mentality and that frame of reference to get through the day-to-day stuff?
• 12:39
  Because I mean, I think we all know that I think most of us have friends that have been divorced, separated, and I always hear it's not the big stuff, it's the little stuff.
• 12:49
  Hmm.
• 12:50
  that gains over time.
• 12:51
  So how do you, I know you're what, about six years into your marriage, close to coming up to an anniversary, how do you guys use that frame of reference to not split the small
• 13:00
  stuff?
• 13:02
  Yeah, so like there's a probability that I'm probably gonna my vision in the future.
• 13:06
  Like I'm not my vision, I'm gonna lose my license in the future, I won't be able to drive anymore.
• 13:09
  Just because vision decreases over age.
• 13:11
  So like me and Bill have kind categorized this stuff as like stuff that we have to worry about now versus future problems.
• 13:15
  I'm like, it's a future Kelly problem, like when I won't be able to drive.
• 13:19
  And we also just like with our kids, like just realizing that like how much love we have for them, like even if we mess up in the day, tomorrow is a new day.
• 13:28
  We'll just apologize to them and then we'll pray that we get the grace for tomorrow.
• 13:31
  because that's a big thing.
• 13:33
  just we will make mistakes.
• 13:34
  We're human.
• 13:35
  Everyone's human.
• 13:36
  But just realizing like it doesn't define us and it doesn't find us as parents because we are beloved children of God.
• 13:42
  And so like just thinking about that and then also like with perspective to like them through a lot.
• 13:48
  So like when stuff comes up that's very minor, like you know, like that's not really worth as much like stress because we know that like health is important, but like other little
• 13:57
  trivial stuff that comes apart.
• 13:58
  Like it just doesn't.
• 13:59
  rock our boat as much because we know that we'll get through it in the end.
• 14:03
  And then also, like, it's just not worrying about it that much because like a lot of stuff will think about like, does this actually matter for us getting to heaven?
• 14:10
  Because that's like the is sanctification.
• 14:12
  Because like, because like I have a lot of people pray for me.
• 14:14
  I'm like, well, I only pray my eyes get better because my husband and children pray for my eyes every night.
• 14:18
  And I'm like, well, I only pray they get better if at least they sanctification because like if I get better and become a worse Catholic or a worse mom or a worse husband, like I
• 14:25
  don't want that.
• 14:26
  Like I'd rather deal with my MS and have it.
• 14:28
  then become like totally healthy and not be as good of a mom to my children and a wife to my husband.
• 14:34
  Hmm.
• 14:36
  Yeah, that's an interesting thought process.
• 14:39
  But I mean, it's real, right?
• 14:40
  Because you just don't know, because you're walking in your faith because of what has happened to you or for you, I should say.
• 14:46
  But if that changes, what changes?
• 14:49
  Right?
• 14:49
  I love the story of Hezekiah in the Bible where he like, prays for more time and he gets it when it kind of squanders it.
• 14:56
  And like he shows the goods that they had to all the neighboring kingdoms and the queen and like because of that, like they got taken over and he's like, well, it's not my time.
• 15:03
  And it's like, he prayed for more time, but he used the time wisely.
• 15:07
  It's like, I mean, that's up to God to judge and stuff, but it's like, it makes you think though too, being like, am I using my time wisely?
• 15:12
  And if I pray for like healing, will I use that healing?
• 15:15
  You know what I mean?
• 15:17
  Yeah, I mean, that's a great way to look at it and just a very mature way to look at it too.
• 15:25
  You know what I mean?
• 15:26
  ah Because some people are like, well, I just want to get healthy and then what'll be what'll be.
• 15:32
  Mm-hmm.
• 15:33
  But you're like, are the consequences of me becoming healthier?
• 15:38
  What are the consequences of this happening?
• 15:39
  So we know that there's a path that we're on and it's not our plan.
• 15:42
  As much as we want it to be our plan, it's not our plan.
• 15:45
  It's God's plan.
• 15:46
  And so I think that's great.
• 15:48
  Yeah, you're thinking about if I do this, what then?
• 15:51
  Yeah, because one of the biggest ways it impacts a marriage is someone in terms of fertility too, because because of my medication, it's not safe for pregnancy.
• 15:59
  And so we have to like try in like different cycles.
• 16:02
  So we can't just try all the time.
• 16:04
  And so that affects like our ability to have kids and also like every kid's a child is a blessing.
• 16:07
  You're not guaranteed any child and stuff.
• 16:09
  And so, yeah, it really changes your your perspective on that because like I don't like I'll pray to God and be like, I want another child like so bad, but it's also your will,
• 16:19
  not my will.
• 16:20
  And like,
• 16:21
  you know, maybe in my prayers got answered, which is beautiful.
• 16:24
  But like, I know sometimes prayers don't get answered, but God and love will always help in the small stuff.
• 16:29
  So like when small stuff comes up, we'll pray to God and like, he'll come help.
• 16:33
  And that's why know like he's loving father, because like my dad not giving me everything I asked for, because the last stuff I asked for was not good for me, or it was like
• 16:40
  ridiculous when I asked for like biggest sense of stuff.
• 16:42
  So it's kind of that being like the little things, or wherever you see the love.
• 16:47
  Yeah, so are you currently not taking your MS medicine then at this point then?
• 16:53
  Yeah, so I don't get it when I'm pregnant.
• 16:55
  So you have to wait a few days after you get the infusion to try to conceive.
• 17:01
  And then once you're pregnant, you cannot take it.
• 17:04
  So when you're pregnant, it's really weird.
• 17:05
  When you're pregnant, you're least susceptible to MS attack.
• 17:08
  And then when you postpartum, right after you give birth, you're most susceptible.
• 17:12
  So I try to get the next dose two weeks after I give birth.
• 17:18
  And then we just start the loop again.
• 17:20
  Yeah, it's a little complicated.
• 17:23
  because my infusion days are kind of like my mommy days.
• 17:25
  Because I do it and it wipes me out.
• 17:28
  I get a whole day just to myself where I just sit there and rest.
• 17:31
  It's kind nice postpartum to have a day where you just kind of get to sleep.
• 17:36
  Yeah, well especially because it helps you, right?
• 17:38
  Sleeps important for everybody, but I think more so for you.
• 17:41
  Yeah, goodness.
• 17:44
  Goodness, goodness, Kelly.
• 17:46
  So what advice would you give to people that are just walking this journey in faith?
• 17:52
  I would say learn the Bible because I just think the Bible story is just so important because I growing up like we I went to Catholic school we read the Bible as a family but
• 18:03
  like I never knew the whole story altogether.
• 18:05
  I think that's the beauty about our age is the Bible so accessible now through like Bible in the air like hello like all these apps and stuff but I just think knowing the whole
• 18:14
  story really puts an introspective and you just I guess you just not stress as much about stuff because you just know that like all this stuff
• 18:21
  Bad stuff has happened, but God can work good through all the bad.
• 18:24
  So that's one thing I recommend is always doing the Bible in the air, the Bible timeline, is learning the story of salvation.
• 18:29
  Because I think seeing God has a plan, even with all the bad stuff, because a lot of my friends that are not Catholic are not practicing, it's like when bad stuff happens, it
• 18:37
  just rocks their world and they just don't know where to go.
• 18:40
  And I just pray for them that they eventually find that faith, because that faith is what gets you through the hard stuff, knowing that there's good that comes out of that.
• 18:48
  Yeah, and you know, that's the reason why I started this is because we do have so many people in our lives that either don't believe or don't know where to start or wonder and
• 18:57
  question.
• 18:58
  And really with this podcast, the whole goal is to help people see that God is good and God is full of love and he has a plan for you and he wants to be part of your life.
• 19:08
  Right.
• 19:08
  And so how do you integrate God into your daily life?
• 19:13
  I talked a lot to God throughout my day.
• 19:15
  There's a lot of times, like there's so sometimes I'm having a really rough day.
• 19:18
  I'm like, God, use this, like take all my joys, troubles, just anxieties I used to day and like, I'm like, just use it for whatever you need it for.
• 19:26
  But also just realizing like I've been blessed so much.
• 19:29
  I think it takes losing your vision to like realize that like vision is so powerful and like being able to see you like my kids smile.
• 19:35
  Like I just, I don't take that for granted.
• 19:38
  Cause like there might be a day where I don't get to do that and like, or if I have.
• 19:41
  clear my MS tack, like I will lose my vision again.
• 19:43
  And so it's just like, just realizing like God is so good and he loves us so much.
• 19:48
  And like, I care so much for my kids, but like God cares me way more than I do for my kids.
• 19:52
  And like, it's just crazy.
• 19:55
  Yeah, and it's crazy, I keep pondering this and you brought it up, but you know, we love our kids so much.
• 20:02
  And then I think about how much we love our children, but then how much God loves all of us and how much we love Jesus, but then to give His Son up, sacrifice His Son for all of
• 20:12
  us, just blows my mind.
• 20:16
  I know.
• 20:17
  And like I watched the Passion of the Christ last year for the first time and that was really hard for me to watch.
• 20:22
  You just see like, oh, he went through.
• 20:25
  And like I was like talking to Bill after it and like, Bill, my MS tech wasn't that bad.
• 20:29
  Like when I was like, cause I had like spinal headaches for a week afterwards where anytime I sat up, I like got faint.
• 20:34
  So I had to lay down for like a whole week basically.
• 20:36
  Just cause with all the spinal tasks I had to do.
• 20:39
  And so like I was telling Bill, like this is nothing compared to what Jesus went through.
• 20:42
  Like Jesus went through so much.
• 20:43
  And so he understands our grief.
• 20:45
  Like he understands our pain and it's just like, yeah, it's just amazing that God did that.
• 20:52
  Yeah.
• 20:55
  Kelly, what piece of advice would you give to people that are questioning their faith?
• 21:02
  I would say I love adoration.
• 21:05
  I would say if you don't like know exactly.
• 21:09
  Yeah.
• 21:09
  So adoration is when you go, so Jesus will be presently Eucharist um is what Catholics believe.
• 21:16
  So they'll put him in little chapels and you can go visit him so you can go hang out with Jesus.
• 21:21
  And like there's times where I don't know what to do with my faith and I'm just very confused.
• 21:24
  And like, I will just go sit.
• 21:26
  And like, even if I don't say anything and just sit there, like I still get that peace of calm.
• 21:31
  just like being in presence.
• 21:33
  And so I think that for even if like you're questioning, I mean, if you don't like believe, like there's people, stories people that go that aren't even Catholic, that don't
• 21:40
  even like believe that's Jesus, but they go and they just feel that peace from being there.
• 21:44
  And I would just say like, God is present in our world and he's still working.
• 21:47
  And like the Holy Spirit is working too.
• 21:49
  And just like knowing that comfort.
• 21:52
  And so like if you're questioning what to do, I would just say, just try to find like some calmness in your life and some peace.
• 21:57
  Cause if you are so busy,
• 21:59
  and you're so just going out about your day, you're not gonna have that time to reflect and think, how is God working in the world, working in my life?
• 22:07
  You need that calmness and that quietness, I think sometimes.
• 22:10
  I think our world is so good at distracting us.
• 22:13
  yeah, we're definitely busy at being busy.
• 22:16
  Yes.
• 22:18
  All the time, all the time.
• 22:19
  So, perfect.
• 22:21
  Okay, one of the questions that I ask all my guests, Kelly, is what is your favorite Bible verse, why and how do you utilize it?
• 22:28
  My favorite Bible verse is Tobit 816.
• 22:31
  Like, blessed are you, because of you I am glad.
• 22:34
  It has not happened to me according to my expectations, but you have dealt with us in your great mercy.
• 22:40
  I love that because my life is not at all what I expected, but I'm so happy with the life that I have.
• 22:47
  And so it just kind of reminds me that like life, if it doesn't come up to expectations can still be really good.
• 22:52
  And so I just try to find that joy and that gratitude in my life and just think like,
• 22:57
  There's so much good that can happen, but it's not going to happen to as I expected.
• 23:01
  Like I love that phrase in there saying like, it's not the expectations, it's the result.
• 23:05
  And the result is that I had a really beautiful life right now.
• 23:09
  Yeah, I love that.
• 23:11
  Kelly, thank you so much for coming on today.
• 23:12
  I really appreciate you sharing your story and your walk through 2020, what everyone thought was COVID, but for you it was so much more.
• 23:20
  So thank you so much for sharing your story.
• 23:22
  I really appreciate it.
• 23:23
  Thanks for having me, Michelle.
• 23:26
  Thank you.