not one of my finer moments!

I had one of those "I-have-to-get-out-of-the-house" days, so I packed everyone up and went to McDonald's for lunch. While we were sitting there with our happy meals, I asked Isaac to pray over the food. He started saying his prayer as loud as he possibly could, and without thinking and before I even realized what I was doing, I leaned over and said "shhhhhhhhh" in his ear. Isaac abruptly stopped his prayer and loudly asked, "why you shhhhh me when I pray to Jesus?" I was mortified... not at the loudness of his question, but that he had to ask it at all. I told him to continue his prayer at the volume he wanted and we all bowed our heads.
Ohhhhhhh, will I ever learn???

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a room with a view

This is the view from my daughter's bedroom window. Like I said in this post, it's one of my favorite places to hang out with the Lord. This morning I read this scripture and was, yet again, in awe of the God I serve:

Psalm 139:17, 18
"How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with You."

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cheer, cheer, cheer

We had so much fun with Maddy and Christopher tonight.
I am so thankful my kids have cousins they have a blast with!

No little ladies got hurt after shooting this video...

you may be startled at the end, but I promise she landed on a pillow

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and in all things... session 12

Things I am thankful for on November 10, 2009...

1. Psalm 97
2. My church family
3. Limes
4. Snuggle times with my kids
5. Kleenex
6. Slim-line Bibles
7. Leftover pumpkin muffins
8. Grace, Grace, Grace!
9. That God is a jealous God
   
10. Sunglasses (and the need for them!)
    

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God of this City

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somewhere over the rainbow...

Today we had a wonderful afternoon celebrating my niece Madeline's 3rd birthday in the land of Oz. Matt and Nina did an incredible job decorating for their daughter's party and everyone had so much fun. This little lady has so much personality and I could watch her for hours. Chris and I were cracking up at all the incredibly cute things she was saying all day long. We love you Maddy!

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Lance-n-Jeni

My baby sister had her bridal shower yesterday and I have to say that I did a lot better than I thought I would. (I thought I would be an emotional wreck, but I was actually too distracted by my excitement.) The best part was seeing all of the people in Jeni's life that were eager to bless her and Lance and show their support!

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What would your T-Shirt say?

I want to get black t-shirts made that say in neon pink "Just because my daughter is screaming at the top of her lungs doesn't mean I'm a bad mom!" As I was checking out of Target today, Zoey decided to have one of her not-so-amusing shrieking sessions. Out of the corner of my eye I can see all types of different reactions: there was a group of 20-something cashier girls looking over in disgust while twirling their recently styled hair, there was a couple in their 50s buying Christmas ornatments glancing over with looks of sympathy, and the girls at the customer service counter were laughing hysterically. I wanted to get everyone's attention around me and say "I know I am giving the impression that I am a mother that doesn't have control of anything, but I promise if you got to know me I could possibly change your mind about that!" Instead I just put on my best grin and pushed the cart out the door.

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and in all things... session 11

Things I am thankful for on November 5, 2009...

1. John 14:27
2. Coffee sleeves
3. My daughter's chunky cheeks
   
4. My son's random hugs
   
5. Orange juice
   
6. Thermostats
   
7. Bobby pins
   
8. God's faithfulness
   
9. Fresh parmesan cheese
   
10. The shield of faith
    

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What about the thumb?

Sunday is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church and I have been studying the underground church around the world for days now. I want to share with you one excerpt from the book "Tortured for Christ" by Richard Wurmbrand that has managed to really grab my attention this morning.

I met a Russian couple, both sculptors. When I spoke to them about God, they answered, "No, God does not exist. We are bezboshniki- godless. But we will tell you something interesting that happened to us. Once we worked on a statue of Stalin. During the work, my wife asked me, 'How about the thumb? If we did not have an opposing thumb- if our fingers were like our toes- we could not hold a hammer, mallet, tool, book or piece of bread. Human life would be impossible without this little thumb. Now who made the thumb? We both learned Marxism in school and know that heaven and earth exist by themselves. They are not created by God. So I have learned and so I believe. But if God did not create heaven and earth, if He created only the thumb, He would be praiseworthy for this little thing. We praise Edison and Bell and Stephenson who have invented the electric bulb, telephone, railway and other things. But why should we not praise the One who has invented the thumb? If Edison had not a thumb, he would have invented nothing. It is only right to worship God who made the thumb.'"

If you are interested in learning more please go to:
Voice of the Martyrs
Open Door Ministry

To receive your FREE personal copy of "Tortured for Christ" please go to THIS WEBSITE.

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it's the little things...

This is what I heard:

"Don't touch the car, Zo, we are reading the Bible!"
And this is what I saw:

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will i ever learn?

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Today I had a total brain malfunction and decided to quickly run into Michaels for some left over spider Halloween stuff for a spider-man day we are going to have in the near future. After 20 minutes of binkies, bottles, suckers and nap-threats, we finally found what we needed and got into the loooooooooooooong check out line. There was a little old lady in line right behind us that gave me much needed sympathy and even rubbed my back when Zoey let out her 3rd piercing scream. FINALLY we were next in line when I hear the dreaded words.... "Mama, I have to potty NOW!" After asking him numerous times if he could wait, he started to cry and hold himself. I gave a defeated look to my new elderly friend and quietly stepped out of line. Needless to say, we left bladder free and without making any purchases. Will I ever learn?

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a professional tree hugger

Today was such a wonderful day at our annual Legacy IMPACT Retreat. At the very end of the day, I joined the students in a high ropes course way up in the trees. I haven't done one of these since college! I spent half the time hugging the platform tree before I slowly made my way onto the next course. Should a 30 year old mom of 2 really be walking on a balance beam stretched between 2 trees 30 feet in the air? What was I thinking? I am definitely not posting the extremely unflattering pictures that were taken of me up in the air with a harness on, but I will say that I had a blast challenging myself to do the things that I thought might be impossible. Thanks to all the students that talked me through the course... I might possibly have the best job in the world!

More pictures at the LEGACY Blog

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it's going to be a loooooong week

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Fall Frenzy

I am sitting here at my computer utterly AMAZED at the involvement of our church in our annual Fall Frenzy. We weren't sure how we could pull it off this year, and people overwhelmingly donated their time, effort and cAnDy to make it happen. Thank you to everyone who made our Fall Frenzy 2009 a success... you all went above and beyond!

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my lil' mechanic

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turn that frown upside down

This is the expression my son had on his face all morning.I decided to have a sit down chat with him to figure out what was bothering him. When I asked him what was wrong, huge tears started to fall from his eyes and he said "I don't know what is wrong, mom, I'm just sad today." We talked about sadness and how sometimes we have days that aren't as happy as others, but we need to look to God to help us. We talked about the scripture in Nehemiah that talks about the joy of the Lord being our strength. We then made sure that the rest of day was filled with things that would bring us joy!

We made a huge rainbow cookie

We played with all of our play-dough toys.

We even went for a nice autumn walk and to the grocery store
and wore whatever we wanted!

It ended up being a very happy day!

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and in all things... session 10

Things I am thankful for on October 29, 2009...

1. Isaiah 40:28
2. The smell of coffee in the morning
3. My husband's sense of humor
   
4. Digital cameras
5. ATMs
   
6. Granola
7. God's voice
   
8. Priceless advice from some of my mentors
9. Baby hugs
   
10. Thursdays
    

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balloons.balloons.balloons.

I took the kids to Party City to pick up 2 dozen balloons for our banquet tonight in Legacy. What a mistake! I forgot it was the week of Halloween and Party City was packed. I forgot I had my parent's car and it is much smaller than mine. I forgot my daughter screams randomly. I forgot it was windy. I forgot I only had 2 hands. I forgot my kids had to fit in the car as well. It was the most hilarious nightmare and I wish someone was there to witness the whole thing so I would have someone to laugh hysterically with. What was I thinking? I am very proud of the fact that I only lost 1 balloon!

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to ireland, with love

WARNING: This video has the potential to be super boring to anyone not completely in love with the kids involved.

worship in the a.m. from lori bunk on Vimeo.

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Jesus and Kristen Molloy

At our women's get-a-way this past weekend, everyone brought one of their personal mugs to exchange with the idea that you would pray for that person every time you drank your morning coffee. I got a wonderful mug from my friend, Kristen Molloy. This morning during my quiet time with God, I prayed this scripture for Kristen: Isaiah 40:31 "but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will want and not be faint." So glad you were on my mind this morning Kristen!

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The Thankful Tree

Last year we started our Thankful Tree Tradition. I love being able to sit and talk to my son about the reason we give the Lord thanks. The things Isaac was thankful for last year: Jesus, Daddy, Mommy, Zoey, Grandma Neva, Papa, Grandma, Poppy, Grandy, Uncle Matt, Aunt Nina, Maddy, Uncle Justin, Aunt Kyle, Uncle Tommy, Aunt Keri, Alina, Aunt Jeni, Drew and Luke.

The things Isaac was thankful for this year: toys, the table, ming-ming, the bunky chair, ratatouille, Jesus, Mama, Luke, trees, good things, Zoey, scissors, footprints, Daddy, bouncing, my cars, bags, my chair, God and Drew.

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and they're off...

Today we hugged and kissed goodbye to Papa and Grandma and sent them off to Ireland. Isaac couldn't wait to get home to find the country on the globe. In honor of the 2009 Ireland Team, I think we are going to have an Irish day tomorrow!
Please keep Mantle Ministries and the entire team in your prayers.

Here is today's excerpt from My Utmost by Oswald Chambers:

A missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ just as He was sent by God. The great controlling factor is not the needs of people, but the command of Jesus. The source of our inspiration in our service for God is behind us, not ahead of us. The tendency today is to put the inspiration out in front— to sweep everything together in front of us and make it conform to our definition of success. But in the New Testament the inspiration is put behind us, and is the Lord Jesus Himself. The goal is to be true to Him— to carry out His plans.

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sweet madeline.. bom, bom, bom

... good times never seem so good.
Special thanks to my adorable niece Madeline for designing a brand new coffee cup for me to use every day. I'm already using it for my fresh afternoon cup of joe.
I LOVE IT MADDY!

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i heart date days!

Today Isaac and I went out for one of our date days and we had so much fun! We started off getting our favorite drinks... "oran-gin pop" and diet coke with lime.While we were at the mall trying on winter hats, we found that 104.3 was putting on a family day with lots of treats, games and projects... so we stopped to color and decorate a pumpkin.

I love being with my mini-man and I don't get as much time as I used to to spend quality time with him, so today was such a wonderful treat. I just want to bottle up this little boy and never let him grow up!

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nighty night

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The pirate and the princess...

There are certain things I just don't want to do. One is fly in a jet with a fighter pilot, another is eat oysters, the last is carve a pumpkin. I knew I was in trouble when Isaac kept asking over and over to "decorate" a pumpkin like his friends, so when I found these "Pumpkin Head" accessories I knew I had scored! For a dollar a piece (a steal, I know.. I love Party USA across from Lakeside!) I didn't have to use a knife or get my hands slimy whatsoever and the kids still had a blast with the pumpkins Isaac picked at Blakes. I am going to put them in my dishwasher and save them for next year!!!

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that's the book for me

b-i-b-l-e from lori bunk on Vimeo.

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and in all things... session 9

Things I am thankful for on October 22, 2009...

1. John 3:16
2. Vitamin C pills
3. Biggby Rewards Card
   
4. Church Nursery Workers
5. Toaster Ovens
   
6. My Sleep Number Bed
7. God's promise of protection
   
8. Candlelight
   
9. Ziplock Bags
10. Hope
    

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merci beaucoup

Thank you LEGACY for the amazing flowers.
I was very touched tonight!And thank you Demick family for the bouquet of flowers I received earlier this month.
They were beautiful!

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monkey see, monkey do

Today was an incredible day!
"Why?" you ask... because we had NOTHING TO DO!
It's been almost a month since I've had a day that wasn't scheduled for me and I had such a wonderful time just hanging with my kids. Since Isaac is still on a Curious George kick, we thought it would be fun to dedicate today to the crazy little monkey.
Ok, so I know my sisters are cracking up right now because I am NOT the artist in the family, but my kids LOVED their monkey sammies and Isaac was so impressed he asked for seconds!
Monkey puppets!
We got a kick out of acting like monkeys. We went on a monkey walk looking for good swinging trees, we colored tons of monkey pictures and we even learned how to draw Curious George.
We ended the night with some yummy MONKEY CAKE. Isaac was a little confused why it didn't look like a monkey or a cake, but his daddy was super thrilled! Making this brought me back to childhood!!!

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Curious George

Tonight we took Isaac and Maddy to see Curious George Live at the Fox. On a side note, I forgot how beautiful that theater is! I won 2 ticket vouchers and we purchased 2 more... so worth it. We had such a great time, and the kids entertained everyone they came in contact with. They were so hysterical walking into the theater screaming "CURIOUS GEORGE! CURIOUS GEORGE!" as they waved their tickets in the air. All of the ushers were cracking up. Thank you Amy for the giveaway... we had a wonderful time!

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Cup #9

I'm not sure whether this is coffee #9 because I was up all day and night again (the first night for a youth all-nighter and last night with my fussy daughter) or whether I should just start over at cup #1 and begin a "new day," but whatever the case, it will be downed in record time. In my last few days of forced insomnia, I've come to realize a couple of things...

• The reason the black mascara under my eyes won't wipe off is because it's not black mascara (how did this happen??)
• I can limp around sore even though I can't think of anything that I did to hurt myself.
• Now that I'm 30, I will not look the same as the 16 year old girls when I am too tired to put on your makeup or do my hair.

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brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

We braved the frosty weather to cheer on Uncle Andy at his soccer game.
I don't know how those guys are in shorts... it was freezing!

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and in all things... session 8

Things ISAAC is thankful for on October 14, 2009...

1. Jesus
2. God
3. Daddy
4. Mama
5. Zoey
6. Spiderman

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don't judge a book...

My friends and I were sharing with each other some of the books we were reading and as I started to talk about mine I realized I AM READING A TON OF BOOKS!!!! I decided to collect them all from my office and around my house, and even though I should probably only stick to 1 or 2 books at a time, I noticed that I am in the middle of some incredible material! Some of them are for youth ministry, some are for my leadership study, one of them is for my online institute training and hopefully all of them are for personal growth. So I am super curious....
What books are you currently reading?
"Beware of the man with one book."
-Anonymous-

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me & mine

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One Hundred and First Airborne Reunion 2009

This past week I had a mini-reunion with some of my bestest friends from college (we missed you shawna lou!) I haven't gut laughed like that in a long time. It was so wonderful to re-unite with the people that saw me at my worst, my best, and at all of life's transitions. We've come a long way from Bowie Dorm on the 5th floor- we are now all over the US doing the exciting things God has called us to. Thank you ladies for coming to Detroit to love on me and my family!!! We needed it! can you guess who?
- 1 of us went out hunting alone, shot a turkey and brought it home for supper
- 1 of us had to run across an interstate and climb over a median to walk thru a tollbooth we had accidentally passed
- 1 of us almost abruptly interrupted a live nativity scene in order to bring a smackdown
- 1 of us has a wonderful, brand new boyfriend (it's not me... just fyi)

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a little too late

A little while ago I had the kids outside with me in the backyard. I looked over at the playscape and Zoey had climbed up the entire slide and was heading thru the tunnel. I couldn't believe it. I decided to put her on the slide again so I could record her re-enacting this incredible feat. This is what happened...

Zoey climbing the slide. from lori bunk on Vimeo.

I think I got the camera a little too late.
She wasn't hurt... I promise.
I ashamedly crack up every single time I watch it.

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and in all things... session 7

Things I am thankful for on October 8, 2009...

1. Psalm 73:26
2. Fire sauce from Taco Bell
3. Washable markers
4. Half and half
5. God's sovereignty
   
6. Diet Coke
7. 800 thread count sheets
   
8. Knowing God is an all consuming fire
   
9. Homemade chili
10. Baby pacifiers
    

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Happy Birthday Papa!

Isaac:
I like it when papa gives me kisses. I like papa's car. I like when papa plays my favorite Thomas the Train. Papa is tall. Papa goes to church to preach on the stage. I love my papa.

Zoey:
(she just gave me a dimple smile with a loud shriek)

Dad, We are so blessed to have you in our lives!
Thank you for always being that stable, consistent person in our lives that pushes us closer to Jesus. We hope you have a wonderful birthday!
Love, Chris, Lori, Isaac and Zoey

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what a good sport.

My amazing husband makes a pot of coffee for us to share, and a lunch for himself every single morning. Unfortunately, I ran out of sandwich bags well over a week ago. Every morning I remind myself to pick some up, but for some reason it ends up being the last thing I think about during the day... even when I'm at the grocery store! The poor guy has been using Isaac's Handy Manny sandwich container for a week now. I'm not sure what the guys at work have been saying, but I think this man is the best sport I know. Just another reason I know we were meant for each other!

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Michigan's Little Bavaria

We just got back from our annual Frankenmuth Family Trip and we had a wonderful time. I wans't really in the mood to take a lot of pictures, but here are a couple of the ones I did get.
Highlights of the trip:
1. Harvest Coffee Cafe has THE BEST Mackinac Island Fudge coffee in the world.
2. I left Chris in my dust going down the black hole water slides... he will say I cheated, but how is that possible?
3. When Isaac was told he could pick out any candy he wanted at The Country Store, he decided on candy buttons (they don't taste as good as you remember, I promise!)
4. Tommy cannot sing very good in any other languages except English and Spanish.
5. I think "vacation Chris" is the most fun guy on the planet!

I found dozens of these pictures when I got back in the car from Birch Run. I think Chris enjoyed his time alone in the car with the kids a little too much.

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where's the remote???

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and in all things...session 6

Things I am thankful for on October 1, 2009...

1. James 4:7-10
2. Skinny lattes from Gloria Jeans (amazing!)
3. Costco
4. Connie is coming!!!
5. Ponytail holders
6. 2nd chances
7. The Holy Spirit
   
8. Slippers
9. That my parents had us memorize scripture when we were young
10. Cold Weather
    

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Why you start without me?

Isaac: What does this sign say?
Me: It says "Happy 8 Years."
Isaac: Why?
Me: Because daddy and I started our family 8 years ago.
Isaac: Me too?
Me: No, you were born 3 years ago.
Isaac: Why I not 8 years ago? Why you start without me?

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the bronze year

To the man who I wake up to every morning.
Who would have thought that 8 years would feel this good?
Happy Anniversary Christopher!

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Deliver Us!

Tonight we had a girls night... my mom, both of my sisters and me! We went to see Ballet Magnificat... something we used to do all the time when we were younger. It was such a fun night... and such great company!
Thank you dad for watching my busy children!

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sit over there, mom

Tonight Isaac and I picked up a bunch of our youth and headed over to the Parkway Homecoming Game to cheer on some of our students. My mom took Zoey, so I was so excited to have time with my little man, eat some nachos and watch football! Once we got there he wanted NOTHING to do with me! He wanted to hang out with "Wyan" and "Wachel" the whole night! When they bought some orange Gatorade, he needed money for orange Gatorade. When they put their feet up on the bleachers, he had to put his feet up on the bleachers. When they wanted to go hang out with their friends, he didn't understand why I wouldn't let him go with them. "Don't you want to hang out with mama, buddy?" "No... you sit over there, mom." Finally I forced him to come over to me to at least get some pictures. Was this supposed to happen this young???

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TGIF

THE MORNING IN SCRIPTURES....

I was up from midnight until 5am with my daughter.
Isaiah 41:20 I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

My daughter spilled my coffee all over the front of me as soon as we stepped out of the car at the church.
Proverbs 19:11 A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

I now have no coffee to drink.
Psalm 119:107 I have suffered much; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word.

My husband is having a guys weekend.
Psalm 17:9 He who covers and forgives another's wrong seeks love, but he who harps on a matter separates close friends.

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