Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of celebrating my friend Ms. Raylawni’s 85th birthday with her. Y’all, she had so much fun! I am so grateful and blessed that God brought us together. I’m so thankful for divine connections. I love my friend.
This past Sunday, we spent the day together laughing and reminiscing about the “good old days,” which was actually me listening to her tell stories about her amazing life. We also watched the Roberta Flack documentary. Y’all, Roberta was a fascinating human being! I was so in awe of her story. Did you know she produced music under the name Rubina Flake? They described Rubina as her alter ego, saying she became a bolder person as Rubina.
I can’t express enough how grateful I am for life. I’m so grateful and blessed that God’s allowed me to live it as I have. To have witnessed and experienced all I have through the eyes of others.
Y’all, life is meant to be lived!
Sitting here thinking about one of Ms. Raylawni’s friends, Ms. Cee, who I spent an evening with last week. Now, her story is one for the books. She was a professional dancer in her younger years, and later a studio owner. The way she described her life was like that of a Hallmark and Lifetime movie. A little love and lots of drama.
Please allow me a moment of gratitude:
God, thank You for loving me! For allowing me to witness Your greatness in real time. I do not take Your love, goodness, or kindness for granted. I know that I am blessed—truly blessed🙏🏽
This is all I have for now. Listen, if you want to truly live, sit and stay in God’s presence. He will give you experiences that will satisfy your soul. Yeah…His experiences are soul deep!
This morning’s post is for anyone who can use a little encouragement. Know that difficult times don’t always last. They do pass. I’m not just saying this because it sounds good, but because I know firsthand that they do pass—they do not last. God really does have a way of making everything all right.
The song of the hour is “Be Encouraged” by William Becton. The song says—
I know right now it’s impossible to see, but God is gonna work it out if you just believe. Remember this one thing while you’re going through, if God delivered Daniel, He’ll do the same for you.
Be encouraged no matter what’s going on, He’ll make it alright, but you gotta stay strong. Lyrics: Musixmatch
Listen, hang in there. Stand on your faith and stand on God’s word. Trust Him. He’s got you!
Wishing you a lovely Sunday and beautiful week ahead.♥️
After going down numerous rabbit holes watching interviews with and about Dolly Parton, I’m never going to apologize for fully enjoying and living life on my terms. Maybe I’ll never be invited into certain rooms or be everyone’s cup of tea; however, at the end of my life I’ll know that I lived it to its fullest being my most authentic self and doing what I love. I wouldn’t be honoring God if I didn’t.
Y’all, I truly love who I am. This wasn’t always so. I wasted many years wishing I could fit in. Wishing I could be invited to this or that, or accepted by certain groups of people. Now, I don’t care whether or not I’m invited or accepted. Those who love me, love me. Those who were tolerating me are slowly being removed from my life, and I’m learning to let them go. I’ve found that it’s true, God will replace what you thought you lost with better.
I’ve said this so many times over the past few years that I’m beginning to sound like a broken record—I am absolutely loving this side of 50. I am so grateful for my life.
God, thank You for making me, ME. Thank You for loving ME.
I pray you have a wonderful Saturday! Be sure to be extra loving, kind, and gentle with yourself. Give yourself grace.♥️
Right now, my room is dark, and the only sound I hear is coming from the rain falling outside my window. I thought about getting up and doing something productive. Then I looked at my schedule and my day is FREE.
Since rain is in the forecast for the entire day, I’m going to make this a rain day. I’m going to make myself a cup of hot chocolate. Find something to eat for breakfast. Then, I’m going to get back in bed and enjoy the rain. Yep! I’m getting back in bed.
Y’all, I do not take days like this for granted. I know it’s a privilege that I get to spend my day how I choose. For this, I am forever grateful. I’m truly blessed.🥰
I pray you have a wonderful day! May it be filled with love, grace, and kindness.♥️
Let God’s glory shine through you and through everything you touch and do. Allow Him to fill you with His presence. Amen
The song of the hour is Earnest Pugh’s song, “Rain On Us.” The song says—
Let your glory fill this place Let your all-consuming fire, fill this tabernacle Purify our hearts Surround us in this place And breathe new life within us Send a refreshing glory Purify our hearts
Rain on us, Breathe on us Shower down, Shower down Send your Spirit, Lord
I believe this is my first post having a Tuesday title. Will have to check and see. Poor Tuesday… I need to be more intentional about showing this day some love. Smile🥰
Anyhoo… I hope your week has started off well and continues to go well. Here’s the post I shared today on Shaun’s Daily Inspiration—
God knows what lies ahead. He knows the uncertainty you will face, the hills you will climb, and peaks of mountains you will see. Allow God to guide.…
Although I’ve attached the link in the quote, I still want to share the post in its entirety. Right now I’m smiling through happy tears because God knows ME so well! He knows exactly what I need and when I need it. This journey of mine has been one wild roller coaster ride. And honestly, I’m not sure if I would have wanted it any other way. I’m not going to lie and say I enjoyed the uncertain and difficult moments; however, the overall experiences were worth it for getting me to where I am today. Here’s what I shared six years ago—
“Y’all already know what day it is! I have not been blogging much. It is not because I do not have anything to blog about. I am just trying to find a steady rhythm for blogging. Something that is sustainable. Outside of blogging on this site, I also keep a journal, and I am finally beginning to blog again under A Research Diva’s Journey. So yeah, I need to find a rhythm.
Yesterday’s blog, Aimlessly Passing Time, was about losing the passion I used to have for my profession. Y’all, being a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) was life! I mean, all I talked about was assisting people with making healthier lifestyle choices. Over time it became tiresome. Especially when I found myself constantly competing against the newest fad diet, anything Google or Dr. Oz said, or what worked for their best friend’s friend’s friend. Ugh!! Talk about too much!
Then two years ago, things began to change. Honestly, it was before then. Have you ever felt like you were running on a hamster wheel? You know, like the more you ran, or the faster it turned, you never moved? Well, that was how I was beginning to feel. Everything had become too routine. So I decided to go the Public Health route thinking something would rekindle my passion. It did for a while but not as much as I thought it would.
Umm.. Just thinking.. Some of my happiest moments involved nutrition education sessions. Whether I was providing the sessions or training others to do the sessions, I loved the interaction. I thrived off of it! There is something about watching a person’s face light up when they learn something new, or even watching them process the information. I particularly enjoyed educating and interacting with children and young adults. From toddlers to college students, they were all like sponges. They soaked up EVERYTHING and were very inquisitive. Yeah.. that is what I miss.
Anyhoo… I guess my passion is not completely gone. I just need to find ways to continue doing what I love.”
Y’all, God is so good! For several years, I tried changing professions because I had become burnt out as a dietitian. You just don’t know the energy it takes to constantly fight misinformation (even from other healthcare professionals). By the time I resigned from my job—even though I was mostly doing research—my passion for dietetics and nutrition was hanging on by a thread. I only wanted to focus on the culinary side. I wanted to cook, eat, and post pictures of my food. I had no desire to educate anyone who didn’t ask to be educated. I had embraced being a foodie. Someone else could do the rest. So I thought…
A few months ago, I was asked to create a nutrition program for a local clinic, and that’s when everything began to change. I was actually excited to educate again. Since then, I’ve even launched my own program for women—Nutrition with LaShaundreaB’s Let’s Get Healthier Together. Here’s the link to my blog, in case you want to read my posts: Nutrition with LaShaundreaB.
Here’s what I’ve learned or am learning. What I thought was lost—that beautiful passion of mine—never actually left. I just needed the right environment to rekindle it. On Friday, I spoke at a local women business owners’ summit about the importance of preventive care, including the benefits of a healthy diet. As I stated six years ago: “There is something about watching a person’s face light up when they learn something new, or…watching them process the information.” I loved it!
I’ll end this post as I did in 2020—
“I guess my passion is not completely gone. I just need to find ways to continue doing what I love.”
Smiling.
I got my passion back!
Forever grateful that God loves me. I am truly blessed.🥰
I pray you’ve had a lovely weekend thus far. May today be just as lovely.♥️
Be sure to treat yourself with just as much kindness as you would like from others, and then pass it on. Always remember that kindness must first begin within. The more kind you are to yourself—not nice, but kind—the more kindness you’ll be able to offer.
Wishing you a wonderful day! Be a beacon of light that represents God’s goodness and glory. The world needs your light.♥️
It’s Shaun’s World 
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