Tag: blogger

hope

Hello Sunday (297)

Shaun Bradford

Happy Sunday☀️

Last year, I shared the following quote/image that I had saved to my phone on October 11, 2020.

I’m pretty sure that when I saved the picture I was all revved up…

Hold on! Let me go see how I was feeling that day. Gonna check my journal to see if I mentioned anything.

Wow!! I didn’t find what I was looking for, but found a gem instead.

Quick note: This is a glimpse of my writing process in real time. I start off writing about one thing, then in mid thought, stop to see if I have an experience to add to what I’m writing. Sometimes I don’t, but many times I do, whether I mention the experience or not.

Here’s the gem I found:

October 11, 2020 Shaun’s Journal Entry

Sarah Jakes Roberts “Dig Until You Get Back To Power”

Power and unbelief can live in the same place. It doesn’t mean you don’t have power, you just have to keep striking at the unbelief. God does not take back the power He’s given you because of your unbelief. You have to keep digging until you tap that power. 

Sometimes we’re anointed to do something but accustomed to doing another. Sometimes what we are accustomed to shows up instead of our anointing. 

Unbelief and disbelief aren’t the same thing. Disbelief means you don’t believe in something that has happened. Unbelief means you don’t believe in something never done before. When you have unbelief it’s the opportunity to believe on another level. Now is the time to grow my belief. Amen. 

A whole sermon! Didn’t know I needed this message today until now. God is so good. I just love the way He loves me!

This is all for now. I am so blessed. I pray you have a wonderful Sunday. May it be filled with lots of love, harmony, and blessings.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

Life

The Present is Now

Shaun Bradford

“The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments.” –Thich Nhat Hanh

Stay Present

Breathe…

The present is now.

Life is happening now.

Blessings are unfolding as you read this message.

Breathe…

The present is now.

It’s a blessing from God to YOU.

Happy Self-Love Saturday!☀️

Remember to do something extra special for yourself. You deserve that little something extra.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

empowerment

Handle with Care

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning and Happy Friday!☀️

Woke up with the thought, “Handle with Care,” on my mind. When you handle something with care, you don’t just treat it any kind of way. You hold it as a gift, a treasure.

I know it’s the end of the year, but the next few months are a preface to the year to come. So it makes perfect sense that I set and implement my theme now—

“Handle Me with Care.”

Whoever enters my life, as well as those already here, must handle me with care. No, I’m not fragile—I’m rare and priceless. I am One of One.💎

I’m God’s Child

Listen, know your worth and make sure you’re treated accordingly. You’re not asking for too much to be treated with exceptional love, kindness, and respect.

I pray you have a wonderful day and the most beautiful weekend! May it be filled with lots of love, joy, and happiness.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

love

Singing, “Worthy Is Your Name”

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning and Happy Thankful Thursday!☀️

This morning’s song is Elevation Worship’s song, “Worthy.” The song says—

Worthy is Your name, Jesus
You deserve the praise
Worthy is Your name
Worthy is Your name, Jesus
You deserve the praise
Worthy is Your name

First, all praises to God for His love, mercy, and grace. Where would we be without Him?

Second, worthy is the name of Jesus. Much too often, we as Christians leave him out of the equation. We rarely say his name. Did we forget he’s the “Christ” in Christian? Not sure how we got here, but here we are. The name Jesus should never cause us shame or shame anyone, and it should never be used to condemn. When people hear the name Jesus, they should immediately think of love, peace, and humility. If not, then we’re not doing a good job representing him. I hear you saying you represent a higher power. You represent God. But how can you represent God and not honor His Son?

If no one else does better, I must do better because worthy is the name of Jesus. Amen

This is all for now. I pray you have a beautifully blessed day. May it be filled with love, peace, and joy.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

empowerment, God’s Timing

Singing, “I’m Gonna Be Ready”

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️ and Happy Wellness Wednesday!

For years now, I have had LaShaundreaB’s Wellness Wednesdays on my calendar; however, I seldom take my wellness day. Well, today, I can’t take the full day, but I plan to take at least half the day to focus on my wellbeing. Yay Me!

Anyhoo… Back to the song of the hour. The song that I’m singing this morning is Yolanda Adams’ song “I’m Gonna Be Ready.” The song says—

I say a prayer every night
Whatever I do, I’ll get it right
With no regret, no guilt or shame this time
No not this time

Once I surrender, I won’t dare look back
‘Cause if I do, I’ll get off track
Move ahead in faith, and patiently await your answer
What will it be?

Sight beyond what I see
You know what’s best for me
Prepare my mind, prepare my heart
For whatever comes, I’m gon’ be ready
Strength to pass any test
I feel like I’m so blessed
With you in control, I can’t go wrong
‘Cause I always know, I’m gonna be ready…

Source: Musixmatch

“I’m Gonna Be Ready,” by Yolanda Adams

Y’all, God has been so good to me. I’m so thankful for sooooo many chances to get this thing called life right. I’m finally at the stage in life where I’m moving without regret, guilt, or shame—all three!

I’m so looking forward to where this next stage of my life will take me now that I’m truly committed to taking care of myself first. I know I’ve been stressing this a lot lately, and I wish that I could fully explain what this means to me. Maybe one day I’ll be able to find the words. Just know that I’ve reached another level of freedom that I never imagined possible.

Feeling grateful and blessed.

This is all for now. Remember to take care of yourself, because when it’s all said and done, besides God, you’re truly all you’ve got! Others can only do so much. The rest is on you.

Have a wonderful day!♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

empowerment

My Journey With God, No. 151

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

I couldn’t help but smile when I saw the past post below. It’s a reminder to LIVE!

As I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve always had to make an effort to put myself first. It never came naturally. One call, one sound, or one look of despair, and I’d drop everything to tend to someone else’s needs. But not anymore. I believe that last conversation with my daughter finally got my attention. She told me that I needed to focus on me, and only me. She was right. My mom’s gone; she and my son are grown; my dad and stepmom have each other; my siblings have their spouses and family; it’s just me! For the first time in my life, I’m solo.

Here’s the post I shared three years ago, when I was a new 50 year old.

Girl… This Message Is For You! written on October 6, 2023

You better live! Life isn’t slowing down or waiting for you to catch up. Stop putting everyone else first like they’re more important than you. Listen… and hear me good… No one is more important or more valuable than you are. No one! You’re not being selfish, self-centered or inconsiderate. Nah… You’re just recognizing your worth. Now it’s time you start living in it. Love you!♥️ ~Shaun

So far, it’s been a week since I made a conscious effort to prioritize myself and my needs. Seeing this message today confirms and encourages me to keep moving in this direction. Not sure where it’s leading me; however, I’m looking forward to meeting the woman I’m becoming. The woman God predestined me to be.

Shaun, I got you girl!😘

Just a little self-love this morning. Smile

This message is also your reminder that you matter and must take care of yourself first. Take care of YOU before you pour into others.

I pray you have a wonderful day.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

hope, trust God

Seven Years Later

Shaun Bradford

Hello and Happy Monday!☀️

For a few days now, I’ve been dreading this day because I didn’t know how my emotions would be when I woke up. Would I be sad? Would I grieve? Would it just be another day? Well, today I woke up feeling neither sad nor grieving. However, after scrolling through my Facebook memories, I decided to share my experience from seven years ago.

On October 5, 2019, my brother celebrated his 46th birthday. Several days later, he was admitted to ICU, and about a week or so after that, he was gone.

While checking my Facebook memories to see if I had made a birthday post on that day, I saw the post below and decided to share it. Y’all, this particular post drove my anxiety level through the roof! I logged off social media afterward because I was so overwhelmed. You know how you can feel something is about to happen, but can’t pinpoint what? Well, that’s where I was. The caption in the post kind of explains what I was experiencing.

October 5, 2019

The confusion and tears were so real.😔

Here’s what I shared in my journal entry on the same day:

Oh, today and sometime last week, the “Everything happens for a reason” popped up on social media. When I mentioned it today, I only referred to this particular time period. About an hour ago, I remembered that this year started off with the song by Zhane, “Reasons.” For about a month, it was my theme song. I couldn’t get it out of my head. Now, here I am, close to the end of 2019, and I’m hearing it again. God is working.

In the post, I used the hashtag #GodIsWorking, and as you can see, I ended my journal entry with “God is working.” Even though I was experiencing anxiety like crazy, I still believed that everything that was happening—and, unbeknownst to me, would later happen—was still under God’s control. I trusted whatever God was doing.

Now, here I am seven years later…

A lot has happened in seven years. Y’all, I’m sooooo glad I stopped hearing Zhané’s song “For A Reason.” Talk about traumatized every time I heard it after my brother’s death.

Oh, and I had forgotten to mention that my mom (not my brother’s mom) was admitted to the hospital the day before. What a crazy time that was!

My thoughts are still the same today as they were back then— “Rest assured, God’s got you [us]. He already has everything worked out. Just trust Him.”

The other hashtag I must mention before I end is the last one in my post— “Your purpose is too great to give up.” Whew! Talk about powerful! I had no idea what was coming. I’m so grateful I didn’t give up!

Today’s going to be a beautiful day because God is in it and still in control. Despite everything that happened seven years ago, I still trust God and His plan.

I pray you have a wonderful day and week. May both be filled with love, joy, and peace.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

empowerment

Hello Sunday (296)

Shaun Bradford

Happy Sunday☀️

Facebook Memory: October 4, 2022

Where you begin rarely looks like what you envisioned. Give yourself space, time and grace to grow. Don’t give up. You’ll get there!♥️ 

Recently, I decided to prioritize myself and my needs first. In doing so, one of my goals is to get 5-6 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Right now, it’s about 3-4 hours. When I wake up, I usually stay awake for 1-2 hours before falling back asleep. Then, I only sleep for another 30 minutes to an hour.

Y’all, this new self-focused version of me is something I must be intentional about working on because it’s definitely not something that is happening naturally.

Yes, growth is a process.

This is all for now. I pray you have a wonderful weekend. May it be filled with lots of love, laughter, peace, and joy.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

Life

Hands Off The Brakes, Part 2

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

I’m just going to jump right into this ramble. I have a lot to unpack. Today, I’m more focused on the release than the structure of how it flows. Please bear with me.

First, when I saw Tyler Perry’s post about this being one of his most powerful films, I already knew it was going to be deep. So I intentionally waited until the end of the day to watch it. I needed to be able to sit in whatever he was bringing. Yeah… he can get deep like that.

Anyhoo… yesterday was already emotional for me. I saw that a magazine article I interviewed for had been published. According to the date, it was actually published two days earlier, but I had just received the link. I had so many mixed emotions about the article. I second-guessed everything I had said. I kept thinking, maybe I had overshared or didn’t share enough. But the biggest thing was what my siblings would think about what I shared. It was nothing bad, just my take on our reality growing up. I wish that I could’ve shone a better light on my mom in the article. It doesn’t mention that she graduated early from high school and went to college. It doesn’t mention her surviving abuse and paving the way for me and my siblings to have better lives than she did. There was so much I wish I’d mentioned, but didn’t. So yesterday, when I received the link to the article, I hesitated to share it with them. I shared it with my daughter first, and she said it was a great article. She couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to share it. But I know my siblings…

I finally got the courage to share it with them and let them know I was going to post it on Facebook. It was my homage to my mom. The sacrifices she made were so that we could be who we are. So that I could be who I am. Here’s the link to the article if you’d like to read it— Conversations with LaShaundrea Bradford

Back to Tyler Perry’s movie, Doing Life, without giving too much away. The story isn’t only a love story but also centers around a sick mother and her three adult daughters and their dynamics. Unlike the mom in the movie, my mother was never harsh or cold. Now, she wasn’t the hugging type and did yell a lot, but she never cussed at us or called us out of our name. Not even when she was frustrated with us and in pain. In all honesty, she was a people pleaser, and she got her heart broken so many times, but it never stopped her from doing for others or giving. That was my mom.

So when I said I was feeling so many mixed emotions, that’s what I meant. The next is about the main storyline itself. I ended my last post with, “Every woman deserves a Carousel.” Well, Carousel was the main male character, and Anika was his love and one of the sick mother’s daughters. Again, not going to give anything about the movie away. I just loved the way Carousel cared for Anika. He kept telling her that he had her, and y’all, he did!

I don’t know about you, but that’s what I’ve always longed for in a relationship. For a man to have my back. For him to be someone I can truly count on. Not someone who talks the talk but can’t walk the walk. Carousel was that man. Whatever he said, he backed it up with action! Now, I know this was just a fictional story, but I truly believe men like Carousel exist. I always have. Hence the reason I want to get married again. I want my Carousel!😂 So, yeah, that was the other part of my mixed emotions.

Y’all, life is something else! It definitely be lifeing. You never know what people are going through unless they decide to share. Like I just did. Smile

Welcome to my world!

This is all for now. It’s Self-Love Saturday. Be sure to do something extra special for yourself. You deserve it!♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration

Ummm… why didn’t nobody mention that I was misspelling BRAKES!!! I just caught this!🥴

empowerment, Life

God Placed Me Where I Could Grow

Shaun Bradford

Happy Friday!☀️

Wasn’t it just Monday?! Smile

Since it’s Friday, here are two flashbacks from this day six years ago. Both resonated with me this morning.

October 2, 2026 – Facebook Memories

God placed me where He could grow me.

I feel this.

I understand this.

Fannie Lou Hamer—an American icon and leader from the Mississippi Delta. (She was born and lived not even an hour from where I was born.)

Mrs. Hamer’s statement reflects where I currently am in life.

“When I liberate myself, I liberate others.”

Even though this week has been all about me, I know this journey isn’t only about me. I’ve spent most of my life putting everyone’s needs before my own. Not intentionally. It just happened that way. However, this week, I realized I could no longer effectively help anyone until I helped myself first—until I liberated myself.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Mrs. Hamer had breast cancer when she died. She suffered in silence while putting others’ needs before her own. Let that sink in…🩷🕊️

If you’d like to read more about Fannie Lou Hamer and her work as a Civil Rights grassroots leader, here’s a good source from Women’s History.org: Fannie Lou Hamer.

Yes, I was placed here to grow.🪴

This is all I have for now. I pray you have a beautifully blessed day.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

By the way… Tyler Perry’s latest movie, Doing Life, is streaming on Netflix. He said it’s his most powerful movie yet. So y’all already know I can’t wait to see it!😁

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.