Entanglement

Long gone are the days of waking up in a Cumberland Homestead farmhouse on Thanksgiving Day, Mamaw in the kitchen before dawn prepping and cooking every heavenly morsel we looked forward to all year. The aroma of freshly percolated coffee and oven baked turkey, a strange and uniquely comforting emanation, rousing me from my sleepy slumber. I would tiptoe down the stairs, careful not to wake anyone, eager to share some alone time with my grandmother, watching in awe as she worked. I’m incredibly thankful to have that. Thanksgiving looks a whole lot different these days, scaled down and simple, no huge family gatherings, no coffee, no turkey—it’s all about the sides—and Mamaw’s homemade chocolate pie. I’m more thankful in this moment than I’ve ever been, remembering the past and honoring this time of year that will forever evoke memories of a small homestead filled to overflowing with warmth, laughter and the unconditional love of family. Happy Thanksgiving!

With a mere 47 days left until the one year milestone of my journey to a better me, I can say with all honesty, I am happy with my overall health and well being. My weight loss stagnated back in September, and that's okay, because although losing more than forty pounds was a bonus, this journey for me was not about losing weight—it was about ending the cycle of emotional eating and poor mental health. I am its prisoner no more. I can testify that what kind of food you put in your body has a direct impact on every aspect of your health—physical, emotional, mental and especially spiritual. Breakfast Bowl The food we buy from the grocery store is no longer food, hasn't been for a long time. I became a fanatic label reader this year and nearly everything that I used to consume with voracity contains bioengineered food ingredients aka genetically modified organisms (GMO's). Stripped of nutrition and loaded with glyphosate, eating these processed foods affects the body on a cell...