Keep moving. You’ve come too far to give up on your dreams, goals and purpose. Just because you can’t see or feel God working, doesn’t mean He isn’t. Imagine if you were to quit today and tomorrow everything was set to fall in place. Again– Keep moving!♥️
Listen, God is always working. Don’t give up!♥️
This is all for now. I pray that you have a wonderful day. May it be filled with lots of sunshine!☀️
Sitting here scrolling through past photos from this date. Y’all, life is so random and interesting. Here are two memories from September 16th.
This first one is a screenshot of my mom’s Facebook post shared on September 16, 2021—
This made me laugh. She must have wanted Burger King badly on that day.😂 She was hilarious, and she’s so missed!
That was 2021…
This next memory is from a year later and carries a bit of sadness. It’s a video of my meals eaten between the time my mom was admitted to the hospital and September 16, 2022. I was there another month before she was released to a rehab facility. Sadly, she never recovered and was in and out of the hospital almost every other week or two until she passed in May 2023.
I imagine I was shaking my head when I took a screenshot of my mom’s post, thinking, “Now, why did she post that?” I’m pretty sure I shared it with my kids or sisters. Then, one year later, she couldn’t post anything because her right arm was paralyzed and she could barely use her left.
Y’all, life can change at the blink of an eye. Where we are today may be completely different from where we’ll be a year from now. Try to stay present as much as you can and enjoy this gift called life. Take nothing or no one for granted.
Every day I wake up with gratitude in my heart. It’s the reason I can find goodness in the smallest of things. I am so grateful to be alive. I’m truly blessed!
I pray you have a beautiful day! May it be filled with an abundance of love, joy, and peace.♥️
Today, I’m singing a new song! Yes, a new song! Smile
For those who haven’t been following my posts lately, Byron Cage’s song “Breathe” was stuck in my head for over a week. I’m not sure when I stopped hearing it because I was definitely hearing it when I woke up yesterday morning. However, today, I’m singing a new song, which I’m pretty sure was inspired by today’s messages—God’s goodness.
“Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of God.” –Author Unknown
Y’all, it’s true. From the moment that I wake up until I go to sleep, I am always thinking about God’s goodness surrounding me. This doesn’t mean I don’t feel pain, hurt, or have disappointments—because I’m human and do—but it means that I always manage to see God’s goodness. Many times I see it in the smallest things—things we often take for granted, like our senses—the ability to see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. Right now, I hear a little birdie singing and an owl hooting somewhere in the distance. Side note: If you haven’t noticed, I love hearing birds sing. I also love hearing roosters crow—something I miss about being in the country.
Anyhoo… I was about to get side tracked. But yeah, I’m hearing and singing a new song. At least for the moment.
This is all for now. I pray you have a beautiful day! May it be filled with lots of love, joy, and peace.♥️
I really didn’t know what to title this post because I didn’t want to do a third part of “Air I Breathe.” But here I am still writing about the song I’ve been waking up to, hearing throughout the day, and falling asleep to for a week now. Today’ I’m sharing the lyrics to the entire song. Maybe once I get it out, I won’t hear it anymore. Don’t get me wrong, the song isn’t a bad song or annoying. Honestly, it’s actually quite soothing. But I would really like to hear something else.
Here are the lyrics—
Breathe by Byron Cage
This is the air I breathe This is the air I breathe Your Holy presence Living in me
This is the air I breathe This is the air I breathe Your Holy presence Living in me
This is my daily bread This is my daily bread Your very Word Spoken to me
And I, I’m desperate for you And I, I’m lost without you
This is the air I breathe This is the air I breathe Your Holy presence Living in me
This is my daily bread This is my daily bread Your very Word Spoken to me
And I, I’m desperate for you And I, I’m lost without you And I, I’m desperate for you And I, I’m lost without you And I, I’m desperate for you And I, I’m lost without you
This is the air I breathe This is the air I breathe This is the air I breathe This is the air I breathe This is the air I breathe This is the air I breathe This is the air I breathe This is the air I breathe
So the song title is actually “Breathe.”🤷🏽♀️ As I mentioned before, the song is really soothing. It’s a nice, slow-paced worship song. However, I would really like to hear something else if it’s God’s will. I had to add this caveat because I don’t want to speak against God’s will. Amen
Anyhoo…
This is all I have for now. Remember, it’s Self-Love Saturday. Be sure to do something extra nice for yourself.♥️
***I wanted to add this. Just thinking about how I wrote, “I don’t want to speak anything against God’s will.” Y’all, I truly respect God’s will. I truly honor Him. He’s too good to me for me not to. Amen
I’m still singing Byron Cage’s song “Air I Breathe (or Breathe).” Started singing it on Saturday and haven’t been able to shake it since. Thanking God for His holy presence surrounding me and living within me.
How was your extended weekend?
Mine was good! My daughter arrived on Thursday and left yesterday morning. I hated to see her leave, but I enjoyed every minute of our time together. We had a few of our deep conversations while she was here. We didn’t dance, sing, or laugh much this time (we did laugh, just not as much). This time, our conversations were more serious—ones we needed to have. I’m so grateful God placed her in my life. She’s my blessing.
On Saturday, I spent the day volunteering with a local nonprofit for the International Day of Charity. Y’all, it was so hot! I sweated so much that salt was literally coming out of my pores. I believe it was over 100° F and humid. Listen, it’s not always the heat that leaves you drained; it’s the humidity. I would post before and after pics, but I’m too embarrassed. Y’all, I looked a mess after it was over.😂 Aside from the heat and humidity, I enjoyed every minute of being outside and serving our guests. When I got home, I showered, ate, and went to sleep. Didn’t wake up until after midnight. Yeah… I was tired!
Yesterday, Labor Day, I relaxed a little but still worked some. My sister and her little ones stopped by for a quick visit yesterday evening. So I got to love on them for a minute. I’m so proud of the youngest one because he’s finally fully potty trained, and he was happy to announce that he’s now a big boy. I just love my nieces and nephews. They’re my little hearts.
Anyhoo… that was my extended weekend. This morning, I’m enjoying God’s presence. My heart is full.
Listen, be intentional about recognizing and enjoying the blessings God has placed in your life. They are some of the greatest gifts.
***By the way, today is my 100th Day of posting.🎉 Smiling because I remember when I was so bent on not breaking my 1,800+ day streak. What a ride that was!😊
Singing “Air I Breathe” by Byron Cage. Feel free to sing and worship along. The song says—
“This is the air I breathe This is the air I breathe Your holy presence Living in me…”
Y’all, God is so good. I am so thankful His presence surrounds and lives in me. Amen
Not only is today Self-Love Saturday, but it’s the International Day of Charity. While you’re showing yourself a little love, please consider supporting one of your local charities. So many people are in need, and anything you can give—even if all you can afford to give is your time—will go a long way. Believe me, your little is someone’s blessing.🙏🏽
This is all for the moment. Wishing you a wonderfully blessed day.♥️
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!
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.♥️
Reading past journal entries from this date and came across this entry—
An excerpt from August 14, 2014:
“I believe my purpose in life is to get my people from point A to point B. My job is to encourage the young to reach for the stars. They may have so many odds stacked against them, but the sky is the limit. They really need to know that if they dream it they really can achieve it and more. Some may ask why are you not where your dreams take you. My response is, I’m not sure. Bad decisions. Distractions. Maybe this is where God intended for me to be at the moment. But I do know there is so much more left for me to do. I do not desire to lead or be in the spotlight, but whatever God has planned for me I will do. I will do what I must to make sure my people excel!”
Whew!! These past 12 years have seemed like a very long journey. A journey I did not know I would take. But God did. He knew, and He equipped and guided me every step of the way to get to where I am today.
This particular part of the entry has me in tears this morning—
“Some may ask why are you not where your dreams take you. My response is, I’m not sure. Bad decisions. Distractions. Maybe this is where God intended for me to be at the moment. But I do know there is so much more left for me to do.”
My answer today is—I am where I need to be at this moment in time. I’m fulfilling God’s purpose for my life. Bad decisions didn’t stop me. Distractions didn’t stop me. They’re part of my story—part of my journey to becoming who God’s created me to be. I am so grateful and blessed to have experienced such a wonderful 12 years. I am where my dreams have taken me. I’m sitting right in them.
Y’all, God is so good! I absolutely love my life.🥰
This is all for now. Have a wonderful day and weekend. Be sure to treat yourself with love and kindness, and give yourself grace.♥️
It’s Shaun’s World 
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