Bittersweet    
     
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Other People's Comments
22 April 2010
Melinda Labrie:
I love this!! I often feel this way when Im in the garden...
06 October 2009
Kim Mailhot:
I so love this story ! I had a cry like this yesterday. It went on and on, and when I finally figured out exactly why I was crying, this was the reason. I created a piece of art in my art journal based on this perfect story. Thank you for the inspiration.
05 October 2009
Margaret Mary:
I love this one...I bought one of your boxes that has this inscribed...it is a great and poignant gift...
05 October 2009
Carol :
I have this framed on my computer desk where I see it all the time. Beautiful....
21 August 2009
Caroline:
This is absolutely one of the most beautiful things I have ever read. I wish that this was the reason I cried...
19 June 2009
Angelique:
We all write our own stories, maybe thats why we all connect differently to the meaning of life itself. It's just a thought.
03 June 2009
Tess Abigail:
I have been looking to describe the way I view life and this is it. This is me and how I wish the whole world felt.
01 June 2009
laura:
I have this one! it's hanging by my bathroom sink so i usually read it once or twice a day. i think it's absolutely beautiful. :)
18 April 2009
Melissa:
I cry all the time and no one understands. This is it.
09 January 2009
Nicole:
beautiful. made me cry, but because i typically cry everyday cause i am sad and hope that maybe someday this could me.
08 January 2009
Holly:
When I received this card in the mail, tears rolled down my cheeks as I felt the truth and beauty of your words. Exquisitely poignant.
03 December 2008
Lisa:
Bittersweet is in Mostly True :)
29 November 2008
Barb:
Never mind I just figured it out!
29 November 2008
Barb:
Does anyone know what book I can find "Bittersweet" in? Thank you
21 November 2008
diann dincolo:
DEEP ROOTS and BITTERSWEET express exactly who I am!
12 November 2008
Ellen:
Just something to remind you of the beauty and the wonder you bring to life. Thanks, Ellen
04 November 2008
Heidi:
I am ordering the story of "vision change" and would like it on the background of "bittersweet" Thank you.
27 October 2008
mollie jo:
this was one of the first prints i ever saw. and my friend and i went through the store reading every print we could. by the end of our time in that little book shoppe in manatu her and i were crying cuz we realized how amazing everything was that day
13 July 2008
"Pink" (Tania Campbell):
I bought this print probably 15 years ago in a small shop in Destin, Florida. When I saw it, it made me cry right there in the store. It struck my heart as so so true. I've just had it framed finally, but its gone everywhere in the world with me...along with two more that I bought in that same shop over the years. This one will always be special to me.
28 April 2008
Kathleen:
LOVE this. . . because of its perfect truth! 3 different times in my life, I've almost lost my life: the 1st as I was in intensive care, I knew that I'd make the most of EVERY day, then came the 2nd time & the 3rd time. . . and I so embrace the opportunity to live out loud every time the sun comes up. I only have time for positive energy.
23 April 2008
Mallory:
Happy Birthday Joy!! This one is printed and always gets taped up on the wall next to my plaque with my favorite Henry David Thoreau quote If you have built castles in the air Your Dreams Need Not Be Lost That is where they should be Now put foundations underneath Somehow the two fit together very well in my mind. Enjoy the rest of your birthday!!
23 April 2008
Joy:
This print has been hanging up in my bedroom for about 5 years now. Every morning, I see it and I'm reminded to be thankful for everything that I have in my life. And today's my birthday, so it's extra special to have receive this as an email. It's like my little HAPPY BIRTHDAY from story people. Thanks!
23 April 2008
Diane Leonard:
Several years ago, my husband's brother drew my name at Christmas, and his gift to me was the "Bittersweet" print. I live life LOUD - laugh loud, talk loud, and joke around all the time, so I was surprised he had given me such a profound gift. When I told him that this Story was me, he said he knew, which made me realize that my inner-thoughts and feelings of all that surrounds me are just as lo
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23 April 2008
Belinda:
We talked about this very subject last night in our women's cancer support group. Several of our members are young and are probably not going to win their fight with cancer and one very young mother said she had cried herself to sleep the night before, not particularly sad, but just realizing the fragile beauty and fleeting moments of life. What a blessing to be able to share these moments with
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23 April 2008
Anoush:
"Verweil doch, du bist so schoen!"
23 April 2008
Ralph:
Oh dear! I'm not sure I could stand to be around this person for any length of time.
09 February 2008
Pamela Beers:
Watching the brilliant sun set as it caught the ice crystals in the bare-branched trees, took my breath away. The shot of peach, purple, pink and magenta was a sign that the love of my life was okay. He died four months ago. Yes, life is short. And he was young. Thank you for this wonderful website.
10 November 2007
teri:
I was visiting a friend in coco Florida 2 weeks ago and saw this as i was leaving a yarn shop. It is so simple and so profound. It is exactly how i feel, so grateful to have been chosen to breathe. I MUST have it!!
03 October 2007
Dana:
In recovering from co-dependency I'm getting in touch with FEELING. It's as if I'm being reborn. Discovering that person and her feelings is so exhilirating. I am frequently moved to tears by the wonderment of it all.
27 September 2007
wendi :
wow.. between what the print says, and then david's comment..whew. beyond touching.
27 August 2007
David:
I first saw a print of this storypeople in a shop in NYC last weekend. I immediately thought of my wife, Maria who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in September 2003 at the age of 39. It was like she meant for me to see it. It just seemed to capture her essence - this was how she was- she always saw the good in everyone and the beauty of the world. She showed that wonder to me, and I hop
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06 July 2007
Kelly:
I received the "Bittersweet" print from my dad one year as a gift. It stuck with me and I began collecting other Story People prints, books, cards, and furniture. My father passed away very unexpectedly in December of 2001, just before Christmas. As a memorial, we had a bench made to be placed by his headstone....nothing seemed more fitting than to engrave "Bittersweet" on top of it. Life is
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04 July 2007
emily:
this is my all time favorite. i saw it three years ago & it's stuck with me.
25 June 2007
Tonya:
Lovely. Crying...
05 May 2007
:
huh?
18 April 2007
Anne:
I have always loved this one.
25 March 2007
:
beautiful. simply amazing.
31 January 2007
Karla:
Hey my name's Karla and I'm 24 years old and just wanted to say that this quote touched me so much that next month I am having it tattooed on me! I spent some time living in Africa and had the words 'Maisha ni mazuri' which means "Life is beautiful" inked and I thought this fit that just perfect, the english version of the swahili statement. Thanks so much for saying it all without saying much at
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28 January 2007
Go-go:
This is today's myspace headline for me. Love it!
10 November 2006
Cindy:
I donated a kidney to the most remarkable woman (Jeanine) in May, 2002. This is what I gave her for her birthday this year. I think it says it perfectly. She lives each day to the fullest. As Jeanine now says, "I am not just existing, I am living." Thank you, Brian, for such a beautiful print ~ and thank you Jeanine, for being such an inspiration to me of how we should all live our lives!
28 October 2006
Rayna:
Thank you.
24 August 2006
Rosie:
This is the most beautiful story i've seen because it is so true
04 August 2006
jeannette:
It's true. that's all. It's just true
01 August 2006
Lynn Pace:
This has been one of my favorite cards for years. I just used it to thank people at work for their wonderful support after my mother died. thanks for the tender beauty found here.
25 May 2006
Melanie H.:
I love this one! It makes me sad and makes my heart soar everytime i read it cause it is saying exactly how i feel, everyday.
21 April 2006
Cameron Clark-Rodish:
I was given this print many years ago from a man I went to college with, I have not seen or heard from him since that time. The man of my dreams you could say...I love him still with a special piece of my heart. I am happily married with children now but I will never forget him and everytime I see this print on my wall I remember being young...too young to know I was in love and I let it get away.
01 March 2006
Colleen McKeon:
I bought this a few weeks ago the day after having dinner with two friends who couldn't understand when I said that I cried every day. I tried to explain that I didn't need treatment for depression, that depression was caring about nothing and sadness was caring about everything. They did not understand.The next day the one friend and i found this print. It was a better explanation, though I have
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21 February 2006
Danielle:
I bought this print the other day at a funky little gift shop. I had never heard of Story People before, but now I absolutely love all of them. I hung mine up as soon as I got home. For the entire drive home I couldn't stop reading it, and every time I pass it in my bedroom I look at it and think about how true it is. This picture has got me hooked!
24 December 2005
A lover of life:
This is the first story I fell in love with a number of years ago when I saw it in a store in Woodstock, NY. It was "me" all over since I began crying at age 8 for beautiful things like sunsets, weddings, love, etc. My daughter gave me a framed copy for Christmas this year and guess what?? I cried!
23 December 2005
Jan:
A dear friend gave me this card when my Mother passed away a couple of years ago. I have read it many times since and each time it just seems so perfect. It is definitely my favorite.
07 December 2005
jo:
i don't think i even have words to say how much this is my favorite. it's one of the beautiful things in life that makes me cry.
20 October 2005
beth:
This print was given to me by a very dear friend. As we spent our summer sipping wine in Italy and taking in the country's beauty, we savored every moment, counted all of our blessings and thanked God for the beautiful and charmed lives that we live. We shed many a tear- of gratefulness and happiness.
29 September 2005
Chere:
YES!
28 September 2005
Meredith:
This quote is my favorite. It reminds me of the character May in the Secret Life of Bees. She carries the pain of the whole world. I identify with that some days.
24 September 2005
Nalani:
I'm in LOVE with a younger man that is tied to his past and at this point in his life unable to commit freely. The world is so beautiful and time so short and I want to share it all with him.
19 September 2005
KASP:
Oh,thanks - this reminds me of how I thought I was doomed at a young age when my mother and I would cry with excitement at live drum and bugle corps competions. "How embarrasing", I thought. Being moved to tears by anything, I have realized, is NOT a genetic defect but a joyous gift by being involved in life! You strike a chord with all of us beings like this, Brian and crew!
25 August 2005
DK:
Would you mind if i'll promote you in LiveJournal?
08 August 2005
Nora:
One of my best friends died tragically nearly 10 months ago. We were only 17. He lived each day, truly lived. He died in nature doing something he loved, hiking. At first I didn't cope well with the news that at the age of 17 somebody who should have had a long life filled with joy and happiness had died. Now I am more at peace because he lived. He lived! There isn't a day that goes by that I don
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03 June 2005
Brianne:
That's perfect.
12 May 2005
Marcia:
This is far and above my favorite. I have it hanging in my hallway along with 7 others, and every time I read it I get a whole new appreciation of life. I shared the love of Storypeople with a friend who recently died of cancer, and now they are more special to me when I look at them and remember him.
03 May 2005
jessica:
the first time i say this print i was 16 and on what i later found out would be my last family vacation.. we were in maine.. i was too young to buy the print.. but truly admired the words. i have since found galleries in delaware and several in maryland with the prints and can stand in front of them for hours comforted by their words. i have given them as gifts. i have them hanging outside of
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01 January 2005
Kristen Senn:
I love this poem very much. We had it ingraved on my dads bench at the graveyard. We thought it was just such a good thing to say about life and my dad got the picture once for my sister so it was special.
06 December 2004
Roberta Senn:
My high school sweetheart and husband of 28 years died at the age of 49 from complications of a massive stroke. My 3 children (ages 12,15 & 21 at the time of his death) and I decided that this was a perfect verse to have inscribed on the granite bench at his gravesite. He loved life and his family and we find great comfort in these words, especially since he bought this print for our oldest dau
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02 November 2004
April Hines:
I bought the Bittersweet sculpture to hang in the front entry way of my new house. I wanted everyone who walked through the door to have their eyes drawn to such a beautiful piece of artwork that gives a message for all to live by.
22 October 2004
Emily:
19 October 2004
Zulema Thomas:
My best friend cindy send this card to me when I was pregnant. It was perfect.
18 October 2004
Jana Jopson:
Someone gave me the Bittersweet greeting card; my first StoryPeople experience. I wanted it in a big form so looked here on the web site (URL on back of card) and am a bit disappointed that the print has a different picture than the card. I LOVE the image on the card with THIS story.
13 October 2004
Nick "Davis" Calvin:
This stuff is awesome. I hope you feel better!
09 October 2004
Toni Rose:
I bought this soon after my husband died, he was a young man and there were times I wished he had taken me with him. This helped to remind me that my loss was great but his was greater because life is beautiful and that I was fortunate to still have the opportunity to enjoy it! I've admired all your work for many years, it touches so many souls, keep it up and thanks.
28 September 2004
kates:
to kerry, angie, rachel,melisa,mollie,ka and trey.. our college life is almost done and i would like to say that each one of you has been there for me. i will miss each one of you and i hope that we can keep in touch next year... love ya
06 September 2004
me:
at camp our counselors gave each one of us a poem, and this poem was given to me. this poem says so much, in such a little number of words, it is amazing.
12 August 2004
Anna:
this piece i read about a week after my best friend moved back home across the country. before she left we had been talking about life and death, and she mentioned wanting to live forever because life was so beautiful and far too short for her taste.
29 May 2004
Alice:
My wonderful husband of 10 years died suddendly in January. I had purchased two boxes of Brian's cards from Budding Artists. Bittersweet said so much to me at this time in my life. Thank you.
24 May 2004
Anne:
This quote reminds me of the first time I heard the national anthem played after September 11th and I bawled like a baby. As a child, I never understood the concept of crying at beauty and happiness. It's something you learn as you get older.
12 May 2004
Leona Persinger:
Life is full of surprises. Some wonderful, some not so great. Remember to concentrate on the sweetness and the bitter slips away before you know it.
08 May 2004
Jan Olson :
Happy Mother's Day to you, too.
05 May 2004
Erica :
This story overwhelms me each and everytime I read it. It makes my heart swell with emotion, how can anyone not live every moment of life to its fullest, so many times i see people wasting their time in a job they do not like or with someone who only makes them miserable. Life is so short and the world so large, it is so important to live in it not just watch it pass us by, you never know what
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15 April 2004
Valerie Outten:
Last year I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a very difficult time in my life, a scarey time, and while undergoing chemotherapy, I was given the card with the story about crying every day, because the world was so beautiful and life was to short. It touched me in a special way, and made me change my focus and way of thinking from negative to positive. If I was going to cry, it would not b
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28 March 2004
pat:
What a haunting piece. I saw it first on a collage for sale. I had it memorized after the first time I read it and went back the next day to purchase the collage... but it still haunts me. It is not like me to be captivated like that. So interesting...I needed to know more.
03 March 2004
teena:
we need to stop in our busy lives and focus on the beauty that surrounds us every day - allow our senses to soak up the intense colours of the sunset, feel the gentle breeze as it caresses our skin, stop to 'smell the roses' (literally!)- drench yourself in this beauty and life will be more joyful!
18 February 2004
Margaret Fox:
I dithered around deciding whether or not to buy this print (FOR MYSELF, hence I didn't think I should indulge my truth).....and then I caught the subway to JFK airport instead of getting the coach and I missed the plane to LONDON and I started to cry....but my son said don't worry, it's just like your picture, I don't want to go to London anyway, I like New York, lets go back to the hotel, and t
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23 January 2004
Rhonda:
No matter how many of the wonderful stories I read, 'Bittersweet' remains my favorite. It expresses how I feel every minute of every day---sometimes I cry because there is so much of His beauty all around and I am bursting because I can't contain all of the miracles of creation that surround me (my laughing children, towering trees, blue skies, adoring husband, puppies and kittens, the smell of
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16 December 2003
Sheila:
This was a special message for me from my daughter who was struggling at the time. It reminds me how beautiful the world can be.
11 November 2003
Lisa:
I read this quote on a friend's wall once and I've searched everywhere to finally find it again. So beautiful, and so simply stated... It's perfect.
02 November 2003
Lindsey:
Only selfish people think life is too short!
19 October 2003
Alexis:
My mum bought this for me, for my 19th birthday, and I was thrilled. This is my faaaavorite story. Even though I am 800+ odd miles away from my family, I look up on my mantle everyday and see Bittersweet, along with Her Laughter, and smile and cry at the same time. Wow, I miss my family. Thank you for creating this beauty.
01 October 2003
pat:
After more than 10 years, this still makes me cry. This was the first print I bought - from a shop in Annapolis. It is still my favorite (although I own about 7 now).
27 January 2003
Pam:
For a while now, I have been inspired by Brian's work...great friends were with my husband and i in Asheville, NC...no kids, being grown up and centering ourselves in the world again for the new year...I found this print and knew it was the one...I feel as if it sums up the part of me I like the best. Thank you!
16 September 2002
michele:
i just bought this print today...i bought my first one while in los olas in florida...open heart...i love it so much...and it is a wonderful coversation piece...i was in philadelphia this weekend with the sweetest kindest guy..my sweetie rob...i just needed to get away...so we went for a night in philly...had a wonderful hotel room and went to see bob marleys band...yes they carry on...(with
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28 March 2002
Sasha:
When my sweetheart Michael was in a devastating motorcycle accident last June, the beauty of life and time suddenly had a different meaning. I beheld the existence of this man and treasured every single moment of his healing journey. I cried nearly everyday because the beauty of his bravery and sheer will to live and experience life fully again was breathtaking. Because of Michael I am wo
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20 February 2002
Jerry Christian:
My daughter Emily has quite a few Story People prints but her favorite is Bittersweet. We didn't understand her connection to it until she died in a tragic auto accident at age 25. She lived life to the fullest and enjoyed it as much. To her the world was so beautiful and life was so short.
07 February 2002
Dianne Turenne:
I saw a link to this website from a friend, Ron's website called Inspirationpeak. I had no idea of the volume of this artwork and the thousands of people it has touched. I received Bittersweet from my sister Elaine for my graduation. She said it summed my life up in a nutshell. The truth is, she too has joie de vie, and doesn't want to miss a thing, that's why we are such dear friends, besid
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22 January 2002
Alexa:
Bittersweet was purchased for me by my sister, one of the most important people in the world to me. I feel as if she knew that I needed a wake up call to reality. I am young, fragile, and unexperienced, when I look at it, I realize that living is precious and no problems big or small should ever interfere with my love for this world. This story and picture take me away from my selfishness an
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18 January 2002
Marcia:
I was in a wonderful touchy-feely store in Aspen, CO, and discovered Brian's wonderful inspirational art, all of which I love, but this one in particular brought a tear to my eye. Sept. 11 made us all realize the world IS still beautiful. I can't wait til my sister's birthday in April to share these with her; she'll love them, too!
23 December 2001
Samantha Hemrich:
I have this place I go to where I can sit and look down on Austin and it's the best seat to watch the sunsets. I get sad when I think that someday I won't be able to enjoy the wonders of nature anymore.
30 October 2001
Dana:
Sometimes I wonder if I'm hormonal because I feel the need to cry so often. But I think I am just a truly blessed person who sees the beauty in things and wishes that each of those beautiful moments could last just a little longer! Thanks for your stories!!
05 October 2001
Elaine Olsen:
Gretchen, my son's fiance', my daughter's friend, and my special angel, died suddenly from an allergic reaction just three days after she turned 26. We found Brian's lovely prints in a store and I was especially touched by "Bittersweet". Gretchen loved God's beautiful world and her life with us was way too short. I know she shares God's beauty now but oh, how I miss her.
17 September 2001
jaxson:
I left this print at one of the memorials that i walk past daily in the aftermath of the terror that i survived. It is a reminder that you only have one chance to live each day, so do not waste your time here for the heroes that are no longer with us made their last day count.
17 September 2001
lizzie:
My husband is currently in the middle east, protecting the freedon of his country people, and just waiting to do his job. How else can I tell him that I love him and I'm so proud of him. He will protect our beautiful world.Joel be safe and come home soon.I love you.
01 September 2001
Maria:
Once, a long time ago, an angry person took my rose-colored glasses and crushed them to a fine powder under his feet. I felt scared for a while and I surely cried, but since then so many other beautiful colors and shapes have stepped in to replace the pink hue that I wouldnt have it any other way.
26 July 2001
Andy Karam:
As a scientist, this resonates with me because the essence of research is to try to find out all of the wonderful ways in which the world works. I am delighted that the world has far more to learn than I, or anyone else, can master. As a person, this resonates because I am happy to live in a world that has so many wonders. And, as a father, I can only hope that my children can someday rea
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28 June 2001
Erin:
I was reading my Story People book to my mom one day, laughing and crying at the same time, when she said "Wait! That's a hospice one!" She went out and bought the print and it now hangs on the wall of her office. I hope that it helps her and her clients, but whenever I read that one it makes me think of my mom standing in her bathrobe ready to shop.
03 June 2001
Bonnie:
My sweetie said this reminds him of me. I do try to live each day to it's fullest. I take childish pleasure in the smallest things...And I do cry for love of life, because it is beautiful.
05 May 2001
id:
I deal daily with children who have been horribly sexual and physically abused. I told my mother my plans to resign. The next day the sculpture was outside my office. It now hangs by my office door.....I rub it as my own personal Buddha before I head out into to world to battle the war of abuse and neglect.
08 April 2001
Diana Rose:
This was my first print and is my favorite, I have it framed in my kitchen so I see it every morning and I can start each day with a smile, who cares about the rest of the day and the trist and turns it takes, at least I started the day with a smile and will end the day with a smile as I pass through the kitchen to another nights sleep
14 March 2001
kaela:
This is the first Storypeople print I ever saw. It was a beautiful fall day and it's been my favorite ever since.
23 February 2001
Beth Parkinson:
My Mom found this card a few months ago and loved it . . . she just pasted away this month of cancer at 53 years old . . . we printed it in the program for her memorial service and will always treasure the essence of the saying--Thank you.
07 December 2000
robert lucero:
A Chopin Prelude, A rare mariposa azul morfo from the Costa Rican rainforest, the smell of a newborn baby, a grandparent's expiring breath, no two sunsets alike, a Bocelli aria, a snowflake, the most intimate of friendships, the irrational understanding that a lifetime is but a moment and a moment can last a lifetime. Thank you...
24 October 2000
Tracey:
This is me.
21 October 2000
Helen:
I want to send this to someone I know, whom I've never met, who has cancer. I'm afraid it'll make her cry as much as it has me.
19 October 2000
mary:
this story makes me cry.
08 October 2000
sherry medina:
she loved him for what she saw in him.....if only he could see in her.
01 August 2000
beth:
there is this girl i know with green eyes that are often soppy with tears, but she is hardly ever sad, her heart is just saturated with warmth and it leaks sometimes
19 July 2000
Karen Rankins:
While traveling to San Francisco with a co-worker to visit her sister, I noticed these wonderful prints her sister had on her wall. There were five of us and we each picked our favorite. Bittersweet was my favorite, I don't know why, but it was. On June 1, 2000 my best friend died at the age of 34. This was devastating for me. On my birthday, July 18, my girlfriend, (co-worker) Carolyn ga
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09 July 2000
Anna:
How could I send this to anyone but you? There are many reasons for tears, not just sadness. Enjoy the gift God has given,the gift of feeling, of no longer being shut off from the Sunlight of the Spirit. I love you.

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