The Howell Blessings

The lessons she taught me... She taught me to say "please", "thank you," and "you're welcome". She taught me to give up my seat for my elders and to sit down and listen at their feet. She taught me to not disrespect authority and to respect myself. She taught me to not give away what belongs to someone else. To save that gift for my husband. She taught me that there is power in prayer and sometimes God's answer is silence. She taught me that time spent with Him is never wasted time. She taught me to not save that special something for after you're gone, but to share it when you can    share in the joy it brings that other person. She taught me to be still and listen. The lessons she taught that I'm still trying to learn: To laugh like a little child and let my joy spill out. To find satisfaction in the littlest moments. To forgive easily because unforgiveness only hurts me. To act on expressing love, because that person may...

This is a very belated Five-Minute-Friday post from Aug 6th. The prompt was "Here". So...here goes! "He isn't here!  I mean, he is here physically, but he isn't here with me." I whined to my mother. For a few years that is how I lived, side-by-side with my husband. Together, yet not. Each of us off doing our own thing, barely interacting with each other. We went through different phases throughout our married life, and that one was very lonely. To be with someone, but not be present feels very hollow. Today, I see children, learning from a very early age to not be present.  They are side-by-side, sitting next to their "friends" but they aren't there. They are on their mobile phones checking in on social media, texting another friend that is only yards away from them...they aren't "here" in the present, looking into the eyes of the one sitting next to them, and having a real-life, in-the-moment, conversation with that person...

When I saw this week's word prompt at my fav writing hole, Five-Minute Friday, my mind burst with all sorts of quotes and thoughts. But the one that spoke the loudest to me is the one I'm going to run with. This week's word prompt is: Tomorrow. Go: Don't wait until tomorrow to tell someone you love them. We may not be around to hear it. It wasn't until I was diagnosed with a serious disease that I even contemplated that I could die before a ripe old age.  it was then that I began to think about the future without me in it. Not as much about missing out on the things I wouldn't be around for, but what I was leaving for those who would stay on this earth. I wanted them to know  how much I loved and appreciated them. Things that should have been said more frequently suddenly were urgent to be let out. I lost my momma in 2004 and I was thankful that my family had 6 days notice to see her, and love on her, and tell her how much we loved her before she left ...

15  Five Minute Friday: Today's word prompt is Break.  Go My immediate thought with our FMF word prompt this week wasn't a negative thought; Break: I broke a glass, or someone broke my heart.  Instead, my thoughts went immediately to where I know I need to be with God. I need to be changed by His loving, healing, breaking of my heart. It is often a painful process, but one I know I need to embrace in order to be used by Him. The Psalmist David wrote: Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  My sacrifice, Oh God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, You, God, will not despise.  Ps 51:15-17 My lips, and my heart have been closed for too long. In order to be humble before God, my pride must be broken. Not my will Lord, but Thine. I need to let God break down the walls around my heart that I have built, on my own, to protect myse...

I t's been a VERY long time since I have joined the crowds at  Five Minute Friday  to write with (almo st) total abandon for five minutes based on a prompt provided by our host  Kate Motaung .   The word this week is: Open. Here goes: Allowing access,  passage, or a view through an empty space; not closed or blocked up. This is the dictionary's definition of the word 'open'. For quite some time now, this simple single word has eluded me. I have been the total opposite of this word.  I have felt closed and blocked up, not allowing access to anyone or anything to those passages into the real me. I long to open my doors, but the lack of movement has made my hinges stiff and unwilling to open easily.  It's felt safe having my doors closed, it keeps intruders out, and I can easily hide behind it, not having to dress to greet anyone. But it's lonely. I long to open my doors, but my door is stuck. It's going to take some effort to open i...

It is already late fall, where did this year go?  The autumn season is quickly approaching official winter where it is time to rest, to hibernate, and to reflect on what this year has brought into our lives. This year has brought many things in our family to celebrate and many things to pray for. I am thankful for those wonderful things to celebrate as they bring joy and new life. And I am thankful for those things to pray about as it makes fresh to me to be thankful for those I care deeply about and appreciate the time and memories I've shared with them.  Now it is time to follow the bears. It's time to hibernate and recharge. Just like the seasons that come upon us here in the Midwest, we have reason to celebrate the season and to hibernate.   In the fall, I find myself wanting to be outside, putting things in order, and preparing things to brace against the long, cold winter. In my personal life I take time to organize things that have gotten out of co...

 This past weekend, Honey and I took a 75 mile motorcycle ride to Hell Hollow Wilderness Area up near the lake in Leroy Twp., Ohio.  This gorgeous park is part of the Lake Metropark system. It's off the beaten path (ever take a motorcycle on a gravel road??) and we parked in a very small, non-descript gravel parking area that lead us to a path at the edge of a high cliff top. The highlight of this area is to descend more than 100 feet to the ravine where Paine Creek winds it's way around with dry beds, waterfalls and rushing water. Once upon a time, glaciers pushed and gouged out this beautiful area that got it's awful name because of the steep, rugged slopes which made it hell to access and leave the "hollow" Just as we arrived, it begin to sprinkle. And as soon as we entered the tree canopy the rain started to pour. Thankfully the canopy protected us and the rain quickly ended. We had no sooner began walking the trail that would eventually lead us to...