The Howell Blessings

Thanksgiving Day is a day so many of us look forward to. It’s a time to gather with family and friends to share a meal together. Most Americans (and Canadians!) celebrate Thanksgiving Day with a meal that could feed a small army, then watch sports on television until the turkey coma kicks in. Often everyone on the couch ends up watching the game with their eyelids closed... then up for dessert! Who can resist the dessert?! I often wonder and reflect this time of year that on a day called Thanksgiving, how many actually give thanks? A LITTLE HISTORY LESSON. Most of us are familiar with what is documented as the first Thanksgiving celebration where the pilgrim survivors from the Mayflower voyage and Native Americans celebrated with a feast giving thanks to God for His provisions.  However, fewer know that in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation. In it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude. Abraham Lincoln was the presiden...

Spring is coming up fast! I, for one, am ready for it. The house has been closed up since late autumn; Christmas brought extra things to store and I am ready for Spring Cleaning. During this time of the year I always get excited to start purging clutter, organizing rooms and “stuff”, cleaning the house and detoxifying my body. My body needs to be cleared out from all the holiday yummies I allowed myself to have and that are now sitting heavy on my belly. Detox is a hot word these days. It was once known mostly for rehabilitation from drug and alcohol use, but more currently there are detox programs for weight loss and other various health and mental ailments. Detoxification is being used for our insides, outsides, and can be used to cleanse our mental state of mind too. Detoxification is defined as the process of removing toxic substances or qualities. Our liver and kidneys are great partners in cleansing our body of unwanted toxins and foreign substances that could potentially...

For most of us, each new year brings the desire to start fresh and do things better. We find ourselves motivated to lose weight, clean and/or de-clutter our homes, or save more money for a big treat for ourselves. But by the end of the year, or even then first month, we've fallen short of our initial expectations. Whatever your goals are, they take resolution. Resolution simply means... Resolution simply means a firm decision to do or not to do something. According to Time, Our top 10 resolutions that we break most often are: Lose Weight and Get Fit Quit Smoking Learn Something New Eat Healthier and Diet Get Out of Debt and Save Money Spend More Time with Family Travel to New Places Be Less Stressed Volunteer Some of these are on my list, like losing some more weight, toning up and continuing to explore eating even healthier. Others I’ve added are to continue to rid my home environment of toxins and focus more on being in the moment. Did any of those make it...