Dr. Howell’s Reflections
Everyday, Dr. Howell writes a reflection, inquiry prompt, and a prayer.
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Heart Stories Part 7
August 17, 2025
Why Do We Have Emotions? Wouldn’t life be easier without heartache, loneliness, fear, or envy? Emotions can weigh us down. They’ve driven us to aggression, or even to self-harm. So why have a heart at all?
Heart Stories Part 6
August 16, 2025
Stories about animals are often heart stories. Their love is fierce, loyal, and unconditional. And when an animal expresses what we think of as a deeply human feeling, like love, grief, or joy, our hearts overflow with empathy for them because they have touched something in our own hearts and minds; something we are intimately familiar with, something we know in our bones— the feelings that we share with all life, even the trees—the universal longing to love and be loved.
Heart Stories Part 5
August 15, 2025
Some of the most powerful heart stories are those in which people triumph against impossible odds—stories of resilience, courage, and unshakable will. These stories touch us deeply because they remind us of our own struggles and the strength it takes to rise when life knocks us down. We find ourselves rooting for the underdog, aching for the wounded, and cheering when they find their way through the darkness. These stories grow our faith and comfort our hearts during rough times. And we all have such times.
Heart Stories Part 4
August 14, 2025
We call them Heart Stories because they do what facts alone cannot — they stir the soul. They captivate, awaken, and intrigue us with the question: What happens next? Heart stories aren’t just heard—they’re felt. They evoke emotion: excitement, longing, warmth, sadness, wonder, and hope. They are food for the heart because they are made of love. And just like the body, the heart becomes what it consumes.
Heart Stories Part 3
August 13, 2025
The Soul Child is usually buried beneath years of adaptation and striving, but it is our essence, the core of our soul. To return to this essence is not regression, but redemption—a sacred reunion with the part of us that remembers joy, innocence, and divine belonging. To return to this inner child is to return to the source of our aliveness, the place where our spirit first knew how to be.
Heart Stories Part 2
August 12, 2025
I arranged to attend a choir practice at the church of some of my African American friends. I was turning forty and for my birthday wanted to fulfill a long-held fantasy. I loved Gospel music, and to sing it with a Black choir would be heaven for me. My friends made it come true for my birthday.
Heart Stories Part 1
August 11, 2025
On the ICB pilgrimage to Greece with Phil Cousineau last year, a strange but affirming event happened to me on the Island of Ithaca. Our bus driver pulled to the side of the road along the seashore so that we pilgrims could walk into the Mediterranean. After dipping my toes in the sea, I found a seat on a sea wall and looked at the beautiful turquoise horizon.