May 5, 2025

340: WFPB Beyond The Plate: Bible-Based Wellness

Send us a text Is your whole food plant-based diet falling short of delivering complete vitality? You might be missing some crucial nourishment! Discover the secret to vibrant energy and fulfilling your God-given purpose—whether in your career, as a mom, or in ministry—by feeding not just your body, but your soul and spirit, too. In this eye-opening episode of the Power On Plants podcast, hosts Jarrod and Anita Roussel reveal why whole food plant-based eating is only one crucial part of the e...

Send us a text

Is your whole food plant-based diet falling short of delivering complete vitality? You might be missing some crucial nourishment! Discover the secret to vibrant energy and fulfilling your God-given purpose—whether in your career, as a mom, or in ministry—by feeding not just your body, but your soul and spirit, too.

In this eye-opening episode of the Power On Plants podcast, hosts Jarrod and Anita Roussel reveal why whole food plant-based eating is only one crucial part of the equation for achieving total, lasting health and living out your unique calling. Inspired by a recent conference, they dive deep into the vital importance of spiritual and mental nourishment alongside the optimal physical fuel we consume.

Learn how neglecting your soul (your thoughts, feelings, desires) and spirit can sabotage your health goals and prevent you from thriving in your purpose – even if you have the perfect diet! The Roussels share practical, biblical wisdom grounded in their Christian faith and health expertise, exploring:

Why your diet alone is not enough for peak energy and well-being.
The surprising connection between spiritual and physical vitality.
How the information and relationships you consume shape your health and future.
Identifying hidden drains on your mental and emotional energy.
Integrating faith and wellness to unlock your full potential and purpose in every area of life (career, family, & other ministry, too).

If you're seeking sustainable health that fuels your dreams, looking to integrate meaningful faith with your wellness journey, or simply want more energy to live fully according to biblical principles, this episode is a must-listen. Stop starving crucial parts of yourself and learn how to embrace true nourishment to fulfill your God-given potential.

Subscribe to Power on Plants Podcast for weekly insights blending practical plant-based nutrition with Christian faith for total wellness and purposeful living. Find show notes, recipes, your completely searchable podcast library (340 episodes...and counting!), and connect with your like-minded WFPB family at poweronplants.com/pie.

💃🏻 Ready to learn how to actually enjoy eating whole plant foods so you can finally feel great and fully experience life ? Inside Accelerator, we'll take you by the hand & walk you step-by-step through our proven 5-Step WFPB Framework so you can heal naturally & actively live your God-given dreams. Join the Waitlist Here... the Doors are Opening Soon!

🎁 Not yet a member of our FREE plant-based community, PIE ? Once you're on the inside, every single podcast episode becomes searchable for you. 😲 Join the family to gain the plant-based encouragement, real health-changing ideas, and sustainable plant-based inspiration you've been praying for! 💕

🥣 Grab our Cookbook Bundles (and snag the incredible Bonuses today) to learn the simple way to make whole food plant-based eating quick, enjoyable, and sustainable.

🤔 Wondering what's in our new Thrive Cookbook? Click here for the inside scoop!

Please subscribe & give the show a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or other podcast providers. And don’t forget to share it with a friend for inspiration!

00:00 - Podcast Welcome and Introduction

01:42 - Conference Inspiration on Holistic Nourishment

03:14 - Feeding Your Spirit with God's Word

05:08 - Intellectual Feeding and Social Connections

07:10 - Guarding What You Consume Mentally

10:17 - Planting Seeds for Your Future Self

12:16 - Episode Wrap-up and Resources

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Hey sister, welcome to the Power on Plants podcast.

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Are you tired of staring into the fridge wondering what to eat so you can just feel better?

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Do you want to avoid spending hours in the kitchen making complicated meals in the name of health?

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Would you love to leave fatigue behind and finally have the energy to do all the things you want to do?

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Hi, we're Jared and Anita Roussel, christ followers, healthcare professionals, parents of four and big fans of great tasting food.

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We, too, tried exercising more, eating natural and clean foods, but we still found ourselves struggling with what we thought were changes that come with age or bad genes, and we weren't finding answers the traditional route.

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So we dug into the research and created our secret nutritional weapon sustainable plant-based living.

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The truth is, you can eat more whole plant foods and it's not hard.

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You just need the way.

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That's realistic and delicious so you never feel deprived.

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If you're ready to enjoy your meals, no longer be held back by your health struggles and actively live your life, then you're in the right place.

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So grab your favorite plant-based cup of happy pop in those earbuds and let's get started.

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Hey there, sunshine.

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If you're an avid Power on Plants listener, you probably know that we recently went on a trip because in our last episode, we were talking about our favorite road trip snacks and where to find them.

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By the way, if you haven't listened to that one, you need to go and hear it.

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But while we were away, we went to a conference and it was absolutely incredible, and being there got Jared to thinking, hey, we need to talk about something on our podcast, and I'm going to let him explain to you what that is.

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Yes, we just recently got back from a four-day conference where the entire family went and it was actually a church conference and it was fantastic.

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We got to listen to some amazing speakers on several different topics, and what occurred to me while we were there is that we talk a lot about feeding our bodies, but we need to feed our minds, we need to feed our spirits.

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This is just so very important, and when you said this to me, I thought this is really something that we do need to talk about.

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While we know that eating whole plant foods is such a crucial foundation of gaining total health, so that you finally feel good and can do all the things that you dream of doing, those things that God placed in your heart, no matter what it is, if your body doesn't feel good, you can't live out your purpose and your calling.

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So, yes, the foods are that foundation, but there are other ways that we need to feed ourselves as well, and we know that.

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We know that.

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We know that when we get around people who challenge us and make us think, especially as believers, in a biblical way, this causes us to grow.

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But why is that?

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It's just as the Bible says Jesus is the bread of life.

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He's the bread that feeds us.

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So when we don't feed on God's word on a regular basis and we're not talking to each other about what we're learning and learning from others who are learning themselves, then we're actually starving our soul, and so starving ourself in this way can lead to our soul being in a bad state, the soul being our thoughts, our feelings and our desires.

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So when we aren't feeding on the bread of Christ, when we're not reading the word, spending time in intimate fellowship with God I'm not talking about religion, but just spending time getting to know him through his word, his truth, and then plugging into relationship with him, talking to him about what we learned afterwards, listening to what he says to us and how he guides us, which is exactly why Jesus came back right To bring us back into relationship with him and the father that we were always meant to have, like we were meant to have in the garden.

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So if we're not regularly feeding on the word of God and having relationship with Yeshua, which is Jesus right, and with God, the father, and with Holy Spirit, then we're missing out on the very purpose that we're created, and this is a food that we also need.

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And then there's the living water.

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Yeshua says, if we ask him, he will give us living water and we'll never thirst again.

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We know we can't survive without water and we certainly need the living water to live a fruitful and productive life.

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So the whole conference got us to thinking, hey, there are other ways that we need to feed ourselves, not just food.

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Yes, we absolutely need that foundation of whole plant foods.

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That is again getting back to the garden, but so is this.

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I mean, we were always meant to have that relationship with God and so if we get back to the garden by having relationship, intimate, personal relationship with Him not just going to church, not just reading the Bible, but actually developing a living, growing, breathing relationship with Him, where we're talking to Him, we're listening it will change your life.

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It brings you real, lasting health that you can't get any other way, because you were created for this.

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And you know what we're saying is true, because if you've ever had an encounter with Holy Spirit where you walk away and you feel energized, not just physically although we have felt that physically but spiritually it's just a whole different level.

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Or if you're reading through the Bible and you have this new understanding where the scriptures just come alive, it just seems to awaken something within you.

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It feeds you.

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That's that food, that spiritual food.

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Yes, it feeds you.

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And then there's also intellectually feeding yourself, like watching some of these movies that we've talked about, like Forks Over Knives, or getting a good book like Dr Greger.

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That's always a great place to start how not to die, how not to diet.

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Feed yourself intellectually, so you're gaining that knowledge as well.

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That just keeps you inspired, and that can happen by just the people you're hanging around with on a regular basis.

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So true.

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Are you hanging around with friends that are keeping you inspired and excited and encouraged to grow and continue on in this life in the purpose that you have, instead of just being okay hanging out doing much of nothing?

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I mean, we don't want to waste our time.

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Are the people we're around inspiring us mentally and causing us to grow?

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Also, like Jared was saying, what we're taking in on a regular basis.

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Are we being mentally challenged and inspired by the things we're putting before our eyes and reading?

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Are we getting new ideas for things that we could cook, whole food, plant based, that will make our bodies healthy and strong, things that excite us, things that we love?

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That's one of the reasons I love writing the recipes.

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I want things that inspire you and keep you excited on this journey, because it's going to make all the difference for you.

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If you don't know where to start, grab the cookbooks at poweronplantscom.

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Forward slash cookbook that can keep you inspired as well.

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Jared also mentioned movies things like that that really are founded on truth.

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Also mentioned movies things like that that really are founded on truth, watching those and keeping yourself inspired, but also guarding your eyes, guarding your ears.

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You know, are you on the incessant scroll all day.

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It's mind numbing.

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It really is mind numbing and thinking you're having relationships with all these people online when really a lot of the things that are online are distractions.

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We think we have friends, but ask yourself how much do I really know these people and are they inspiring me to be the best person I can be?

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Is this the best use of my time?

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Am I feeding myself what I really need to grow to the next level that I was created to enjoy?

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Just like you wouldn't want to feed your body garbage or junk food, you don't want to feed your mind junk food.

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You don't want to feed your soul junk food.

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You want your relationships to be authentic, like some of these relationships online on Facebook.

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How many of those people could you call if you had a problem and say hey.

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Would you pray with me?

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Or hey, I need some help.

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If not, then those are probably not real friendships.

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And how many of them are you able to meet with on a regular basis and actually inspire each other and encourage each other to the next level or in what you're doing right now?

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I mean, these are such important things that we've been robbed of because we don't have the time quote have the time to have these types of relationships.

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We were created to have real relationships.

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Instead, we're online, scrolling or posting things that, in the end, ultimately, are stealing our time.

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So I was thinking about this today also when I was looking at the newsfeed just the newsfeed, like on the Weather Channel.

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They have these different stories and I think I read Jared something like 25 different articles that they had posted on there to try to get me to click and almost everyone I think all but one was a negative news.

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It was fear based, causing us to be afraid and scared.

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I might have some disease.

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I might need this new medicine.

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Maybe this thing is being kept from me, maybe there are secrets out there.

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This weather's coming after me, it's going to be hideous, all this fear-based stuff, and it's really stealing the life that we were meant to have.

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So the whole point is what are we feeding ourself on a regular basis?

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The foundation to help our bodies be strong is going to be whole plant foods.

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But then what about our spirits and what about our souls, our thoughts, our emotions and our desires?

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Those are all affected by the things we look at, the people we hang around with, the things that we're listening to and hearing on a regular basis.

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Because the truth is, as a believer, the only in road that your enemy has into your life is through your thoughts and your ideas planting thoughts, ideas and suggestions that you actually allow to come into your life as food, as seeds to get planted into your life, that you accept them and say, hey, yeah, maybe that's really true, right, so that's biblical, that's in the word.

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You can look that up.

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So we want to be careful.

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What are we feeding ourself?

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What are we thinking about on a regular basis?

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What are we posting?

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What are we reading?

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What are we listening to?

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What are we allowing the inroad into our life to feed us?

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What are we allowing to plant as seeds into our life?

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Because whatever you're planting, I can promise you it is going to bring about your future self or your future position, because you're planting the seeds now that, down the road, are going to bloom and are going to grow.

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Same thing with the food you're putting in your body, the food I'm putting in my body.

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It is planting seeds, in a way, right for what my future is going to be, because it's going to determine in a large part, what my body is able to do.

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It even affects your emotions, the food that goes into your mouth.

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Did you know it even affects your emotions.

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It's been shown in research studies that eating more whole plant foods reduces depression and things like that.

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So it affects the way your body looks, the way your body feels, what you're able to do.

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And definitely God has a plan for you as a believer, and it's so much more than just sitting around and soaking up his word.

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He wants you to take that word out and be able to share it with others through your business, through your ministry, through your homeschooling, whatever it is that you're doing, that he's placed on your heart in this season and for future seasons, and your body has to feel great to do it.

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So we feed it healthy physical bread and physical water, and then we also have to be in the right place mentally and emotionally, with our feelings and our desires, in order to step out and do what he's called us to do to live a healthy, vibrant life and to step into the future.

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That is awesome that he has planned for you.

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So I thought that was such a great idea that Jared had discussing this and we just wanted to bring it to you and see what you think, because of course, it matters what food we put into our body, but it's not just the physical food.

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We also want to think what are we feeding ourselves on a regular basis?

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What are we feeding our spirits, what are we feeding our souls and what are we feeding our body?

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Sunshine, we have loved having you with us again today.

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We look forward to getting to know you more in our free group at poweronplantscom P-I-E that's poweronplantscom pie.

00:12:04.214 --> 00:12:08.988
There you can search every single podcast episode, any word that we said said in it.

00:12:09.249 --> 00:12:19.110
So if you're new to whole food, plant-based or even have been eating this way for a long time, and you want to know more and have tips and tricks right at your fingertips for how to get this life started.

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You have, at this point, over 300 episodes and growing, that you can search and find where we've said an exact word, like maybe you're wondering about nutritional yeast, maybe you'd like to know about protein.

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You can search that exact word and it will pull up every time we've ever said that in a podcast and take you right to that area so you can play it.

00:12:38.731 --> 00:12:43.951
It's an incredible resource and if you're already in pie, do not miss out.

00:12:43.951 --> 00:12:45.474
Start using this resource.

00:12:45.474 --> 00:12:56.452
It will blow your mind how many incredible nuggets are right there at your fingertips to help you feel your best so that you can fully live this amazing life.

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Know that we love you, that we are praying for you, we are on your side and we're so excited to be a part of your healing journey.

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Have a great week, sunshine, and we'll see you again very soon.

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Thank you.