Welcome to the giving gifts podcast…a place for real people to share real stories and if I'm being really honest with you this has been such a challenging episode to put together. Over a month ago I was brainstorming how to conclude this season of the giving gifts podcast and I had the thought of a collaborative episode. I wanted to give everyone who shared on the season an opportunity just to share what they are learning right now and a little encouragement. 

Honestly, this idea came from a place of being a bit discouraged. I love getting to create space for people to share, and sometimes it feels like I am trying to create something in a world that feels so full..like no one has the time or space to slow down to care. So when this idea came up to make this last episode a collaborative piece, all I had in mind was that it really is such a gift to have a space to host the words and stories of individuals all over this world, and even if one person is impacted…its worth it

What I didn’t know at that time is that one person who needed to hear and receive all those words at that moment was actually me. 

I definitely did not realize that this episode would be host to some of the last words my very special friend, Karimy Jutila, would share here on earth.

I have held on to this episode's words for over three weeks. Wanting so desperately to make something beautiful enough to reflect the impact, love, and care I have for Karimy and all of the brave people to share throughout this season. 

What I am learning right now is that the impact we have on one another is not contingent on how successful you become, or how put together your life appears to be, and it does not wait for things to go the way you imagined they might. Impact happens when we see one another, in suffering, in celebration, in life, and in death. And my encouragement is to really listen to the voices in this episode, and let them be a reminder of just how fragile life is and how impact is a gift we all have to give. May stories like Karimys be a reminder that your story is so incredibly important and needed in this world. 

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