Leslie Leyland Fields on Creating Radiant Moments: Discovering Light in the Advent Season and Love in the Christmas Holidays

1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,458 Welcome to the a World of Difference 2 00:00:04,458 --> 00:00:06,766 podcast. I'm Lori Adams Brown, and this is 3 00:00:06,766 --> 00:00:08,606 a podcast for those who are different and 4 00:00:08,606 --> 00:00:12,234 want to make a difference. I know that the 5 00:00:12,234 --> 00:00:14,174 holidays can be a happy time, and it can 6 00:00:14,174 --> 00:00:16,846 also be a difficult time. And if this time 7 00:00:16,846 --> 00:00:19,966 of year reminds you of any sort of loss of 8 00:00:19,966 --> 00:00:23,486 a loved one or friend or any sort of abuse 9 00:00:23,486 --> 00:00:25,286 or trauma that you have walked through and 10 00:00:25,286 --> 00:00:28,994 sort of difficulty, you are not alone. 11 00:00:28,994 --> 00:00:31,078 December 26 for my family is a very 12 00:00:31,078 --> 00:00:32,866 difficult day because that is the day we 13 00:00:32,866 --> 00:00:35,426 lost good friends in the tsunami and Banda 14 00:00:35,426 --> 00:00:37,826 ache, Indonesia. And so every year on 15 00:00:37,826 --> 00:00:40,246 December 26, we pause. And if you're one 16 00:00:40,246 --> 00:00:42,726 of those people listening that the 17 00:00:42,726 --> 00:00:44,874 holidays are complicated, just want you to 18 00:00:44,874 --> 00:00:47,754 know that you are in good company here. 19 00:00:47,754 --> 00:00:49,962 And I also want to let you know that it's 20 00:00:49,962 --> 00:00:52,406 okay to reach out to someone who can help 21 00:00:52,406 --> 00:00:55,642 you walk through that. I've had to have 22 00:00:55,642 --> 00:00:57,482 professionals help me walk through in 23 00:00:57,482 --> 00:00:59,422 therapy some difficult moments in my own 24 00:00:59,422 --> 00:01:02,958 life, and I want to extend an offer to you 25 00:01:02,958 --> 00:01:04,926 through betterhelp because I have a 26 00:01:04,926 --> 00:01:06,882 therapist through betterhelp that's been 27 00:01:06,882 --> 00:01:08,642 really impactful in my life. As we 28 00:01:08,642 --> 00:01:11,074 continue to work through some difficult 29 00:01:11,074 --> 00:01:14,658 things that I experienced on December 21, 30 00:01:14,658 --> 00:01:16,558 2020 and in the months leading up to that 31 00:01:16,558 --> 00:01:19,782 and some months after that, and that 32 00:01:19,782 --> 00:01:21,746 experience of walking through spiritual 33 00:01:21,746 --> 00:01:23,394 abuse and trauma in a religious 34 00:01:23,394 --> 00:01:25,782 environment is something I've needed a 35 00:01:25,782 --> 00:01:28,006 really strong professional to help me walk 36 00:01:28,006 --> 00:01:29,846 through. And it has made a huge impact on 37 00:01:29,846 --> 00:01:32,074 me. It's made a huge difference. So I'm 38 00:01:32,074 --> 00:01:34,022 happy to announce that the sponsor of this 39 00:01:34,022 --> 00:01:36,314 podcast is betterhelp and would extend 40 00:01:36,314 --> 00:01:39,846 this offer to you today. If you go to WW 41 00:01:39,846 --> 00:01:43,962 dot betterhelp.com difference, you can get 42 00:01:43,962 --> 00:01:46,106 10% off your first month of therapy. 43 00:01:46,106 --> 00:01:47,838 There's also classes, group therapy that 44 00:01:47,838 --> 00:01:50,766 you can sit in on and learn more and hear 45 00:01:50,766 --> 00:01:52,238 from other people and their perspective of 46 00:01:52,238 --> 00:01:53,454 what they're walking through, which is 47 00:01:53,454 --> 00:01:56,170 really valuable. So once again, if this is 48 00:01:56,170 --> 00:01:58,654 a very difficult time of year and you're 49 00:01:58,654 --> 00:02:00,766 feeling down, you're having some difficult 50 00:02:00,766 --> 00:02:02,446 thoughts, you're feeling stuck, and you're 51 00:02:02,446 --> 00:02:04,114 wanting somebody to help you walk through 52 00:02:04,114 --> 00:02:06,270 that, there is an opportunity for you to 53 00:02:06,270 --> 00:02:08,726 flourish. And I want you to be somebody 54 00:02:08,726 --> 00:02:11,414 who gives yourself the gift of flourishing 55 00:02:11,414 --> 00:02:14,806 because you matter and you are different 56 00:02:14,806 --> 00:02:17,174 in a very special way. And your life and 57 00:02:17,174 --> 00:02:19,226 your presence here makes a difference for 58 00:02:19,226 --> 00:02:21,414 all of us. So give yourself the gift of 59 00:02:21,414 --> 00:02:23,594 healing and walking through therapy today 60 00:02:23,594 --> 00:02:28,058 by going to www.betterhelp.com difference. 61 00:02:28,058 --> 00:02:36,462 To get 10% off your first month, you 62 00:02:36,462 --> 00:02:39,962 welcome to our special Christmas Advent 63 00:02:39,962 --> 00:02:41,982 episode where we have someone who lives 64 00:02:41,982 --> 00:02:44,386 very close to the North Pole. On the show 65 00:02:44,386 --> 00:02:48,174 Today we have Leslie Leyland Fields. 66 00:02:48,174 --> 00:02:50,654 Leslie is an international teacher, 67 00:02:50,654 --> 00:02:53,182 speaker, and award winning author of 14 68 00:02:53,182 --> 00:02:55,682 books, including your story matters, the 69 00:02:55,682 --> 00:02:57,974 Wonder Years, and crossing the Waters, 70 00:02:57,974 --> 00:03:00,486 which won a Christianity Today Book award 71 00:03:00,486 --> 00:03:03,606 in christian living. Since 2013, she's 72 00:03:03,606 --> 00:03:06,594 been leading the Harvester Island Writers 73 00:03:06,594 --> 00:03:09,094 workshop on her family's island in Alaska 74 00:03:09,094 --> 00:03:10,810 with guest writers that you may have heard 75 00:03:10,810 --> 00:03:13,274 of like Anne Voskamp, Philip Yancey, and 76 00:03:13,274 --> 00:03:15,306 many others that you would know. Leslie's 77 00:03:15,306 --> 00:03:17,194 other books include surviving the island 78 00:03:17,194 --> 00:03:19,558 of Grace, forgiving our fathers and 79 00:03:19,558 --> 00:03:22,214 mothers, and the Spirit of Food, which won 80 00:03:22,214 --> 00:03:24,798 three best book of 2010 awards. Her books 81 00:03:24,798 --> 00:03:26,638 have been translated into nine languages 82 00:03:26,638 --> 00:03:28,362 and her essays have appeared in 83 00:03:28,362 --> 00:03:30,346 publications including Christianity Today, 84 00:03:30,346 --> 00:03:33,334 books and culture, belief net, 85 00:03:33,334 --> 00:03:35,634 theatlantic, Orion, best essays, and many 86 00:03:35,634 --> 00:03:38,414 more, including earning her a number of 87 00:03:38,414 --> 00:03:41,086 evangelical press awards. Leslie has three 88 00:03:41,086 --> 00:03:43,314 graduate degrees in english journalism and 89 00:03:43,314 --> 00:03:46,014 an MFA in creative nonfiction, and has 90 00:03:46,014 --> 00:03:48,066 taught extensively, including being a 91 00:03:48,066 --> 00:03:50,674 founding faculty member of Seattle Pacific 92 00:03:50,674 --> 00:03:53,126 University's MFA program. She leads faith 93 00:03:53,126 --> 00:03:55,266 and writing retreats around the world and 94 00:03:55,266 --> 00:03:56,966 directs an online community in the craft 95 00:03:56,966 --> 00:04:00,054 and art of spiritual memoir. She's also 96 00:04:00,054 --> 00:04:02,246 professional audio narrator, contributing 97 00:04:02,246 --> 00:04:04,614 regularly to the popular our American 98 00:04:04,614 --> 00:04:07,526 Stories radio network and audio recording 99 00:04:07,526 --> 00:04:11,050 books of the Bible for herbible.org. And I 100 00:04:11,050 --> 00:04:13,070 also just really enjoyed interviewing her 101 00:04:13,070 --> 00:04:15,406 today about her advent book that if you 102 00:04:15,406 --> 00:04:17,406 have not seen it, has a beautiful cover. 103 00:04:17,406 --> 00:04:19,534 And I've really enjoyed reading the 104 00:04:19,534 --> 00:04:21,950 different selections in the book, 105 00:04:21,950 --> 00:04:25,330 different types of reading from poetry to 106 00:04:25,330 --> 00:04:28,658 other just writings that relate to advent 107 00:04:28,658 --> 00:04:32,030 and finding a new way of exploring the 108 00:04:32,030 --> 00:04:35,602 season through her latest book. And really 109 00:04:35,602 --> 00:04:37,590 happy to have her on the show today 110 00:04:37,590 --> 00:04:40,322 talking not only about life in Alaska and 111 00:04:40,322 --> 00:04:43,318 writing and world travels, but also just 112 00:04:43,318 --> 00:04:46,274 to hear her experience about what 113 00:04:46,274 --> 00:04:47,974 Christmas means to her. I know many of you 114 00:04:47,974 --> 00:04:50,950 around the world have different ways of 115 00:04:50,950 --> 00:04:52,726 celebrating Christmas, different 116 00:04:52,726 --> 00:04:54,794 traditions that mean different things to 117 00:04:54,794 --> 00:04:57,466 you and how you celebrate. But we have her 118 00:04:57,466 --> 00:04:59,734 on the show today talking about her latest 119 00:04:59,734 --> 00:05:02,474 advent book, radiant birth. Advent 120 00:05:02,474 --> 00:05:05,434 readings for a bright season. So a very 121 00:05:05,434 --> 00:05:09,678 warm welcome from a very cold place to our 122 00:05:09,678 --> 00:05:17,646 friend Leslie Leyland Fields. Hi Leslie, 123 00:05:17,646 --> 00:05:19,490 it's so great to have you on the world of 124 00:05:19,490 --> 00:05:22,530 difference podcast today, all the way from 125 00:05:22,530 --> 00:05:25,346 Alaska. Thank you for having me. And is 126 00:05:25,346 --> 00:05:28,398 the sun shining down there in California? 127 00:05:28,398 --> 00:05:30,566 We are having a sunshiny day. We have a 128 00:05:30,566 --> 00:05:32,374 lot of those here in the Bay area, I must 129 00:05:32,374 --> 00:05:36,274 say. How about you? Well, we have snow and 130 00:05:36,274 --> 00:05:39,190 snow is beautiful and we have clouds. The 131 00:05:39,190 --> 00:05:41,882 only thing if I could wish, I'd wish for a 132 00:05:41,882 --> 00:05:45,946 little more sun, but it's a good day. I'm 133 00:05:45,946 --> 00:05:47,706 sure it is. How many hours of sunshine do 134 00:05:47,706 --> 00:05:50,654 you get in December this time of year? It 135 00:05:50,654 --> 00:05:56,142 is of course our darkest month. And we get 136 00:05:56,142 --> 00:06:00,014 six or 7 hours of light. So not bad. I'm 137 00:06:00,014 --> 00:06:03,150 in southern Alaska. If you're in northern 138 00:06:03,150 --> 00:06:08,654 Alaska, you get like zero to one or two. I 139 00:06:08,654 --> 00:06:13,650 can't imagine it must really lead toward 140 00:06:13,650 --> 00:06:16,322 people feeling a lot of sadness or even 141 00:06:16,322 --> 00:06:18,102 some depression at times. Because I think 142 00:06:18,102 --> 00:06:20,182 you need sunshine to feel happy at some 143 00:06:20,182 --> 00:06:22,774 level, don't you? Oh, absolutely. It's 144 00:06:22,774 --> 00:06:25,442 really true. Yeah. There's just a lot of 145 00:06:25,442 --> 00:06:27,602 struggle through the dark season here up 146 00:06:27,602 --> 00:06:31,926 north. Yes. Yeah. That's hard. Well, I 147 00:06:31,926 --> 00:06:33,098 know that probably some of the stuff we're 148 00:06:33,098 --> 00:06:35,690 going to talk about today is about the 149 00:06:35,690 --> 00:06:38,026 difference between darkness and light. And 150 00:06:38,026 --> 00:06:39,686 the things that we can talk about around 151 00:06:39,686 --> 00:06:40,938 Christmas time, which are pretty 152 00:06:40,938 --> 00:06:43,450 beautiful. And speaking of beautiful, I 153 00:06:43,450 --> 00:06:45,038 have the COVID of your book right in front 154 00:06:45,038 --> 00:06:47,022 of me. And this book is such a beautiful 155 00:06:47,022 --> 00:06:49,246 cover. A radiant birth, advent readings 156 00:06:49,246 --> 00:06:52,174 for a bright season. It's such a great 157 00:06:52,174 --> 00:06:55,182 time of year to think through the advent 158 00:06:55,182 --> 00:06:57,534 time. We have listeners who practice 159 00:06:57,534 --> 00:07:00,114 advent all around the world. And some that 160 00:07:00,114 --> 00:07:01,698 maybe this word is new for them because 161 00:07:01,698 --> 00:07:03,758 they are different faith backgrounds. But 162 00:07:03,758 --> 00:07:05,522 I'd love to know what inspired you to 163 00:07:05,522 --> 00:07:07,958 write this book, this very unique advent 164 00:07:07,958 --> 00:07:10,182 book. Was there a specific experience or 165 00:07:10,182 --> 00:07:13,846 moment that sparked your idea for this? 166 00:07:13,846 --> 00:07:16,902 Know, I'd like to say there was, but no 167 00:07:16,902 --> 00:07:19,466 other than a friend saying to me, you 168 00:07:19,466 --> 00:07:21,622 know, Leslie, would you like to do an 169 00:07:21,622 --> 00:07:25,226 advent book together with me? And this is 170 00:07:25,226 --> 00:07:29,222 a good friend, Paul Willis, who's my co 171 00:07:29,222 --> 00:07:34,730 editor here. And we share similar 172 00:07:34,730 --> 00:07:37,326 sensibilities. And I thought this would be 173 00:07:37,326 --> 00:07:41,406 a wonderful project. So we joined together 174 00:07:41,406 --> 00:07:45,234 on this book. I joined him because I 175 00:07:45,234 --> 00:07:51,710 needed it. I needed the light. I need 176 00:07:51,710 --> 00:07:56,134 radiance in this dark time of the year. 177 00:07:56,134 --> 00:07:59,398 Living in Alaska, as we just said, there's 178 00:07:59,398 --> 00:08:04,854 a lot of darkness and cold and winter. And 179 00:08:04,854 --> 00:08:08,810 I needed to remind kind of my heart and my 180 00:08:08,810 --> 00:08:14,570 soul about a source of light that's more 181 00:08:14,570 --> 00:08:17,946 than the light in the sky that we only see 182 00:08:17,946 --> 00:08:23,246 for a few hours a day. Yeah, I love that. 183 00:08:23,246 --> 00:08:25,486 And it can be a challenge in the darkest 184 00:08:25,486 --> 00:08:27,914 of times, whether literally or 185 00:08:27,914 --> 00:08:30,558 figuratively, to remind ourselves about 186 00:08:30,558 --> 00:08:33,194 light and advent. It really carries a deep 187 00:08:33,194 --> 00:08:36,518 significance for many people. And so you 188 00:08:36,518 --> 00:08:38,254 selected readings and themes for this 189 00:08:38,254 --> 00:08:39,794 advent book, but how did you approach 190 00:08:39,794 --> 00:08:42,354 that? What was your process there? Yeah, 191 00:08:42,354 --> 00:08:44,734 and our process is there are a lot of 192 00:08:44,734 --> 00:08:47,378 books out there for advent and for 193 00:08:47,378 --> 00:08:49,846 Christmas and a lot of them fall into what 194 00:08:49,846 --> 00:08:53,414 we would call devotionals. And there are 195 00:08:53,414 --> 00:08:55,174 many beautiful ones. I have a whole shelf 196 00:08:55,174 --> 00:08:59,562 of them myself. But Paul and I really 197 00:08:59,562 --> 00:09:02,598 wanted this book to not be another 198 00:09:02,598 --> 00:09:04,854 devotional. We wanted it to be a 199 00:09:04,854 --> 00:09:07,802 collection of readings, literary readings, 200 00:09:07,802 --> 00:09:12,814 of poems and stories and meditations that 201 00:09:12,814 --> 00:09:17,326 would not tell you what to think or tell 202 00:09:17,326 --> 00:09:21,774 you how to feel about the season, but 203 00:09:21,774 --> 00:09:25,474 would instead sort of crack it open so 204 00:09:25,474 --> 00:09:30,914 that you can feel your own feelings and 205 00:09:30,914 --> 00:09:34,302 have your own profound moments and 206 00:09:34,302 --> 00:09:38,086 experiences and encounters with Jesus, 207 00:09:38,086 --> 00:09:41,542 with the birth of Jesus and all that that 208 00:09:41,542 --> 00:09:46,134 know into the world. That's beautiful. 209 00:09:46,134 --> 00:09:48,042 There are so many people that listen to 210 00:09:48,042 --> 00:09:52,550 this podcast, a particular segment of 211 00:09:52,550 --> 00:09:56,406 listeners that have experienced some maybe 212 00:09:56,406 --> 00:09:58,774 trauma in a religious environment or even 213 00:09:58,774 --> 00:10:01,394 spiritual abuse, where they've been in 214 00:10:01,394 --> 00:10:04,346 worship experiences, or even behind closed 215 00:10:04,346 --> 00:10:06,586 doors with maybe a religious leader or a 216 00:10:06,586 --> 00:10:09,162 pastor in an office where they felt 217 00:10:09,162 --> 00:10:11,502 coerced to feel something, or coerced to 218 00:10:11,502 --> 00:10:14,570 do something. And religion and 219 00:10:14,570 --> 00:10:17,234 spirituality in the wrong hands can be 220 00:10:17,234 --> 00:10:18,962 used to coerce. And it is a beautiful 221 00:10:18,962 --> 00:10:21,630 thing to allow people to discover the 222 00:10:21,630 --> 00:10:24,306 mystery and put some things out there that 223 00:10:24,306 --> 00:10:28,146 are even some writings from even church 224 00:10:28,146 --> 00:10:30,566 fathers and mothers that go way back and 225 00:10:30,566 --> 00:10:33,842 kind of ground us into a faith tradition 226 00:10:33,842 --> 00:10:38,066 that's long and beautiful. As you were 227 00:10:38,066 --> 00:10:39,994 writing this book, did anything in 228 00:10:39,994 --> 00:10:43,626 particular stand out to you in the writing 229 00:10:43,626 --> 00:10:45,514 of it, in the selections? That was one of 230 00:10:45,514 --> 00:10:47,980 your favorites, or just a special one for 231 00:10:47,980 --> 00:10:50,654 you? Oh, I was afraid you were going to 232 00:10:50,654 --> 00:10:54,286 ask me that, because I was afraid, because 233 00:10:54,286 --> 00:10:58,670 I said, how do I choose? I mean, we chose 234 00:10:58,670 --> 00:11:02,990 all of these readings because each one was 235 00:11:02,990 --> 00:11:06,606 striking in its own way. They're striking 236 00:11:06,606 --> 00:11:08,066 individually, and then you put them 237 00:11:08,066 --> 00:11:10,802 together into this collection, and I've 238 00:11:10,802 --> 00:11:13,922 just been rereading it myself. So, Lori, 239 00:11:13,922 --> 00:11:16,866 the process is really interesting. When 240 00:11:16,866 --> 00:11:21,014 Paul and I were compiling this book, the 241 00:11:21,014 --> 00:11:25,590 process is that we just go out and read 242 00:11:25,590 --> 00:11:30,294 and gather as many pieces of beautiful 243 00:11:30,294 --> 00:11:33,494 writing that we can all around this 244 00:11:33,494 --> 00:11:35,878 season, which means, of course, we're 245 00:11:35,878 --> 00:11:39,526 overwhelmed by all of the richness and the 246 00:11:39,526 --> 00:11:41,566 goodness. But then to start to put it 247 00:11:41,566 --> 00:11:45,038 together in some kind of pattern or some 248 00:11:45,038 --> 00:11:50,878 kind of. So what we chose was kind of a 249 00:11:50,878 --> 00:11:56,706 three part process. And the first section 250 00:11:56,706 --> 00:12:00,798 of the book is called Jesus Born in 251 00:12:00,798 --> 00:12:07,830 Bethlehem. And this goes to the historical 252 00:12:07,830 --> 00:12:14,294 facts of this man, God man, I believe, who 253 00:12:14,294 --> 00:12:16,982 was born in this little tiny town in the 254 00:12:16,982 --> 00:12:21,820 Middle east. And it's all around that 255 00:12:21,820 --> 00:12:25,446 event, Jesus born in Bethlehem. And 256 00:12:25,446 --> 00:12:29,306 there's some incredible poems that sort of 257 00:12:29,306 --> 00:12:32,240 open that up. The wonder of this whole 258 00:12:32,240 --> 00:12:36,846 idea of God, the God of the universe 259 00:12:36,846 --> 00:12:40,030 taking on human flesh and to come in the 260 00:12:40,030 --> 00:12:43,822 form of a baby, like the most powerful 261 00:12:43,822 --> 00:12:48,830 divine being, deciding to become a 262 00:12:48,830 --> 00:12:52,100 newborn, the most helpless of creatures 263 00:12:52,100 --> 00:12:55,790 possible. So there's all the wonder and 264 00:12:55,790 --> 00:12:58,886 mystery and beauty of that in Jesus born 265 00:12:58,886 --> 00:13:02,034 in Bethlehem. And then the next section is 266 00:13:02,034 --> 00:13:04,630 Jesus born in us. And that question of, 267 00:13:04,630 --> 00:13:09,458 okay, so know, baby born into the world, 268 00:13:09,458 --> 00:13:11,466 how does that change us? How does that 269 00:13:11,466 --> 00:13:14,774 make a difference in us personally? So 270 00:13:14,774 --> 00:13:17,722 it's stories and poems that kind of open 271 00:13:17,722 --> 00:13:21,182 up that. Again, I love your word, mystery, 272 00:13:21,182 --> 00:13:24,666 that open up that mystery and kind of 273 00:13:24,666 --> 00:13:27,134 invite us into that experience. What does 274 00:13:27,134 --> 00:13:29,886 that look like? What does that feel like? 275 00:13:29,886 --> 00:13:33,266 And then the last section is, and maybe 276 00:13:33,266 --> 00:13:37,554 this is my favorite section, Jesus in us 277 00:13:37,554 --> 00:13:41,186 for the world. Jesus in us for the world. 278 00:13:41,186 --> 00:13:45,494 And the idea is, know, God came and took 279 00:13:45,494 --> 00:13:50,534 on human flesh to be with us, not just for 280 00:13:50,534 --> 00:13:55,942 our good and our benefit and our peace and 281 00:13:55,942 --> 00:13:59,482 our joy, but for the sake of the world, so 282 00:13:59,482 --> 00:14:03,194 that we could be empowered to love others, 283 00:14:03,194 --> 00:14:06,614 to reach out to others and to bring that 284 00:14:06,614 --> 00:14:09,210 peace and that love and that radiance, 285 00:14:09,210 --> 00:14:13,614 that radiance out into the world around 286 00:14:13,614 --> 00:14:16,830 us. So that's what Paul and I were looking 287 00:14:16,830 --> 00:14:22,526 for, were pieces that really just cracked 288 00:14:22,526 --> 00:14:25,186 all of that open so we could experience 289 00:14:25,186 --> 00:14:27,746 kind of that threefold process, each one 290 00:14:27,746 --> 00:14:33,006 of us. Beautiful. And I can just hear the 291 00:14:33,006 --> 00:14:35,058 passion in your voice of what it must have 292 00:14:35,058 --> 00:14:36,414 been like to read through all those 293 00:14:36,414 --> 00:14:38,194 readings. I mean, there's no shortage of 294 00:14:38,194 --> 00:14:40,534 things written on Christmas and advent, is 295 00:14:40,534 --> 00:14:42,198 there? But you were digging through a lot 296 00:14:42,198 --> 00:14:44,466 of that and making choices and carefully 297 00:14:44,466 --> 00:14:46,518 choosing which ones go into your book. How 298 00:14:46,518 --> 00:14:48,246 do you hope readers will kind of engage 299 00:14:48,246 --> 00:14:50,474 with your book during this Advent season? 300 00:14:50,474 --> 00:14:53,546 And what do you sort of aim for? What are 301 00:14:53,546 --> 00:14:55,414 you hoping it will have as, like, an 302 00:14:55,414 --> 00:14:58,714 impact on them spiritually? Yeah. The book 303 00:14:58,714 --> 00:15:03,054 is set up to be a series of readings that 304 00:15:03,054 --> 00:15:05,102 walk you through day by day, through the 305 00:15:05,102 --> 00:15:07,838 whole season of Advent, which is about 40 306 00:15:07,838 --> 00:15:12,666 days. So it's set up so that each day 307 00:15:12,666 --> 00:15:15,022 there's a reading and it's only a few 308 00:15:15,022 --> 00:15:17,140 pages. It doesn't have to take a lot of 309 00:15:17,140 --> 00:15:20,754 time. Many of the poems are just short. 310 00:15:20,754 --> 00:15:24,420 But what a poem does, it sort of takes you 311 00:15:24,420 --> 00:15:28,754 from TikTok time, from Kronos time. It 312 00:15:28,754 --> 00:15:30,966 drops you into Cairo's time, right where 313 00:15:30,966 --> 00:15:33,542 there is no TikTok. It's sort of, you just 314 00:15:33,542 --> 00:15:36,150 feel like you're falling into 315 00:15:36,150 --> 00:15:39,946 timelessness. So people can use the book 316 00:15:39,946 --> 00:15:41,546 that way, and many people are using it 317 00:15:41,546 --> 00:15:47,114 that way. Just the daily readings, I am 318 00:15:47,114 --> 00:15:50,714 not regimented like that. So my favorite 319 00:15:50,714 --> 00:15:52,958 thing to do, and this is what I'm doing, 320 00:15:52,958 --> 00:15:55,934 is I just pick it up and I open it up 321 00:15:55,934 --> 00:15:58,318 until I come to something. Oh, I'm going 322 00:15:58,318 --> 00:16:02,478 to read this piece Monday, Thursday, or I 323 00:16:02,478 --> 00:16:05,566 want to read this poem by Jeannie Murray 324 00:16:05,566 --> 00:16:09,010 Walker. And so I just sort of pick it up 325 00:16:09,010 --> 00:16:13,490 and turn to the piece that I think that 326 00:16:13,490 --> 00:16:19,670 maybe I need that very day. So for 327 00:16:19,670 --> 00:16:25,094 readers, I'm hoping that they will do some 328 00:16:25,094 --> 00:16:31,014 of both. And I want this journey as we 329 00:16:31,014 --> 00:16:34,410 divided the book into these three 330 00:16:34,410 --> 00:16:38,026 sections. And I'm hoping that people will 331 00:16:38,026 --> 00:16:43,310 kind of follow that movement so that this 332 00:16:43,310 --> 00:16:51,566 radiance doesn't go away when the calendar 333 00:16:51,566 --> 00:16:54,190 we tear off December and we tear off 334 00:16:54,190 --> 00:16:56,846 January. And I want this radiance. I'm 335 00:16:56,846 --> 00:17:00,500 hoping that it will be birthed inside of 336 00:17:00,500 --> 00:17:05,402 us and it will go beyond the immediate 337 00:17:05,402 --> 00:17:09,046 season till it becomes part of us. Just 338 00:17:09,046 --> 00:17:11,254 the wonder and the mystery and the beauty 339 00:17:11,254 --> 00:17:16,182 of a God who loves us so much that he 340 00:17:16,182 --> 00:17:21,270 wanted to be with us in all things, 341 00:17:21,270 --> 00:17:25,500 everywhere and every time. Yeah. So 342 00:17:25,500 --> 00:17:29,226 beautiful. And there's also no shortage of 343 00:17:29,226 --> 00:17:31,082 things that have been written or spoken or 344 00:17:31,082 --> 00:17:33,566 even, I guess, sung about with Christmas, 345 00:17:33,566 --> 00:17:36,426 about how we can get so lost in the 346 00:17:36,426 --> 00:17:38,014 busyness of the season that we forget to 347 00:17:38,014 --> 00:17:41,486 be still and meditate on what this is all 348 00:17:41,486 --> 00:17:44,660 about. And it can get quite busy, 349 00:17:44,660 --> 00:17:46,834 especially for families listening with 350 00:17:46,834 --> 00:17:48,462 kids. You've got school, Christmas 351 00:17:48,462 --> 00:17:51,874 parties, and you've got church sometimes 352 00:17:51,874 --> 00:17:53,554 does so many events, you don't have time 353 00:17:53,554 --> 00:17:55,314 to breathe. And you're volunteering so 354 00:17:55,314 --> 00:17:57,234 much in some of the burnout cultures of 355 00:17:57,234 --> 00:17:59,926 certain churches. And for any people who 356 00:17:59,926 --> 00:18:01,814 are on a staff at a Church, it's really 357 00:18:01,814 --> 00:18:05,042 hard to celebrate and take time. But I was 358 00:18:05,042 --> 00:18:06,774 wondering for you, as you think about 359 00:18:06,774 --> 00:18:08,354 people reading this book, or maybe for 360 00:18:08,354 --> 00:18:09,882 yourself personally, are there any 361 00:18:09,882 --> 00:18:12,186 particular traditions or practices you 362 00:18:12,186 --> 00:18:14,374 have found helpful? Or may you would 363 00:18:14,374 --> 00:18:16,266 suggest to readers to enhance their 364 00:18:16,266 --> 00:18:18,666 experience of advent along with reading 365 00:18:18,666 --> 00:18:26,458 the book? I think you're so right. That. 366 00:18:26,458 --> 00:18:29,582 Stillness and that quiet is really hard to 367 00:18:29,582 --> 00:18:31,598 find. I have several pieces in here. One 368 00:18:31,598 --> 00:18:35,506 of them is no silent night. And I have six 369 00:18:35,506 --> 00:18:37,906 children. I raised six children. They're 370 00:18:37,906 --> 00:18:40,130 all grown. And I have grandchildren now. 371 00:18:40,130 --> 00:18:42,606 But I remember the Christmas, and I've 372 00:18:42,606 --> 00:18:48,934 written about that, such a frantic time. 373 00:18:48,934 --> 00:18:53,090 And I don't think there's joy in that 374 00:18:53,090 --> 00:18:58,022 busyness. There's joy in that giving to 375 00:18:58,022 --> 00:19:00,806 others, serving others. There's a lot of 376 00:19:00,806 --> 00:19:03,818 joy to be had in that, and that's part of 377 00:19:03,818 --> 00:19:07,754 the blessing of the season. But at the 378 00:19:07,754 --> 00:19:11,334 same time, if we ourselves are not 379 00:19:11,334 --> 00:19:13,326 allowing ourselves to just kind of sit in 380 00:19:13,326 --> 00:19:16,574 the radiance of God's love for us, which 381 00:19:16,574 --> 00:19:21,130 is not dependent on what we do and is not 382 00:19:21,130 --> 00:19:24,394 dependent on how much we give and how much 383 00:19:24,394 --> 00:19:28,210 we serve. God loves us simply for who we 384 00:19:28,210 --> 00:19:32,206 are. He loves us because he made us. He 385 00:19:32,206 --> 00:19:34,450 loves us and he came to be with us just 386 00:19:34,450 --> 00:19:37,654 because he wants to be with us. I think we 387 00:19:37,654 --> 00:19:42,966 need to just stop. And if we can, each day 388 00:19:42,966 --> 00:19:47,046 a few moments, that is wonderful and so 389 00:19:47,046 --> 00:19:49,458 good. I couldn't do that when all six of 390 00:19:49,458 --> 00:19:52,426 my children were at home. So it's whenever 391 00:19:52,426 --> 00:19:55,386 I could find that quiet time, it might be 392 00:19:55,386 --> 00:19:58,394 I was in the car waiting to pick up my 393 00:19:58,394 --> 00:20:01,454 kids from school, but I would bring a book 394 00:20:01,454 --> 00:20:05,680 with me and I would just take those five 395 00:20:05,680 --> 00:20:09,274 minutes, and again, five minutes of that 396 00:20:09,274 --> 00:20:12,254 quiet five minutes around a beautiful poem 397 00:20:12,254 --> 00:20:15,620 can suddenly empty. It can suddenly open 398 00:20:15,620 --> 00:20:21,042 up into what feels like timelessness. And 399 00:20:21,042 --> 00:20:25,578 just this moment again, of wonder, of 400 00:20:25,578 --> 00:20:29,986 worship, of gratitude. And that's what 401 00:20:29,986 --> 00:20:33,462 feeds us and that's what keeps us going. 402 00:20:33,462 --> 00:20:38,440 So everybody take some quiet moments for 403 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:41,558 yourself. Be sure and do that. And I hope 404 00:20:41,558 --> 00:20:44,060 you'll do that even with this book, 405 00:20:44,060 --> 00:20:46,826 because it's not going to tell you again 406 00:20:46,826 --> 00:20:52,286 how to feel. It's just going to break 407 00:20:52,286 --> 00:20:55,678 through that busyness and that noise. It's 408 00:20:55,678 --> 00:20:58,814 going to give you a few quiet moments with 409 00:20:58,814 --> 00:21:03,838 the God who loves you. Yeah. It's so hard. 410 00:21:03,838 --> 00:21:08,174 It takes a lot of intentionality. My 411 00:21:08,174 --> 00:21:10,158 therapist told me the past couple of weeks 412 00:21:10,158 --> 00:21:13,026 we've been working on self care, and I 413 00:21:13,026 --> 00:21:14,946 live in Silicon Valley, and I'm a mom of 414 00:21:14,946 --> 00:21:18,142 three teenagers, and I'm a podcast. And 415 00:21:18,142 --> 00:21:21,814 it's, know, we're busy people. And so she 416 00:21:21,814 --> 00:21:23,318 has this thing where she's like, I know if 417 00:21:23,318 --> 00:21:24,946 I give you things that last too long, 418 00:21:24,946 --> 00:21:26,086 you're probably not going to implement 419 00:21:26,086 --> 00:21:27,878 them in your life. I'm like, yes, that was 420 00:21:27,878 --> 00:21:29,766 a good call. But she's like, if you could 421 00:21:29,766 --> 00:21:32,220 just do this thing and it's just called 422 00:21:32,220 --> 00:21:33,962 be. And even if you're sitting in your 423 00:21:33,962 --> 00:21:35,354 office chair, I just want you to sit 424 00:21:35,354 --> 00:21:37,274 there, even just 10 seconds, and don't 425 00:21:37,274 --> 00:21:39,914 look at anything, don't read anything. 426 00:21:39,914 --> 00:21:41,866 Just be like, try to empty any thoughts in 427 00:21:41,866 --> 00:21:43,790 your head just because your body needs to 428 00:21:43,790 --> 00:21:46,910 just calm. And I think that I always feel 429 00:21:46,910 --> 00:21:48,874 like as a mom, ever since. I mean, my 430 00:21:48,874 --> 00:21:53,220 oldest is now 19, almost 20. I think about 431 00:21:53,220 --> 00:21:58,174 his first Christmas up until now, and 432 00:21:58,174 --> 00:21:59,426 Christmas just changed all of a sudden. 433 00:21:59,426 --> 00:22:02,450 When I had kids, it got busy, it was 434 00:22:02,450 --> 00:22:05,874 different. And finding the time to be 435 00:22:05,874 --> 00:22:08,786 still and know that God is God and I'm 436 00:22:08,786 --> 00:22:11,554 God's child and I'm loved. Those are such 437 00:22:11,554 --> 00:22:13,894 rare and special moments. And I do find 438 00:22:13,894 --> 00:22:16,598 that sometimes authors and writers can put 439 00:22:16,598 --> 00:22:18,546 together words and books like advent 440 00:22:18,546 --> 00:22:20,166 devotionals or a book like yours or 441 00:22:20,166 --> 00:22:23,414 radiant birth, and help give us a fresh 442 00:22:23,414 --> 00:22:25,978 perspective in a new way. And so, yeah, I 443 00:22:25,978 --> 00:22:27,866 agree. Sometimes even a sentence that you 444 00:22:27,866 --> 00:22:31,178 could repeat. My therapist told me this 445 00:22:31,178 --> 00:22:32,986 great sort of sentence she often repeats 446 00:22:32,986 --> 00:22:35,674 when she's meditating. And it's like, 447 00:22:35,674 --> 00:22:38,654 spirit, I'm one with you and loved, you 448 00:22:38,654 --> 00:22:40,318 know, just a little like breath prayer. I 449 00:22:40,318 --> 00:22:42,366 had a spiritual director when my kids were 450 00:22:42,366 --> 00:22:43,898 little and I was living in Indonesia. And 451 00:22:43,898 --> 00:22:45,674 she's like, you don't have time for long 452 00:22:45,674 --> 00:22:46,626 devotionals. She's like, I'm going to send 453 00:22:46,626 --> 00:22:49,682 you some breast prayers to just pray. So, 454 00:22:49,682 --> 00:22:52,018 yeah, I'm glad that you address those busy 455 00:22:52,018 --> 00:22:53,714 people because that's just the reality of 456 00:22:53,714 --> 00:22:58,690 our world. And as you are speaking of 457 00:22:58,690 --> 00:23:01,222 busy, you are not only an author, but you 458 00:23:01,222 --> 00:23:04,614 also coach authors and you help people to 459 00:23:04,614 --> 00:23:06,946 write their story, and you have people 460 00:23:06,946 --> 00:23:08,806 joining you for that. And so I'd love to 461 00:23:08,806 --> 00:23:10,954 know a little more about how you approach 462 00:23:10,954 --> 00:23:13,706 the writing process, maybe specifically 463 00:23:13,706 --> 00:23:15,306 with this book or any book. Like, what is 464 00:23:15,306 --> 00:23:18,442 your philosophy of writing, and how do you 465 00:23:18,442 --> 00:23:19,942 explain that to people who are thinking 466 00:23:19,942 --> 00:23:24,400 about writing? That is a really big 467 00:23:24,400 --> 00:23:30,062 question. Anywhere you want to take that. 468 00:23:30,062 --> 00:23:36,910 But thank you for asking it. We're all 469 00:23:36,910 --> 00:23:39,634 wired a bit differently, right? So we all 470 00:23:39,634 --> 00:23:41,570 would probably approach writing 471 00:23:41,570 --> 00:23:45,798 differently. What I found is that many 472 00:23:45,798 --> 00:23:48,918 people want to write or know they have a 473 00:23:48,918 --> 00:23:51,414 story to tell, and they want to tell it, 474 00:23:51,414 --> 00:23:57,522 they need to tell it. But how? It's 475 00:23:57,522 --> 00:23:59,850 overwhelming. Just even the thought of a 476 00:23:59,850 --> 00:24:02,554 book, it becomes this really heavy weight 477 00:24:02,554 --> 00:24:04,746 that people are often carrying around on 478 00:24:04,746 --> 00:24:08,538 their shoulders. And I've heard so many 479 00:24:08,538 --> 00:24:11,246 times, someone will say, oh. People say to 480 00:24:11,246 --> 00:24:13,946 me, oh, you have to write a book. Because 481 00:24:13,946 --> 00:24:17,582 I've lived an extraordinary life, and I 482 00:24:17,582 --> 00:24:20,400 believe that we've all lived extraordinary 483 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,954 lives, and I think everybody should write. 484 00:24:23,954 --> 00:24:30,306 And so my starting point is first to say, 485 00:24:30,306 --> 00:24:33,858 you can do it. Everybody can do it. 486 00:24:33,858 --> 00:24:38,774 Anybody can do it. Because good writing is 487 00:24:38,774 --> 00:24:42,534 not actually about writing. It's not about 488 00:24:42,534 --> 00:24:46,534 the words on the page. It's about opening 489 00:24:46,534 --> 00:24:52,026 our heart. It's about seeing the story 490 00:24:52,026 --> 00:24:55,770 that we're living. And once our eyes get 491 00:24:55,770 --> 00:24:59,274 open to the remarkable stories that we 492 00:24:59,274 --> 00:25:03,338 are, each of us, living, oh, my goodness, 493 00:25:03,338 --> 00:25:06,826 it's like opening a dam and stories pour 494 00:25:06,826 --> 00:25:11,834 onto the page. And that's my goal as a 495 00:25:11,834 --> 00:25:15,154 coach, is to empower people to see past 496 00:25:15,154 --> 00:25:18,706 their fears, past the voices in their head 497 00:25:18,706 --> 00:25:20,654 and the voices in their heart and the 498 00:25:20,654 --> 00:25:24,382 voices in their past that tell them, you 499 00:25:24,382 --> 00:25:28,646 can't write or you're this kind of person, 500 00:25:28,646 --> 00:25:33,314 or you can't tell that story, or we will 501 00:25:33,314 --> 00:25:37,454 disown you. All of these voices, right? We 502 00:25:37,454 --> 00:25:41,482 carry them. So my first job is to silence 503 00:25:41,482 --> 00:25:45,850 those voices and then help people 504 00:25:45,850 --> 00:25:48,822 discover, oh, my goodness. Look at this 505 00:25:48,822 --> 00:25:52,634 incredible story that you are living. 506 00:25:52,634 --> 00:25:56,474 Let's start getting it down on the page. 507 00:25:56,474 --> 00:25:58,874 That's incredible. I love that. So 508 00:25:58,874 --> 00:26:01,918 inspiring. And I'm sure that's the reason 509 00:26:01,918 --> 00:26:04,254 people love to be coached by you in terms 510 00:26:04,254 --> 00:26:07,294 of writing, because I think everybody. I 511 00:26:07,294 --> 00:26:09,390 wholeheartedly agree. I think people are 512 00:26:09,390 --> 00:26:10,834 fascinating. I've never met a single 513 00:26:10,834 --> 00:26:12,562 person that I thought, oh, you have 514 00:26:12,562 --> 00:26:14,322 nothing for me to learn from. Everybody 515 00:26:14,322 --> 00:26:18,978 has so much unique perspective. I do 516 00:26:18,978 --> 00:26:20,406 training, and I just have been training 517 00:26:20,406 --> 00:26:22,118 this leadership summit at the headquarters 518 00:26:22,118 --> 00:26:25,126 of the tech company where I work. And as I 519 00:26:25,126 --> 00:26:27,346 was researching for some of it, I was 520 00:26:27,346 --> 00:26:29,526 listening to the Stanford graduate School 521 00:26:29,526 --> 00:26:32,986 of Business professor, and he was talking 522 00:26:32,986 --> 00:26:34,858 with someone, and they said, the way we 523 00:26:34,858 --> 00:26:36,902 listen is so unique to us because the 524 00:26:36,902 --> 00:26:39,254 filters of our brains are based on our own 525 00:26:39,254 --> 00:26:41,386 narratives and our experiences. And so 526 00:26:41,386 --> 00:26:43,106 when we listen, we listen through those 527 00:26:43,106 --> 00:26:45,306 filters of our own life, which is as 528 00:26:45,306 --> 00:26:48,046 unique for every human as our fingerprint. 529 00:26:48,046 --> 00:26:50,234 And it was fascinating. Like, we're so 530 00:26:50,234 --> 00:26:51,470 fascinating, our fingerprints are 531 00:26:51,470 --> 00:26:53,614 different. How we listen is so unique to 532 00:26:53,614 --> 00:26:55,834 us. And, of course, how we would write or 533 00:26:55,834 --> 00:26:57,874 express our story, our unique story would 534 00:26:57,874 --> 00:26:59,874 be really different. It's kind of why I 535 00:26:59,874 --> 00:27:01,474 started this podcast. I love talking with 536 00:27:01,474 --> 00:27:03,186 people and our differences, and I think we 537 00:27:03,186 --> 00:27:05,154 make a difference better together. Right. 538 00:27:05,154 --> 00:27:07,254 So, as you've been coaching and writing 539 00:27:07,254 --> 00:27:09,398 and helping people learn to write their 540 00:27:09,398 --> 00:27:11,782 story, do you see common pitfalls that 541 00:27:11,782 --> 00:27:14,598 people fall into, common obstacles, maybe, 542 00:27:14,598 --> 00:27:16,546 that you're helping people overcome on a 543 00:27:16,546 --> 00:27:20,460 regular basis as a writer coach? Yes, 544 00:27:20,460 --> 00:27:24,346 absolutely. One really common obstacle is 545 00:27:24,346 --> 00:27:28,314 the idea that I'm just living an ordinary 546 00:27:28,314 --> 00:27:30,286 life. I didn't run with the hell's angels 547 00:27:30,286 --> 00:27:34,138 and then get converted, and now I dig 548 00:27:34,138 --> 00:27:36,814 wells for orphanages in Africa. You think, 549 00:27:36,814 --> 00:27:39,390 okay, that's a story, okay, that your 550 00:27:39,390 --> 00:27:43,662 story matters. But me, I'm a soccer mom. I 551 00:27:43,662 --> 00:27:49,470 shop at Walmart. I live in Okie Fenoki, 552 00:27:49,470 --> 00:27:52,580 Florida. And I just have an ordinary life. 553 00:27:52,580 --> 00:27:57,800 But I really want to shift people's lens 554 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:01,414 to not just the outer story that we're all 555 00:28:01,414 --> 00:28:03,654 living, an outer story where we live, 556 00:28:03,654 --> 00:28:08,314 where we work, the dinner that we fix at 557 00:28:08,314 --> 00:28:11,162 night, all of those things, but we're all 558 00:28:11,162 --> 00:28:15,866 living a very deep inner story and 559 00:28:15,866 --> 00:28:20,220 everyone has a profound inner story. And 560 00:28:20,220 --> 00:28:25,166 so one of my main goals as a writing coach 561 00:28:25,166 --> 00:28:30,240 is to help people find that inner story 562 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:35,154 that twines through their life right back 563 00:28:35,154 --> 00:28:37,714 from their earliest memory. And when 564 00:28:37,714 --> 00:28:40,942 people start to tap into that, they 565 00:28:40,942 --> 00:28:45,700 realize, oh, wow, I am a rather remarkable 566 00:28:45,700 --> 00:28:51,798 person. I love that. That's incredible. 567 00:28:51,798 --> 00:28:53,266 Yeah. And I'm sure you get to hear all 568 00:28:53,266 --> 00:28:55,142 kinds of fascinating things from where you 569 00:28:55,142 --> 00:28:57,320 sit and being able to coach so many 570 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,698 people. If someone's thinking, because I 571 00:29:00,698 --> 00:29:02,826 know we're listening to this podcast here 572 00:29:02,826 --> 00:29:04,442 at the end of the year, it's Christmas 573 00:29:04,442 --> 00:29:06,486 time, and then we're headed into New 574 00:29:06,486 --> 00:29:09,530 Year's resolutions. If somebody's thinking 575 00:29:09,530 --> 00:29:11,274 exactly what you mentioned, people keep 576 00:29:11,274 --> 00:29:12,366 saying, you should write a book, you 577 00:29:12,366 --> 00:29:14,254 should write a book. And they're feeling 578 00:29:14,254 --> 00:29:16,366 this kind of urging, but they don't really 579 00:29:16,366 --> 00:29:19,166 know where to start. What's your advice to 580 00:29:19,166 --> 00:29:24,034 them on how to start? Well, I want to say 581 00:29:24,034 --> 00:29:27,166 sign up for my course. Yes, it's okay to 582 00:29:27,166 --> 00:29:30,322 plug your course. The other thing is 583 00:29:30,322 --> 00:29:33,454 something that's maybe easier and 584 00:29:33,454 --> 00:29:37,798 immediate is a couple of books ago, I have 585 00:29:37,798 --> 00:29:41,142 a book. Your story matters, and that book 586 00:29:41,142 --> 00:29:44,310 will walk you through this writing process 587 00:29:44,310 --> 00:29:48,614 that anybody can do. And I don't mean yes, 588 00:29:48,614 --> 00:29:50,410 it's simple. It's simple enough that 589 00:29:50,410 --> 00:29:54,714 anybody can do it. And yet the profundity 590 00:29:54,714 --> 00:29:58,154 is in the simplicity of the process. And 591 00:29:58,154 --> 00:30:00,746 when something is simpler, people are a 592 00:30:00,746 --> 00:30:03,198 lot more likely to do it. I'm not going to 593 00:30:03,198 --> 00:30:06,958 lay 25 rules on you. I'm going to just 594 00:30:06,958 --> 00:30:10,938 open up this path that is so doable and 595 00:30:10,938 --> 00:30:12,802 it's going to enable you to reach into 596 00:30:12,802 --> 00:30:16,494 that inner story and you're going to be 597 00:30:16,494 --> 00:30:20,866 amazed at what you can do. That's awesome. 598 00:30:20,866 --> 00:30:23,234 I love that. Yeah. Just helping free 599 00:30:23,234 --> 00:30:26,146 people up and serve them as you're trying 600 00:30:26,146 --> 00:30:28,270 to help their stories be born. There's a 601 00:30:28,270 --> 00:30:30,166 lot of people online that when their book 602 00:30:30,166 --> 00:30:31,458 gets published, they'll treat it like a 603 00:30:31,458 --> 00:30:32,886 baby and have these cute little pictures 604 00:30:32,886 --> 00:30:38,726 on instagram. It's a girl. Yeah. There is 605 00:30:38,726 --> 00:30:40,866 an element of it that feels like birthing 606 00:30:40,866 --> 00:30:43,546 something new into the world. And we need 607 00:30:43,546 --> 00:30:46,166 our doulas and we need our nurses and 608 00:30:46,166 --> 00:30:47,706 doctors to help us give birth to baby. And 609 00:30:47,706 --> 00:30:50,522 we need sometimes coaches and people like 610 00:30:50,522 --> 00:30:52,938 you who walk people through the process 611 00:30:52,938 --> 00:30:54,718 and just to sit, cheer us on and be like, 612 00:30:54,718 --> 00:30:56,298 you can do this. So thank you for that 613 00:30:56,298 --> 00:30:57,806 role that you play because it helps us to 614 00:30:57,806 --> 00:30:59,914 get to read these exciting stories as 615 00:30:59,914 --> 00:31:03,742 readers as well. So I want to sort of 616 00:31:03,742 --> 00:31:06,046 finish out here with just some of your 617 00:31:06,046 --> 00:31:08,546 thoughts around the Christmas season. I 618 00:31:08,546 --> 00:31:10,814 know you raised six children. Now you have 619 00:31:10,814 --> 00:31:12,734 grandchildren. Do you have any favorite 620 00:31:12,734 --> 00:31:15,166 Christmas traditions? I mean, I think our 621 00:31:15,166 --> 00:31:17,134 stereotype is Alaska always gets a white 622 00:31:17,134 --> 00:31:18,718 Christmas. I'm not sure if that's true. 623 00:31:18,718 --> 00:31:20,258 But what do you do at Christmas time? 624 00:31:20,258 --> 00:31:23,046 What's your favorite things? Yeah, so one 625 00:31:23,046 --> 00:31:25,400 of my favorite things is something that I 626 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,054 started, boy, I'm going to say, at least 627 00:31:28,054 --> 00:31:31,258 25 years ago, and that is we have this 628 00:31:31,258 --> 00:31:35,946 special Christmas Eve dinner. We often go 629 00:31:35,946 --> 00:31:38,010 to church on Christmas Eve. We have this 630 00:31:38,010 --> 00:31:41,390 beautiful candlelight service, and that's 631 00:31:41,390 --> 00:31:44,590 very common in my faith tradition. I think 632 00:31:44,590 --> 00:31:45,982 everybody looks forward to that, 633 00:31:45,982 --> 00:31:49,450 especially the kids. Like what fire in 634 00:31:49,450 --> 00:31:53,258 church we can have in church, right? But 635 00:31:53,258 --> 00:31:55,730 it's so beautiful. And we sing silent 636 00:31:55,730 --> 00:31:58,366 night, and we hold our candles up in the 637 00:31:58,366 --> 00:32:00,706 dark in church. It's really beautiful. And 638 00:32:00,706 --> 00:32:03,554 then we come home after that and we have 639 00:32:03,554 --> 00:32:10,066 this meal. And I've sort of created it. So 640 00:32:10,066 --> 00:32:12,886 it's actually pigs in a blanket, but we 641 00:32:12,886 --> 00:32:16,214 call it babes and swaddling clothes. So 642 00:32:16,214 --> 00:32:18,762 you take little sausages and you wrap them 643 00:32:18,762 --> 00:32:21,930 in, like, biscuit dough. So we have a 644 00:32:21,930 --> 00:32:25,462 whole sheet of babes and swaddling 645 00:32:25,462 --> 00:32:27,834 clothes. And then we have hay and straw. 646 00:32:27,834 --> 00:32:32,022 So we have this meal of. It's green 647 00:32:32,022 --> 00:32:35,374 fettuccine and whole wheat. So it looks 648 00:32:35,374 --> 00:32:38,174 like hay and straw. Just very simple hay 649 00:32:38,174 --> 00:32:41,278 and straw. And then we have a coleslaw 650 00:32:41,278 --> 00:32:44,242 that I call Mary and Joseph's law. It's 651 00:32:44,242 --> 00:32:47,906 green and purple cabbage. And we eat with 652 00:32:47,906 --> 00:32:50,974 the lights off and with candles. So we 653 00:32:50,974 --> 00:32:54,654 imagine ourselves in the stable where 654 00:32:54,654 --> 00:32:56,854 Jesus was born. And it's a simple meal. 655 00:32:56,854 --> 00:32:59,990 And that's the idea, right? It's a simple 656 00:32:59,990 --> 00:33:02,626 meal. And I think of all our family 657 00:33:02,626 --> 00:33:05,720 traditions, that is probably my kids and 658 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:10,806 my very favorite one. I love that. So 659 00:33:10,806 --> 00:33:12,314 unique to your family and something you 660 00:33:12,314 --> 00:33:15,690 came up just with all of you, that's 661 00:33:15,690 --> 00:33:17,386 obviously going to be special memories, 662 00:33:17,386 --> 00:33:20,218 even with the grandchildren. And some of 663 00:33:20,218 --> 00:33:22,026 the best family traditions are ones like 664 00:33:22,026 --> 00:33:23,626 that, that are just super special and 665 00:33:23,626 --> 00:33:25,614 unique to each family. And traditions 666 00:33:25,614 --> 00:33:27,662 really do draw family together and ground 667 00:33:27,662 --> 00:33:31,102 you. My family of origin, as well as the 668 00:33:31,102 --> 00:33:34,046 family where I'm the mom. We've lived in a 669 00:33:34,046 --> 00:33:35,614 lot of countries, and something that's 670 00:33:35,614 --> 00:33:37,686 always grounded us has been those 671 00:33:37,686 --> 00:33:39,330 traditions that we have carried with us 672 00:33:39,330 --> 00:33:41,298 and helps us know that if everything might 673 00:33:41,298 --> 00:33:43,378 be a little chaotic out there, but we're 674 00:33:43,378 --> 00:33:45,234 okay when we're still doing the thing we 675 00:33:45,234 --> 00:33:47,094 always do this time of year kind of thing. 676 00:33:47,094 --> 00:33:51,302 So it's really special. As we kind of 677 00:33:51,302 --> 00:33:53,062 finish up here, I wanted to give you a 678 00:33:53,062 --> 00:33:57,170 chance to sort of give us some of your 679 00:33:57,170 --> 00:33:58,406 imagination a little bit, because I know 680 00:33:58,406 --> 00:34:03,354 as a writer, you have this creativity, a 681 00:34:03,354 --> 00:34:05,542 part of yourself, and obviously your 682 00:34:05,542 --> 00:34:07,526 tradition of food is showing your creative 683 00:34:07,526 --> 00:34:11,194 style as well. But sometimes we get so 684 00:34:11,194 --> 00:34:15,246 stuck in our ruts of living life, living 685 00:34:15,246 --> 00:34:18,830 this grind. And Christmas time can 686 00:34:18,830 --> 00:34:21,054 sometimes be a time, at least here in the 687 00:34:21,054 --> 00:34:23,214 United States, where we take Christmas day 688 00:34:23,214 --> 00:34:24,766 off. Sometimes people get Christmas eve 689 00:34:24,766 --> 00:34:27,314 off or they're lucky a little bit more. 690 00:34:27,314 --> 00:34:29,154 And in other countries around the world 691 00:34:29,154 --> 00:34:31,602 where there is enough christians, 692 00:34:31,602 --> 00:34:33,106 sometimes people will get that holiday off 693 00:34:33,106 --> 00:34:35,474 as well. But as we're thinking about time 694 00:34:35,474 --> 00:34:37,202 off at the end of the year and spending 695 00:34:37,202 --> 00:34:41,426 time with family, as you've seen some 696 00:34:41,426 --> 00:34:43,926 shifts in our world as a grandma, and you 697 00:34:43,926 --> 00:34:45,622 look back to your childhood and look 698 00:34:45,622 --> 00:34:47,126 forward to the world your grandchildren 699 00:34:47,126 --> 00:34:49,766 are going to be living in, what is some of 700 00:34:49,766 --> 00:34:51,930 your imagination of what you hope for 701 00:34:51,930 --> 00:34:54,506 people as they continue to love one 702 00:34:54,506 --> 00:34:56,666 another and live out the love of God in 703 00:34:56,666 --> 00:34:58,314 their communities? What is something you 704 00:34:58,314 --> 00:35:03,422 hope to see in your grandkids generation? 705 00:35:03,422 --> 00:35:06,254 I haven't told any of my backstory. I grew 706 00:35:06,254 --> 00:35:09,818 up without Christmas. My family was very 707 00:35:09,818 --> 00:35:15,602 poor, and we had no money, nor did we know 708 00:35:15,602 --> 00:35:19,154 about Jesus, the coming of God to be with 709 00:35:19,154 --> 00:35:23,250 us. I didn't know about that until later. 710 00:35:23,250 --> 00:35:27,654 So I came from a place of no celebration 711 00:35:27,654 --> 00:35:34,726 and no joy and no traditions. And so that 712 00:35:34,726 --> 00:35:37,646 has made my own journey, especially as a 713 00:35:37,646 --> 00:35:40,170 mother and now as a grandmother, so much 714 00:35:40,170 --> 00:35:44,086 more thoughtful and so much more 715 00:35:44,086 --> 00:35:46,714 intentional. And that Christmas Eve dinner 716 00:35:46,714 --> 00:35:52,810 that I just described, that was from 717 00:35:52,810 --> 00:35:55,454 deciding, I want to start some traditions. 718 00:35:55,454 --> 00:35:58,142 I want to start some things that anchor 719 00:35:58,142 --> 00:36:01,406 our family. And there's no way that I want 720 00:36:01,406 --> 00:36:04,594 to prescribe to anybody what to do, what 721 00:36:04,594 --> 00:36:08,340 to say, what to think, how to celebrate. 722 00:36:08,340 --> 00:36:15,074 But my vision and my desire and my hope is 723 00:36:15,074 --> 00:36:17,350 that one four letter word that you already 724 00:36:17,350 --> 00:36:20,182 said, and that is love. And that is to 725 00:36:20,182 --> 00:36:24,022 have love for one another and that our 726 00:36:24,022 --> 00:36:27,602 love for one another, that it would be so 727 00:36:27,602 --> 00:36:32,634 full within our families, but that it 728 00:36:32,634 --> 00:36:35,126 would spread outward from our families. I 729 00:36:35,126 --> 00:36:38,474 don't think that our love is intended to 730 00:36:38,474 --> 00:36:42,346 be insular, that it's intended to bind us 731 00:36:42,346 --> 00:36:44,138 together just to our families. I think 732 00:36:44,138 --> 00:36:46,654 it's to bind us together so that then we 733 00:36:46,654 --> 00:36:49,374 are strengthened and filled, to go out 734 00:36:49,374 --> 00:36:51,886 into the world, to go out into the world 735 00:36:51,886 --> 00:36:54,686 and to take this radiant light that's been 736 00:36:54,686 --> 00:36:58,318 born within us and to go out into the 737 00:36:58,318 --> 00:37:01,698 places where it's dark and where it's cold 738 00:37:01,698 --> 00:37:05,358 and where it's lonely and for us to grow 739 00:37:05,358 --> 00:37:10,646 out in love and serve together. And that 740 00:37:10,646 --> 00:37:13,302 is my joy. That is my vision. That is my 741 00:37:13,302 --> 00:37:16,790 hope. And I see my children and my 742 00:37:16,790 --> 00:37:19,306 grandchildren beginning to do that within 743 00:37:19,306 --> 00:37:26,442 their own families. So I am so thankful. 744 00:37:26,442 --> 00:37:29,850 So beautiful, and I'm just so thrilled for 745 00:37:29,850 --> 00:37:34,234 you that you get to see that joy and hope 746 00:37:34,234 --> 00:37:38,106 fulfilled already. What a treasure and a 747 00:37:38,106 --> 00:37:40,074 gift. And I do hope that you and your 748 00:37:40,074 --> 00:37:41,854 families have a very special Christmas 749 00:37:41,854 --> 00:37:44,922 this year. I would love for you to let our 750 00:37:44,922 --> 00:37:46,706 audience know how they can find you in 751 00:37:46,706 --> 00:37:48,594 more of your writing. And if they want to 752 00:37:48,594 --> 00:37:51,506 sign up for coaching with you as well. 753 00:37:51,506 --> 00:37:53,554 Just let people know how they can find 754 00:37:53,554 --> 00:37:56,742 you. Yeah, so I have a website and it's 755 00:37:56,742 --> 00:37:59,634 just my name, so that's really easy. 756 00:37:59,634 --> 00:38:04,886 Leslie leylandfields.com and everything is 757 00:38:04,886 --> 00:38:08,834 on there, including photos of Alaska and 758 00:38:08,834 --> 00:38:10,566 fishing. We are commercial fishermen in 759 00:38:10,566 --> 00:38:12,710 the summer and we live out in the 760 00:38:12,710 --> 00:38:15,194 wilderness, so there's a lot going on in 761 00:38:15,194 --> 00:38:19,180 my life, but most of it is on the website. 762 00:38:19,180 --> 00:38:23,200 So please go there and visit and say 763 00:38:23,200 --> 00:38:27,182 hello. Yeah, definitely hope people do 764 00:38:27,182 --> 00:38:29,742 that from all around the world. Such a 765 00:38:29,742 --> 00:38:31,818 special thing to be coached by you. You've 766 00:38:31,818 --> 00:38:33,134 written a couple of really great books 767 00:38:33,134 --> 00:38:35,866 that people have read and then also 768 00:38:35,866 --> 00:38:38,290 helping people and give birth to their own 769 00:38:38,290 --> 00:38:40,066 story in written form. So thank you for 770 00:38:40,066 --> 00:38:42,274 the work that you do, and we're going to 771 00:38:42,274 --> 00:38:43,906 have you continue the conversation with 772 00:38:43,906 --> 00:38:46,258 our difference makers in our other 773 00:38:46,258 --> 00:38:47,662 community. And I'll ask you another 774 00:38:47,662 --> 00:38:49,894 question there for the paid community. But 775 00:38:49,894 --> 00:38:52,054 for now, thank you so much for being on 776 00:38:52,054 --> 00:38:54,726 today. I wish you, Leslie, and your whole 777 00:38:54,726 --> 00:38:57,906 family a very merry Christmas. Thank you, 778 00:38:57,906 --> 00:39:01,126 Lori, and you as well. And to everyone 779 00:39:01,126 --> 00:39:03,514 who's listening well, as. You are sitting 780 00:39:03,514 --> 00:39:06,330 either in a warm or a cold or somewhere in 781 00:39:06,330 --> 00:39:09,190 between plays listening to this Christmas 782 00:39:09,190 --> 00:39:13,054 Advent podcast, I hope that it has brought 783 00:39:13,054 --> 00:39:15,598 some warmth and some light into your heart 784 00:39:15,598 --> 00:39:17,326 and your mind and your spirit today. As 785 00:39:17,326 --> 00:39:20,830 you heard Leslie describe her experience 786 00:39:20,830 --> 00:39:23,370 of writing this book, radiant birth, and 787 00:39:23,370 --> 00:39:26,322 also collecting all the writings that she 788 00:39:26,322 --> 00:39:29,234 read through to prepare for bringing all 789 00:39:29,234 --> 00:39:31,474 these writings together in this book, 790 00:39:31,474 --> 00:39:34,322 which, as she said, was not intended to 791 00:39:34,322 --> 00:39:37,086 tell people what to think or to put 792 00:39:37,086 --> 00:39:40,278 thoughts in people's heads, to sway them 793 00:39:40,278 --> 00:39:41,942 in a particular direction, but just to 794 00:39:41,942 --> 00:39:43,890 offer you the thoughts and the 795 00:39:43,890 --> 00:39:45,446 perspectives of the different writers who 796 00:39:45,446 --> 00:39:48,306 are writing about this advent season 797 00:39:48,306 --> 00:39:50,966 throughout the years. And I hope that you 798 00:39:50,966 --> 00:39:52,474 will get your hands on this book. It's 799 00:39:52,474 --> 00:39:55,446 once again a beautiful cover and it has 800 00:39:55,446 --> 00:39:58,106 brought a lot of light into my life. A 801 00:39:58,106 --> 00:40:00,586 very special radiance this time of year, 802 00:40:00,586 --> 00:40:02,634 which for those of us who are in North 803 00:40:02,634 --> 00:40:04,894 America, I'm in northern California, which 804 00:40:04,894 --> 00:40:07,294 is about as north as I feel free to live. 805 00:40:07,294 --> 00:40:11,546 Being a tropical person myself and used to 806 00:40:11,546 --> 00:40:13,186 consistent amount of light all year round. 807 00:40:13,186 --> 00:40:16,286 As we get closer to the winter solstice, 808 00:40:16,286 --> 00:40:18,546 I'm always feeling the cold darkness and 809 00:40:18,546 --> 00:40:21,986 the longer, darker days in a very embodied 810 00:40:21,986 --> 00:40:25,758 way. And also just my own experience of 811 00:40:25,758 --> 00:40:29,286 the winter solstice was three years ago at 812 00:40:29,286 --> 00:40:32,370 this .1 of the darkest days of my life, of 813 00:40:32,370 --> 00:40:34,482 experiencing a very spiritually abusive 814 00:40:34,482 --> 00:40:37,618 environment in the office where two 815 00:40:37,618 --> 00:40:39,686 pastors kind of really mobbed me and 816 00:40:39,686 --> 00:40:42,154 ambushed me and berated me with questions. 817 00:40:42,154 --> 00:40:46,182 And it was an especially dark day of 818 00:40:46,182 --> 00:40:49,946 December 21 and 2020 for me. And so every 819 00:40:49,946 --> 00:40:52,278 year I celebrate my freedom day and look 820 00:40:52,278 --> 00:40:54,926 for the light, remember that moment and 821 00:40:54,926 --> 00:40:56,558 the light that God gave me in the middle 822 00:40:56,558 --> 00:40:59,086 of that darkness. And also knowing that 823 00:40:59,086 --> 00:41:01,870 some of us experiencing this Christmas 824 00:41:01,870 --> 00:41:04,606 season are experiencing darkness, whether 825 00:41:04,606 --> 00:41:08,494 you've walked through spiritual abuse or 826 00:41:08,494 --> 00:41:10,882 emotional abuse or abuse of any kind, or 827 00:41:10,882 --> 00:41:13,026 also whether you are sitting right now in 828 00:41:13,026 --> 00:41:16,450 a place where peace does not reign, I know 829 00:41:16,450 --> 00:41:19,110 that many of our friends, including I have 830 00:41:19,110 --> 00:41:20,966 friends who are palestinian Christians 831 00:41:20,966 --> 00:41:23,974 from Bethlehem. And Bethlehem is not what 832 00:41:23,974 --> 00:41:26,502 it has been in years past this year. And 833 00:41:26,502 --> 00:41:28,970 even the Christmas celebrations that are 834 00:41:28,970 --> 00:41:32,106 public have been canceled because of the 835 00:41:32,106 --> 00:41:33,786 situation there. And there is a darkness 836 00:41:33,786 --> 00:41:39,366 that is really heavy in the place where 837 00:41:39,366 --> 00:41:43,134 Jesus was born and where we worldwide 838 00:41:43,134 --> 00:41:44,686 think about this city every year. And 839 00:41:44,686 --> 00:41:47,934 there is a darkness and a heaviness where 840 00:41:47,934 --> 00:41:50,830 we sing about joy and peace. And this 841 00:41:50,830 --> 00:41:53,150 year, it's not as easily or readily 842 00:41:53,150 --> 00:41:55,594 available to many of us, especially those 843 00:41:55,594 --> 00:41:58,254 in this part of the world that we are so 844 00:41:58,254 --> 00:42:01,666 mindful about right now. And I also am 845 00:42:01,666 --> 00:42:03,666 just mindful of those of you who have lost 846 00:42:03,666 --> 00:42:07,506 a loved one very recently. We have friends 847 00:42:07,506 --> 00:42:10,306 of our family, a beloved mother that 848 00:42:10,306 --> 00:42:13,286 passed away, a friend of my husband's 849 00:42:13,286 --> 00:42:14,978 where he was growing up in Thailand that 850 00:42:14,978 --> 00:42:16,486 passed away recently. I know many of you 851 00:42:16,486 --> 00:42:19,050 have lost loved ones this time of year, in 852 00:42:19,050 --> 00:42:21,690 past years, and this is a reminder of that 853 00:42:21,690 --> 00:42:24,058 loss. Or many of you are walking through 854 00:42:24,058 --> 00:42:27,082 difficult situations, such as a surprising 855 00:42:27,082 --> 00:42:29,654 health diagnosis in this season. And 856 00:42:29,654 --> 00:42:32,700 Christmas is not what it was in years 857 00:42:32,700 --> 00:42:35,698 past. And maybe you also are celebrating 858 00:42:35,698 --> 00:42:37,262 Hanukkah this time of year. And this has 859 00:42:37,262 --> 00:42:40,650 also been a time of loss and mourning and 860 00:42:40,650 --> 00:42:42,494 grief because of what your family has gone 861 00:42:42,494 --> 00:42:45,042 through, or maybe what through relatives 862 00:42:45,042 --> 00:42:48,100 have been going through in Israel at the 863 00:42:48,100 --> 00:42:50,158 moment. I know there are many 864 00:42:50,158 --> 00:42:52,946 perspectives, many tragedies, many losses 865 00:42:52,946 --> 00:42:54,766 that can come at a time of year where 866 00:42:54,766 --> 00:42:56,774 you're expecting joy and hope and peace 867 00:42:56,774 --> 00:42:59,206 and light, and if you're needing just to 868 00:42:59,206 --> 00:43:03,446 be reminded of that, I do really encourage 869 00:43:03,446 --> 00:43:05,894 you to pick up this book, radiant birth, 870 00:43:05,894 --> 00:43:07,906 because it's not one person's perspective. 871 00:43:07,906 --> 00:43:09,990 It's many people's writings throughout 872 00:43:09,990 --> 00:43:12,426 time that have shown us where the light is 873 00:43:12,426 --> 00:43:14,934 and where the radiance iS. And even in the 874 00:43:14,934 --> 00:43:17,354 darkest of days, my experience is that if 875 00:43:17,354 --> 00:43:19,626 we look for the light, we will find it, 876 00:43:19,626 --> 00:43:22,354 and it will somehow bring us comfort and 877 00:43:22,354 --> 00:43:25,214 peace in a very embodied way. And so 878 00:43:25,214 --> 00:43:27,182 whether you're needing to take a walk 879 00:43:27,182 --> 00:43:30,174 outside in know one or 2 hours, where you 880 00:43:30,174 --> 00:43:32,574 experience light in northern Alaska right 881 00:43:32,574 --> 00:43:34,206 now, or whether you're blessed to be in 882 00:43:34,206 --> 00:43:36,522 the tropical warm zones of the world, 883 00:43:36,522 --> 00:43:38,334 experiencing a lot of sunshine, or 884 00:43:38,334 --> 00:43:39,538 particularly in the southern hemisphere 885 00:43:39,538 --> 00:43:40,994 where you're getting a lot of sunshine 886 00:43:40,994 --> 00:43:43,538 these days, I hope that wherever you are, 887 00:43:43,538 --> 00:43:45,374 that you will look for that light and the 888 00:43:45,374 --> 00:43:47,586 radiance, and that you will just allow it 889 00:43:47,586 --> 00:43:50,486 to soak into your eyes and into your body 890 00:43:50,486 --> 00:43:52,694 and into your soul in ways that give you 891 00:43:52,694 --> 00:43:56,326 just a moment of comfort and peace when 892 00:43:56,326 --> 00:43:58,520 the world seems to be a little bit out of 893 00:43:58,520 --> 00:44:01,402 control. And I know that many of you are 894 00:44:01,402 --> 00:44:03,194 in the zones of the world where you're 895 00:44:03,194 --> 00:44:05,814 making a difference and trying to bring 896 00:44:05,814 --> 00:44:07,626 healing and peace, especially those of you 897 00:44:07,626 --> 00:44:10,694 who are working in the area of Israel and 898 00:44:10,694 --> 00:44:13,374 Gaza right now. And I just thank you for 899 00:44:13,374 --> 00:44:16,014 the great work that you do and hope that 900 00:44:16,014 --> 00:44:18,622 you are also finding ways to experience 901 00:44:18,622 --> 00:44:20,478 light in that particular part of the 902 00:44:20,478 --> 00:44:23,338 world, especially when the whole world's 903 00:44:23,338 --> 00:44:26,558 eyes are on this location right now. And I 904 00:44:26,558 --> 00:44:31,826 pray that you find peace very soon for 905 00:44:31,826 --> 00:44:33,506 your loved ones and your friends that you 906 00:44:33,506 --> 00:44:35,634 are working with and trying to bring hope 907 00:44:35,634 --> 00:44:38,226 to there. We know that many decision 908 00:44:38,226 --> 00:44:40,710 makers around the world are having to make 909 00:44:40,710 --> 00:44:43,590 hard calls, both politically and in the 910 00:44:43,590 --> 00:44:45,634 business world, the education world, the 911 00:44:45,634 --> 00:44:47,926 nonprofit world. And for those of you who 912 00:44:47,926 --> 00:44:50,502 are doing that, we also hope that you are 913 00:44:50,502 --> 00:44:52,442 looking for the light and making decisions 914 00:44:52,442 --> 00:44:54,474 based on the light, because the darkness 915 00:44:54,474 --> 00:44:56,394 can sometimes feel like it's overcoming 916 00:44:56,394 --> 00:44:58,906 us, or we don't feel we have good choices 917 00:44:58,906 --> 00:45:01,994 that we can make. So, once again, all the 918 00:45:01,994 --> 00:45:05,134 more reason to pick up this book and to 919 00:45:05,134 --> 00:45:08,554 just dig into the words of others 920 00:45:08,554 --> 00:45:10,426 throughout time. I'm so appreciative of 921 00:45:10,426 --> 00:45:11,646 Leslie and the work that she's done in 922 00:45:11,646 --> 00:45:13,166 this book, the way she's compiled these, 923 00:45:13,166 --> 00:45:14,746 the way she did so much research and 924 00:45:14,746 --> 00:45:17,278 reading to bring it together in this form, 925 00:45:17,278 --> 00:45:19,298 and it's such a gift to us. And to the 926 00:45:19,298 --> 00:45:21,118 world, and along with many of her other 927 00:45:21,118 --> 00:45:22,386 writings and other books. Check out her 928 00:45:22,386 --> 00:45:24,706 other books I mentioned in the intro. She 929 00:45:24,706 --> 00:45:27,506 is an award winning author and her books 930 00:45:27,506 --> 00:45:29,186 have really meant a lot to many people. 931 00:45:29,186 --> 00:45:31,094 She's written 14 books, not just this one. 932 00:45:31,094 --> 00:45:34,166 So check out her other books as well and 933 00:45:34,166 --> 00:45:36,902 stay tuned. Those of you who are in our 934 00:45:36,902 --> 00:45:38,746 difference maker community because we are 935 00:45:38,746 --> 00:45:40,774 going to be dropping a special exclusive 936 00:45:40,774 --> 00:45:43,594 episode for you where she goes into a 937 00:45:43,594 --> 00:45:45,914 little more deeper about her experiences 938 00:45:45,914 --> 00:45:49,254 around the world. She has some kind of 939 00:45:49,254 --> 00:45:52,266 wild tales in there of things that she's 940 00:45:52,266 --> 00:45:54,286 experienced, both just her and her husband 941 00:45:54,286 --> 00:45:56,906 and as a family raising her six kids and 942 00:45:56,906 --> 00:46:00,442 choices they have made to make travel a 943 00:46:00,442 --> 00:46:02,910 priority and the educational nature of 944 00:46:02,910 --> 00:46:04,414 travel itself. So we dig a little deeper 945 00:46:04,414 --> 00:46:06,062 with her in our difference maker 946 00:46:06,062 --> 00:46:08,406 community. So we're releasing an exclusive 947 00:46:08,406 --> 00:46:10,274 episode for you there. And if you are not 948 00:46:10,274 --> 00:46:11,874 yet a part of our difference maker 949 00:46:11,874 --> 00:46:13,618 community, this is a very warm welcome for 950 00:46:13,618 --> 00:46:15,214 you to join. Maybe give yourself a 951 00:46:15,214 --> 00:46:17,794 Christmas gift this year. It's only $5 a 952 00:46:17,794 --> 00:46:20,518 month to join at our most basic level and 953 00:46:20,518 --> 00:46:22,886 you can cancel anytime. But just yeah, try 954 00:46:22,886 --> 00:46:24,754 us out for a month. There's tons of 955 00:46:24,754 --> 00:46:26,310 exclusive episodes in there and other 956 00:46:26,310 --> 00:46:28,882 content. You get to vote on some upcoming 957 00:46:28,882 --> 00:46:30,854 episodes. If you are interested in helping 958 00:46:30,854 --> 00:46:33,914 us plan for 2024 and want to see some 959 00:46:33,914 --> 00:46:35,626 particular topics covered, you can go in 960 00:46:35,626 --> 00:46:38,170 there and vote in our upcoming poll. And 961 00:46:38,170 --> 00:46:39,546 yeah, we'd love to have you in there to 962 00:46:39,546 --> 00:46:40,938 dig a little deeper with some of our 963 00:46:40,938 --> 00:46:43,146 guests where we go into these exclusive 964 00:46:43,146 --> 00:46:47,742 episodes with them. So that's 965 00:46:47,742 --> 00:46:50,222 www.patreon.com a worldofdifference once 966 00:46:50,222 --> 00:46:55,526 again, that is www. Dot Patreon 967 00:46:55,526 --> 00:46:56,386 comaworldofdifference where you can join 968 00:46:56,386 --> 00:46:59,646 for as little as a cup of your favorite 969 00:46:59,646 --> 00:47:02,754 latte at your local coffee shop. $5 for a 970 00:47:02,754 --> 00:47:05,778 whole month of exclusive content and we'd 971 00:47:05,778 --> 00:47:07,298 love for you to join us today to go a 972 00:47:07,298 --> 00:47:09,350 little bit deeper with us there. Once 973 00:47:09,350 --> 00:47:11,126 again, thank you for all of you who are 974 00:47:11,126 --> 00:47:12,710 making a difference around the world, 975 00:47:12,710 --> 00:47:15,474 happy holidays to those of you that 976 00:47:15,474 --> 00:47:18,034 celebrate, whether it's Hanukah or 977 00:47:18,034 --> 00:47:20,594 Christmas, and of course upcoming New 978 00:47:20,594 --> 00:47:23,030 Year's Eve celebrations all around the 979 00:47:23,030 --> 00:47:25,014 world. So we are so grateful for each of 980 00:47:25,014 --> 00:47:27,126 you that listen, this means so much to me 981 00:47:27,126 --> 00:47:28,646 that you would listen and dig in deeper 982 00:47:28,646 --> 00:47:30,686 with us to make a difference. And I just 983 00:47:30,686 --> 00:47:33,582 want to say, may you have peace, hope and 984 00:47:33,582 --> 00:47:35,146 light in your life wherever you're 985 00:47:35,146 --> 00:47:37,358 listening to this podcast and keep making