Hi, everyone. Welcome to Thanks for being here, a short weekly pod to remind us of the many

essential and beautiful ways we affect one another. Every Sunday, I'll read a submission from a

listener of Kelly Corrigan Wonders. Could be wedding vows or a bat mitzvah toast, a eulogy, or

retirement speech. We believe this is probably the loveliest way to tap into our better

selves and remember our highest values. We encourage you to share this podcast each week with one

person you love. Maybe someone you miss and need to bring closer, someone you want to feel

your appreciation or admiration or both.

This is thanks for being here.

This week's thanks for being here is from a listener named Molly Merahue.

She says, hello, Kelly and team. First, thanks for your writing and artistry, given all the heartache in the world to create human connection, build empathy,

and offer care through storytelling. It's vital and life-changing work. A little about me. I'm a

36-year-old mother and sister to two. I'm an eldest daughter and a creative soul.

I run a theater company in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts

that centers the voices of women and girls.

For me, art is the light, the rally cry, the balm for despair,

and the champagne bubbles of celebration.

In my life, theater is a gathering place, a space where we

silence the world's noise and immerse ourselves in the magic of storytelling and collective

experience. I feel similarly when I listen to one of your podcasts, especially when I have the

urge to share it with a friend. As we look toward the month of March,

International Women's Month, I thank you for sharing your truth with the world and to all the

women artists who do. We need your storytelling voices and perspectives now more than ever.

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