The Howell Blessings

  I’ve been around the sun more than a few times since I was born. It goes without saying that things in this world have changed…quite dramatically. My generation was raised to be kind and to respect others.   We gave up our seats for our elders, we didn’t talk back to our parents (or get away with it), and we respected authority, at least outwardly. Even if we didn’t agree with other people, we were taught that “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything.”   Fast forward to today, where people feel the need to comment as rudely as they want, without knowing the facts behind what is going on most times.  And you are wrong if you don’t agree with what they are putting out there, so they won’t skip a beat to tell you so.  It’s hard to feel compassionate for those types of people, yet scripture encourages us in Ephesians 4:32 to "be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Most days I just roll my eyes while reading com

It's been a minute since I have participated in the Five Minute Friday link up. Each week this community is  provided a one-word prompt, and we all set our timers and write for five minutes, then post our writing on our respective blogs. So here we go!   This week's word is: Blame Since Adam and Eve, humans have blamed others for things they have done or felt.   Adam blamed Eve for eating the apple. Eve blamed the serpent for making her do it. Why are we are always saying it’s someone else’s fault?   In today’s society, blame is the what everyone seems to be doing. Color against different color, religious beliefs against other religious beliefs.   Political opinions and accusations spew against each other, and the list goes on.   We are all so quick to point out the fault of others before we even take a moment to reflect on our part of the equation. Jesus states in Matthew 7:3-5, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in y

  It was a dark and stormy night…… Just kidding My story starts on a beautiful day in Hocking Hills, Ohio. Our family all met together down south of where I live, in the beautiful county of Hocking Hills, Ohio. My husband Dave couldn’t join us due to his work schedule.   I traveled three hours to meet up with our daughter, her husband and 3 children and our son, his wife and their four children, where we all stayed in cabins and agreed to meet up the next morning at Cedar Falls, one of the gorgeous falls in the area. We had a wonderful time hiking, wading and climbing. All the kids got along great with each other, whom they hadn’t seen in way too long, and between 5 adults constantly counting 7 children, we felt safe letting the kids climb and explore the caves and caverns in the area. We eventually went to Ash Cave and ended our hiking that day at Cantwell Cliffs.   I remember when our son announced our last stop for that Thursday was to go to Cantwell Cliffs, I remarked “that should