LoveDiet21.com

{Adopted by His Love}

Charlotte — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 09:13:51 +0000

If you arrived at this page, I would like to invite you to join us at

{Adopted by His Love} the new blog home of Charlotte R. Williams.

If you arrived at this page, I would like to invite you to join us at

{Adopted by His Love} the new blog home of Charlotte R. Williams.

http://www.adoptedbyhislove.com

Filed under: LoveDiet21

Nature’s Nuggets

Charlotte — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:37:17 +0000

While at Starbucks earlier doing some work I noticed a stink bug on the wall. I started to smash it and realized that this wouldn’t be the wisest solution. But on the other hand, I didn’t want it to find it’s way into my bag. Eventually I relocated outside to avoid the stink bug (and warm up a bit). Imagine the irony that not soon after I get my laptop situated outside, a lady asks could I watch her computer so that she could run to her car and get her cigarettes! She quickly returned and lit up.

Life Lesson ~

None of us can escape the inevitable truth that every now and then life stinks. We may avoid one unpleasant situation only to find another waiting for us around the corner…

While leaving the house this afternoon a big insect flew into my window and I jerked away in fear. As it flew out of the window, I regained my composure, only to realize that it was a lovely butterfly.

Life Lesson ~

Most of us are afraid of change. If we take long enough to look past our blinding fear we may find something beautiful awaits us.

Filed under: Life, Life Lessons Tagged: afraid of change, afraid to change, butterflies, butterfly, change, life stinks, public smoking, smokers, smoking, starbucks, stink bug, stinkbug

What Value Place Taught Me

Charlotte — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 21:50:32 +0000

Contentment Journal # 1

It’s the first week of July and I have had the privilege of staying at Value Place while attending a health & wellness training. Yes I did say Value Place as in the affordable extended stay hotel. I know after using the word privilege you would expect me to name The Omni, The Westin, The Hyatt or other high-end, one-name places. However, Value Place taught me several lessons that I would have never learned in plush Heavenly Beds or Waffle-Weave Spa robes! During my week-long stay at Value Place I learned lessons in contentment. Value Place is what started it all – The Contentment Journal that is.

So let me tell you how it all began. There I was standing in the “kitchen” of my Value Place studio, (not unlike an efficiency apartment – I mean extremely efficient), when I noticed the quickly fading toilet paper roll. That’s right I could see the bathroom from the kitchen – it was only a few feet away. That’s when the contentment epiphany happened. Just like that on the third day of my stay. You see Value Place is well – Value Place, not Victorious Palace or Lavish Luxury… So the bathroom was not stocked with citrus-scented toiletries, plenteous towels or toilet paper rolls-runneth-over. Nothing screams need like a dwindling toilet paper roll with no extras to be found.

But I digress… The Epiphany – as my mind reflected on my present tissue need, my eyes scanned the studio discovering how little I truly needed to live and breathe and function. How was I functioning fine here, yet at home with so much more space and material possessions I always feel that there is something I need. The operative word here is need. Clearly I didn’t need much more than I could reach out and touch – basic toiletries, food items, changes of clothes, shoes, paper, pencil, book and my Bible. So why is it that after 34 years on this earth I could quickly and easily gather all my belongings and be ready for departure. But back home, it would take me weeks, if not months to pack? So what started as a simple roll of diminishing paper squares launched me into a month-long period of reflection on the subject of Contentment.

Contentment is defined as the state of being satisfied; at ease.

If one is satisfied, I think it is safe to say that there is nothing that they truly need. One of my favorite books sheds some interesting light on the subject of contentment. “The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want”.

So there I was at Value Place with all of my basic needs being provided for vs. being surrounded by all the “stuff” and trappings of home. And it was such a good place to be. Such a blessed place to be.

I will close by sharing a song I have enjoyed through the years. It is the lyrical creation of husband and wife duo Kindred the Family Soul. The title is (you guessed it) Contentment. The beat is smooth, the words are comforting; it’s peaceful music. And so fitting… The couple (whose names are Fatin & Aja) not only produce beautiful music, they produce beautiful children – 6 to be exact. In fact they created their own series to capture their experience juggling family and the music business – Six is It! The Dantzler’s (better known as Kindred the Family Soul) are not quite as prolific or as controversial as the Duggar Family. I am sure that some would argue why do you need more children when you have 6 or 20. These two families are on different ends of the spectrum as far as numbers of children and I don’t know either family personally. However, I do believe that they both possess something that allows them to be comfortable loving each other and leading their lives. I would venture to say that the have an abundance of children not because they are needing or wanting to add to their families, but simply because they have contentment in their hearts.

~ ~ ~

Filed under: LoveDiet21 Tagged: 23 Psalm, content, contentment, contentment journal, Duggar Family, Hyatt, Kindred the Family Soul, Omni, prolific couples, Psalm 23, The Duggars, value place, Westin

Journey to Contentment

Charlotte — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:00:03 +0000

Hello Everyone!

I hope that you are staying cool and that you’re ready to say “Hello” to August. Please believe me when I tell you that LoveDiet21 is still on the map! In fact I’ve spent the entire month of July traveling to the land of Contentment. Yes, I’ll let that sink in for a minute. I’ve seen some interesting sites, met some phenomenal people, had invaluable experiences and gained priceless new knowledge. So I invite you to come back next month so that I can share my contentment journal with you…

CONTENTMENT

Filed under: LoveDiet21 Tagged: Charlotte R. Williams, content, contentment, contentment journal, journey to contentment

Personal Audit: True Colors

Charlotte — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 01:21:04 +0000

Audit: 1 a : a formal examination of an organization’s or individual’s accounts or financial situation b : the final report of an audit
2 : a methodical examination and review

~Merriam-Webster

For the past several weeks there have been auditors set up in an office at my job. Whenever I pass by they are diligently at work in front of stacks of paper and calculators. After observing them each week I started to wonder how long they spend on auditing projects. I figured perhaps they spend several weeks. I was wrong… My coworker informed me that they stay for months. I guess if there is anything to be found, they will find it.

As I tend to do (taking every day observations and applying it to life) I gained yet another life lesson from this daily observation. I thought to myself what if my life was audited ~ not simply a financial thing but more in line with Merriam-Webster’s second definition. A methodical examination and review. As I pondered this hypothetical situation, I felt a sense of urgency to do some things differently, ‘do better’ in many areas of my life spiritually, physically, financially, socially.

The Good News is that God’s grace is so abundant that he gives us each new day to reconcile our “accounts”, and get our ‘books’ in line. I’m thankful that he specializes in internal auditing from him so that I don’t have someone else methodically reviewing and examining my flaws, errors and mistakes. I don’t know about you but my life often feels like a Rubik’s cube (the 30-year old puzzle phenomenon from the 80′s). All of the like-colored squares don’t always line up. And just when I think I’m close – the move I make messes up the squares I already had aligned.

Sometimes – like when I was a 3rd or 4th grader playing with friends or my brother - I would just take the easy way out and remove the stickers so that my Rubik’s cube would look like the one on the package. But it was only a matter of time before the stickers told on me because once removed they never quite stuck the same again. Well several decades have passed and I’m thankful that I know the Truth ~ I am free to live a colorful life – orange, blue, white, green, red, yellow. And I don’t have to put all my colors on one side.

~crw

Filed under: LoveDiet21 Tagged: 1980's, 80's toys, audit, auditor, colorful life, faith, ideal toys, Merriam Webster, methodical examination, methodical review, rubik, rubik's cube, true colors, world's best selling toy

What Message are You Sending?

Charlotte — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 20:10:20 +0000

What Message Are You Sending?

No Hope ~ Keep the Change

Standing in the grocery line at Food Lion (Welcome to Food Lion) I noticed the Obama shirt that the gentleman behind me was sporting, or so I thought. Upon second glance I realized that the shirt was actually donning an anti-Obama administration message. ‘No Hope’ with a slash through the (Obama) ‘O’ – “Keep the Change”. I have to give it to the designer – catchy and clever. However, I think had hey done more market research, they would have discovered that their slogan had an unintended affect. This is actually a common issue among advertisement and marketing teams. How close is too close when playing off of their competitors or opponents?

I realize that this lesson can apply to our personal lives as well – we often times send an unintended message or even a mixed message. For example, as a health educator, my behavior is often incongruent with my degree of knowledge. Interestingly enough, I have felt the Lord speaking to me regarding the blog – that he wants me to live it and not just write it! Consequently, you have received less posts from me (I even suspended the Fitness Challenge in April). So during this transition and semi-hiatus : ) I have had the opportunity to get back on track!

I am proud to tell you that I am back and you can now join me in the fitness journey @ FitBonedSistas. FBS is a blog that I started with my cousin Michelle, that is totally dedicated to Sisters (all shades are welcome) who want to stay fit. Our motto is We’re Bringing Fitness Back… (to Sistas).

LoveDiet21 will continue it’s mission of focusing on Wellness issues each month and our Goal that everyone loves the woman (or man) in the mirror more each day!

Filed under: Life, love diet 21 Tagged: Barack Obama, Food Lion, grocery store line, health education, keep the change, knowledge vs. behavior, need change, no hope keep the change, Obama, President Obama, stages of change, welcome to Food Lion, What message are you sending

He Loves Me…

Charlotte — Fri, 28 May 2010 23:34:36 +0000

~ He Loves Me ~

For the past two weekends God has reminded me of his love for me. As a child, I can remember countless VBS and ‘children’s sermons’ moments where everyone sang in unison “Jesus Loves Me – this I know for the bible tells me so…”. This works when you’re a child – I don’t know about you, but as an adult I’ve done some things, said some things, even thought some things that were out of alignment with God’s will. The Beautiful thing is thankfully I’ve never been out of his love no matter what it looked like or felt like.

So back to these two weekends… God placed me around people I don’t know - doing things that I absolutely love but had not taken the time to do in quite a while. One event was a mental wellness session in observance of Mental Health month. The other was a Zumba workout at the church of one of my coworkers. The mental wellness session involved poetry and crafts, specifically a mask-making activity. I was able to lose myself in paint and feathers and other means of creative expression – something I have absolutely loved since childhood.

~ He Loves Me ~

Dancing to the rhythmic beats – moving my body – waving my hands and moving my feet provided me the most joy I’ve felt in a long time. It was so exhilarating to take in the lyrics of the praise music and re-discover yet another passion of mine – fitness.

~ He Loves Me ~

If we will give Him the opportunity – the space – the time, God wants to show us ourselves - introduce us to our innermost being. Show us His Promises.

~ He Loves Me ~ He Loves Me ~ He Loves Me ~

Filed under: Inspirational, LoveDiet21, Motivational, Spiritual Tagged: children's sermon, He Loves Me, he loves me not, innermost being, joy, love yourself, Mental Health Month, mental wellness, passion, VBS, Zumba

His Promises

Charlotte — Wed, 19 May 2010 22:20:19 +0000

"Don't judge others or yourself"

My spiritual journey has to be one of the most difficult, no, the most challenging – in fact the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Saying ‘No’ when I want to say ‘Yes’. Saying ‘Yes’ when I want to say ‘No’. Looking at the real man in the mirror – being full of courage one minute and completely paralyzed the next!

I read a Dove Promises® Message the other day -

“Don’t judge others or yourself”

The last part of this statement blessed me so much because when I judge others I know that I’m wrong – I am reminded that nothing about me is better than them – that the same God that created me, created them. But what I so often forget is that I am part of that group that I shouldn’t judge. If I’m honest with myself, I discover that I judge myself around the clock – This isn’t done…, I need to do that…, My life is messed up in this area…, I’m no good with… I’m constantly judging myself.

The TRUTH is we don’t even have the right to judge ourselves.

A very successful business woman once told me that I have to give myself grace. She is right – just like the Dove Promises® Message reminded me – I shouldn’t judge myself. But the real GOOD NEWS is that God’s Word is full of promises. If I simply hold onto them in my heart and feast on God’s word the same way I indulge on the delicious chocolate then my mind will be too filled with His word to have room for judgment to creep in!

His Promises

I AM Forgiven

I AM Healed

I AM Free

I AM Loved

Filed under: LoveDiet21, Spiritual Tagged: don't judge, Don't judge others or yourself, Dove Chocolate, Dove Promises, guilt, healing, His Promises, I am forgiven, I am free, I am healed, I am loved, rejection, shame

Don’t Be Afraid to Show Your Age!

Charlotte — Thu, 06 May 2010 03:26:15 +0000

So all of the reflecting made me think of a poetry set that I used to attend called ‘The Remedy’ at this spot called Dizzy G’s in Greensboro. Yes once upon a time I tried my hand at the open mic side of poetry. Well – long story short, I’m better suited on the writing end than the performing end. Back to Dizzy G’s – One of my absolute all time favorites was a piece that one of the regular poets (for the life of me I can’t remember his name) used to perform. The name of it was ‘Don’t Be Afraid to Show Your Age!” And it went like this – he would name something from childhood or back-in-the-day that would take those of us in the audience on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Everytime he named something he would follow it with a rhythmic “Don’t be afraid to show your age!” So here’s my rendition: