When it comes to Summer celebrations, most peoples’ mind go to the Fourth of July. However, the month of June is home to two special occasions that are celebrated around Houston: the Juneteenth celebration and the Pride Festival. These two celebrations are of unique importance to the African American and LGBT community.

Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day, and it commemorates the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas. Even though President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing the slaves in 1862, the slaves in Texas did not hear that they had been freed until Union forces in 1865. Today, residents of Texas continue to celebrate Juneteenth every June 19th.

Celebrations can be diverse and include singing traditional songs, reading popular works by African American writers, holding rodeos, historical reenactments, and other celebrations. Around Houston, Emancipation Park is often used to celebrate the occasion. Emancipation Park’s roots date back to just after the Civil War, when Reverend Jack Yates, a Baptist minister and former slave, bought ten acres of land where they could celebrate Juneteenth. A century later, Emancipation Park now stands where those same former slaves celebrated. Residents from throughout the city make the park a destination each year to celebrate and will do so once again in 2019.

However, Emancipation Park is not the only place where Juneteenth can be celebrated. Residents closer to Sugar Land can visit the George Ranch Historical Park for a very special Juneteenth celebration. The park is filled with historic reenactors and several homes that show how settlers lived from the early 1800s through the 21st century. This Juneteenth, visitors can enjoy a classic Texas BBQ while they watch reenactments of the Juneteenth proclamation and hear how people of the era might have reacted to the news.

Pride Festival is another yearly celebration held toward the end of the month that honors the LGBT community around Houston. Pride celebrations are held throughout the country during the same month, and Pride Month itself has a long history tracing its roots to the Stonewall Riots. In fact, the modern gay rights movement can be traced to those same riots, when members of the gay community protested the discrimination they were facing and the unfair arrests that were being made just because people were gay.

This yearly festival brings in more than 700,000 visitors not only from throughout Houston, but throughout the world. Pride Day will fall on June 22, 2019, the event itself is free to the public, although visitors can also buy special VIP tickets. The parade happens in Downtown Houston starting at eight in the evening and finishing at roughly 11 that night. After the parade, closing celebrations will be held at Rich’s Houston the following night.

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness month. This is an important month because it raises awareness of how mental disease can affect us and the ones we love. Alzheimer’s is particularly devastating because, as it progresses, it can lead to ongoing mental decline, disorientation, depression, mood swings, and other mental symptoms. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help prevent this decline. Although there’s no one way of completing protecting against mental disorders, you can improve your chances of having good mental health by following a few tips.

Researchers have recently started to realize the importance of diet to maintaining mental health. Mental health experts now feel strongly that a high-quality diet can prevent some of the symptoms common in mental disorders, including depression and anxiety. Eating right is important because it encourages brain growth. An appropriate diet, rich in nutrients like omega-3s, can help encourage the brain’s growth. Healthy eating also reduces inflammation, and body inflammation is linked to several diseases and poorer mental health. When you start thinking about maintaining your mental sharpness and health, start with smart changes to your diet.

One of the best ways of keeping the brain sharp is by exercising. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize how important exercise is to keeping the mind sharp. How important? Exercise has been linked to improvements in memory and thinking ability. Exercise improve insulin resistance, creates chemicals that produce more brain cells, and reduce inflammation. Exercise also promotes the growth of blood vessels in the brain and helps ensure that brain cells survive over time.

When you exercise, more oxygen enters your bloodstream and flows to the brain. It’s this process that links exercise to brain health. Researchers have found that people who exercise more are at a reduced risk of developing dementia. Studies also showed that people who exercised the most performed better on cognitive tests decades later. For all of these reasons, if you’re interested in keeping your brain healthy, then you won’t want to overlook getting regular, vigorous exercise.

After you’ve made sure that you’ve got the basics of diet and exercise together, it’s important to follow the two rules of staying busy and staying connected. Staying busy refers to being a lifelong learner. Constantly learning, engaging in thinking skills, and staying active with complex work can all help you stay mentally sharp throughout your entire life. However, you also want to stay connected. Staying connected means creating close ties with others and being socially engaged. Social interactions are important because they force you to engage with others. Interacting with other people can help improve your thinking skills and improve your memory.

So, when it comes to avoiding mental decline and disease, there’s no completely guaranteed protection. However, through diet, exercise, healthy social relationships, and commitment to being a lifelong learner, you can help protect your mental health and sharpness.

The summer is coming and with it, the chance to become more involved in the community. While there are many ways of becoming involved in the community, one organization offers a number of different ways of becoming more engaged. Second Mile helps connect hundreds of volunteers to service opportunities.

Second Mile services the residents of Fort Bend County and specifically focuses on residents living in poverty. The organization also helps those who are going through periods of crisis. The Second Mile Mission Center helps meet the basic needs of these residents by providing healthcare and food. This aid is helpful during crisis periods and provides the sort of stability that people need to become self-sufficient in the long-term.

Food and healthcare support aren’t the only ways the Second Mile helps the community. The center also sponsors programs that teach visitors about managing their finances and finding financial assistance when they need it. Second Mile Mission Center also provides visitors with job training that can help them find stable employment. There are also seasonal events that the community hosts, including putting together supplies for students heading back to school and toys for children at Christmas.

For anyone who wants to volunteer, Second Mile offers many chances for residents to help. One of the most common ways that visitors can help is by participating in the center’s pantry. Second Mile is always looking for help keeping track of how much food is in the pantry, loading food into people’s cars who need the additional support, and stocking the pantry when food arrives at the center. Groups can also come together to help the pantry by hosting food drives designed to help restock the center’s food stocks.

Volunteers can also serve in the Opportunity Shop. The Opportunity Shop sells high quality, gently used clothing, shoes, and accessories. The Opportunity Shop affords those on tight budgets the chance to purchase high quality clothing without having to spend beyond their means. Volunteers at the opportunity shop can help by helping hang decorations, display clothes and accessories, and generally keep the store looking attractive. Volunteers can also help sort items in the warehouse that will eventually go out for sale.

However, one of the most important functions a volunteer can serve is as a listening ear. Volunteers who feel comfortable can provide one-on-one help to families and individuals, providing compassionate service and hearing them out during their time of need. Sometimes, volunteers will help with those who are pursuing jobs or financial goals. Volunteers may at other times act as compassionate support for those in need. Because this is a particularly sensitive role, volunteers will need to be trained before they can take on these roles. However, this can be a particularly rewarding position for anyone who enjoys working with others.

Second Mile makes a list of its volunteers available on its website. Anyone interested helping the center can either visit secondmile.org or email the organization at volunteer@secondmile.org. Interested individuals can also give the center a call by dialing (281) 261-9199 extension 223. Whether you’re interested in a behind the scenes role restocking supplies or want to go hands on with those in need, Second Mile offers chances to volunteer for anyone who wants to get involved.

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In the herb garden you’ll want to clip mint back and make extracts for baking. Easy to make with vodka and herbs crushed and sealed in a dry and dark place for 6 weeks. Also begin freezing thyme and basil into little cubed treats to add a lovely touch in your homemade lemonades during the summer months poolside.

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On my nightside table… Boo Walker’s “A Marriage Well Done” and “God-Shaped Hole” by Tiffanie DeBartolo.

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Commit to writing a love letter each day starting in June for one month to your spouse. You can have it bound and add it as a very special gift this year under the tree! Who knows? It might actually give some insights to the one you love as to your daily muses about them and the relationship you’re in.

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Now is a great time to spend the afternoon at the zoo. The littles should pack a camera and take turns creating artistic compositions of the animals. Encourage them to frame the animals differently and even zoom in and do something abstract. These could also be turned into really cute calendars for gifting family this holiday season.

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As always, place that electronics basket close to the kitchen and forbid their use during suppertime! Go around the table and ask each of your family members to tell about their day or pick a subject and let everyone pitch in with opinions and commentary. This will build many things in your children, the ability to articulate their opinion and defend them is a skill that must be mastered safely in the round table of your home.