Julie Bowles

I have spent the last eleven months working on a healthier me; I have incorporated many new habits into my life. The biggest change so far is that I have lost 85 pounds. It has been difficult at times, to … Read more

I was on my way to work recently for a stressful job interview, but I decided to take a different route so that I could see when the golf course might be opening. As I drove past the course and … Read more

Living near a lake has a four-season benefit, if people want to brave the two not-so-nice seasons. Last spring, my mom and my aunt decided to take a coffee to the lake and watch the ice fishermen bring in the … Read more

The words we speak to one another are very powerful, and at times, we toss them about carelessly. I was recently on the receiving end of careless words tossed my way. The words that were spoken to me attacked my … Read more

Fear has a way of taking root in our lives and then remaining there and rearing its ugly head at times and places in our life. Do you know people who, when they go into a coffee shop or restaurant, … Read more

It was the call that we all fear to hear, the one that wakes us from our slumber: "Your mom has been taken to the hospital, and you need to come as soon as possible." This was how my Saturday … Read more

Since my dad passed away three years ago, Christmas at our house has been very different. We do the family get-together about two or three weeks before Christmas, and the family comes for dinner. As Christmas approaches, though, our house … Read more

A recent trip to the grocery store found me in the cereal aisle. There was cereal from one end of the aisle to the other. There was cereal that could be made hot, cereal to be eaten cold, cereal shaped … Read more

Just over seven months ago, I embarked on living a healthier lifestyle. With this has come a loss of seventy pounds and a much healthier me. Though the journey has been at hard at times, it has also been very … Read more

As I walked along the lakefront very early on one particular morning, I noticed that a crew was very busy. People were watering the large gardens of flowers. Another person had a tractor, and he was raking the beach sand. … Read more