I remember the day. I was sitting at my table paying bills when my son walked up to me and asked me what I see now to be a life-changing question. He asked, "Is this it for you, Mom? Is this all there is?"

I recall thinking it was a little rude and pretty much dismissing it. At least, I thought I did. the truth is, those words slowly seeped under my skin. Over the next few weeks, it led me to ask an even more important question. Who am I? If you asked me that question, I would probably answer that I am married, have two children, and work two part-time jobs. But this was not what I was asking myself, nor was that the answer I was looking for. After some serious reflection and confusion, I was left with a sobering answer. The truth is, I had a real issue identifying who I was. That was a scary and sad moment for me that I did not choose to share with anyone. The truth is, we all identify ourselves through others to some extent, but what happens when we totally lose ourselves in others?

The question my son asked me was so simple, yet profound, because it was really asking me who I was when I stood alone. I began to put my thoughts and feelings about this on paper as sort of a self-therapy which, ultimately, led to the writing of this book. My hope is that we all ask this question of ourselves. It does not matter if you are a man or a woman, young or old. It is a process I am still working through today. Your journey may be different, and so may your views, but the question remains the same. There were quite a few tears and smiles sprinkled through this book, and that is exactly how I knew what is in this book is real and true for me.

So let's take a trip back a bit to discover when you checked out and others checked in""more importantly, what God saw in you as a reason to place you on this earth. It was not an accident or by chance but was with a divine purpose in mind. We owe it to ourselves and, ultimately, to Him to uncover the mystery and the gifts He placed inside each and every one of us.

--Kim Branker

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