For several years now, I have shared the same message, “Be still” or “Be still. God is working.” Thought I would continue the tradition and share it again today along with another message I reposted several years ago.
Today, I would like to encourage you, as I encourage myself, to be still and wait on God. Do not move until He gives you His approval. Resist the urge to help. Believe me, He does not need our help to move things along a little faster. Yes, the wait can be long and tedious. I know you are tired, so am I, but as we have witnessed many times before, it’s always best to wait on God. His timing is perfect.
During my birthday month, I usually choose a theme for the way I would like for my year to flow. Here is what I chose and shared last year–
Facebook Memory: June 26, 2022
“Smooth Sailing” is this year’s theme. On June 1st I wrote, “I just want to lay back, relax, create and let the gentle waves take me wherever they please.” Y’all, I’m doing just that. I just love how God loves me! Hello Year49!
Hmm… Smooth Sailing?
As you know, my year was anything but smooth sailing… at least outwardly. However, the calmness and peace I experienced within was indescribable. Year 49 was very eventful and pretty rocky, but God kept my soul and spirit at peace while I learned to relax, create and go with the flow.
This year’s theme is “Present and at peace.” This is how I would like to live out the rest of my life–being present while residing in peace. This past weekend I practiced doing just that. I was intentional about being present in the moments I was in. By doing this, I was able to fully experience everything that was happening around me. Usually, my mind is elsewhere or I am distracted by things going on around me or that daggone social media. When I tell you it felt so good to be truly present.
So yes, this is how I am planning to live from here on out. My goals and dreams are still in tact. However, I’m not going to dwell on my next moves or what’s to come and miss out on current experiences. As I have said many times before, I am going to let God lead. He will make sure I make the right moves to get to where I am meant to be.
Staying present. Thankful for this incredible sense of peace. I am truly blessed.
I am still celebrating today! Actually, I am celebrating all year long, right?! Smile
As I wanted it to be, yesterday was more of a spiritual celebration (not church like spiritual–I was not dancing in the spirit or anything–Lol). It was more of a calm, peaceful acknowledgement of God’s magnificence. Y’all, I did not make it this far on my own, and I wanted Him to know I know I cannot make it these next 50 plus years without Him. So yesterday I honored Him by staying present and taking in every blessing He had already given me, as well as every blessing throughout the day. Y’all, because of this, I was able to fully enjoy my special moments.
Here’s a recap of my day…
First off, I had absolutely nothing planned for my birthday. As I wrote a few weeks ago, all of my planning stopped when Momma got sick last August. Then after she passed, I didn’t really feel like celebrating. I mean, I wanted to celebrate but not really. It’s hard to explain. Anyway, yesterday went the way it was meant to go. Smiling
– Woke up wanting to see the water so I decided I would head somewhere along the coast. I told my kids they could track me through my location. I didn’t know if once I hit the highway I would end up in New Orleans or Destin, Florida. It was going to be a day trip and I was just going to drive.
– Before I left, my son treated me to breakfast at my favorite local brunch spot. My daughter joined us so she could see me before I left. They allowed me to take a picture with them but made me promise not to post it, and I won’t. However, I will share my selfie.
First day of my 50s. Embracing ALL of me! Especially the hair.♥️
– After breakfast–which was more like brunch because of my late start (I wasn’t rushing)–I hit the highway. I headed south on Highway 59 towards New Orleans (the plan was to either head on down to NOLA or hit I-10 and head east to Florida). Well, I didn’t even make it to I-10. Didn’t even make it out of Hattiesburg before deciding to take Hwy 98 to Mobile; and that was the start of my day trip. I would love to say I made it to Florida and spent the day on the beach, but that didn’t happen. Nope. Before making it out of Mobile, I decided to turn around and head back to Mississippi on I-10. Listen, yesterday was all about going with the flow.
– Once I made it to Pascagoula, I called up one of my childhood friends and visited her. Her late sister was one of my best friends who died about 15 years ago from sickle cell complications. A year ago around this time, their younger brother succumbed to his. And the sister that I visited yesterday has been hospitalized a few times over the last year due to her complications. I was supposed to visit her a few months ago, but didn’t make it down. So yesterday I got to spend time with her and my late friends daughter, my goddaughter, who now has a family of her own. It was so nice visiting with them.
– On my way back home, I stopping and ate at Fridays. Hadn’t been to a Fridays since they closed the one in Hattiesburg years ago. The food was okay; however, cucumber and tomato salad was delicious! I love a good cucumber and tomato salad so I was in heaven.
Delicious salad!
– My next stop was Painting With A Twist. So the reason I turned around in Mobile was because I remembered I had signed up for a painting class that started at 7 PM. I got there minutes before the class started.
Planning to do this more often.
– When I got home, I was greeted with the sounds of Beyoncé singing Church Girl–HA! Don’t judge me, that’s my song! Opened my bedroom door and balloons were everywhere!! Y’all, I screamed and cried. Crying now. I wasn’t expecting anything. Last year my Apple Watch had stopped working. Y’all, I loved my watch. Had had it for years. Then it stopped pairing with my phone. Well, on my bed was this rectangular box. Y’all, I kept screaming, “I know this ain’t what I think it is?!!” And it was. THEN… I went to the bathroom and on my counter was a FENTY box. I screamed again because I had been talking about getting that red FENTY lipstick. My sister had just bought some and FaceTimed me just to show me how gorgeous she looked with it on. I just had to get it and there it was.
It’s not the things that made me happy but my daughter’s thoughtfulness. It feels so good to be loved and seen.♥️
So that was my birthday day. About to head to the coast again. This time to actually see the water.
During yesterday’s undirected trip, I listened to several random podcasts and messages. One after another, the messages hit on areas where I need growth. I needed that uninterrupted time alone. I have work to do. I have a God given purpose to fulfill and I aim to make God proud.
I pray you have a wonderfully blessed day. About to celebrate Day 2 of this Jubilee Year! I will end with this, which is the message God gave me–Stay present and you will stay in peace. He advised me to enjoy and take in all of the goodness surrounding me presently, and He will take care of the rest. And after what I experienced yesterday, I am planning to do just that.
Hey Y’all! I have finally made it to the last day of my 40s!! When I tell you this past decade has been the MOST EVENTFUL decade of my life. Listen, I could produce three or four movies from this decade alone.
Here’s what I have learned–ALWAYS TRUST GOD. That’s it! Trust God! Trust Him and allow Him to lead. When He says, “Let go,” let go! Release it. When He says, “Be still!” You need to be still. Sit down somewhere. When He says, “I got you!” You best believe He’s got you!! Baby, He will move mountains for you!!! Y’all, I could not have made it without Him. Not at all.
I’m not sure where this next decade or 50+ years will take me. Only God knows. I will say I am more prepared and better equipped to face whatever comes next–good or bad–because God has the reins. I will continue to allow Him to lead, and do whatever He asks of me. Other than that, I am looking forward to more experiences that make me smile and feel all loved. Yeah… that’s one of the benefits of allowing Him to lead.
Y’all, God is soooo good. I am definitely blessed. So long 40s!
Everything that has happened throughout your lifetime–the good and bad, the wins and losses–has prepared you for this specific time and space. Do not second guess your worthiness. You were chosen for this.♥️
Handpicked by God to fulfill His purpose, a purpose that only YOU can fulfill.
I shared this last year and it is just as relevant today.
“Focus on what’s ahead, not what was left behind. Believe me, God has so much more planned for your future. Trust Him.” – Moi, June 20, 2022
Do not look back. God has something greater planned.
Not sure why, but I woke up feeling somewhat anxious and in a panic. I cannot remember if I had a bad dream or what. Maybe it had something to do with me falling asleep with a lot on my mind… other people’s problems, to be exact. Thankfully, the feeling is passing.
Lately, I have come across so many people in pain, mentally and emotionally. The weirdest part is the people who are hurting and finally being very transparent about their pain–or forced to be transparent because all of their dirty laundry is on public display–are the so called rich or wealthy. It is so heartbreaking. Money can buy experiences and lots of things, but it cannot buy the things people truly need most–unconditional love and peace. No amount of signed NDAs or gag orders will ever give them the peace they seek.
Sadly, many of these people have built entire personas to mask their real lives. They look fabulous and perform well; however, they are absolutely a mess underneath. With time, that mask eventually falls revealing everything they tried to hide.
Y’all, people are really hurting. And I am not only talking about celebrities. I’m talking about entrepreneurs, influencers and self-made millionaires. They appear to have it all because they are finally able to do all of the things they dreamed, yet they are still mentally and emotionally unwell. My heart truly weeps for them. My question is, where is their support system? Have they been pushed away? Have they been replaced with an online audience or followers?
Okay… I’m done. Maybe this is another layer of baggage that I need to shed, internalizing others’ problems. Their problems are not mine to solve or deal with. Going forward I must remind myself that I cannot save or heal the world, that is God’s job. My job is to show love and kindness, and keep them in my prayers.
Now that I have released their problems, let me go back to sleep. I pray you have a blessed day.
Choose kindness, even when handling yourself. Always, always, always be kind.♥️ ~Shaun
You deserve kindness too.
So let’s talk about yesterday. Yesterday I found myself dealing with an issue I thought I had mastered– loving and accepting ALL of me.
Yesterday, I allow someone’s words, spoken with good intentions, make me feel like the weird little girl who always spoke before she thought. Yes, that was me. Whatever I thought came out, and always at the oddest moments, especially when I was excited.
Well, it still happens today. My siblings and kids are always reminding me that I sometimes say weird or unfiltered things. The crazy thing is I have absolutely no idea when I’ve said something wrong or weird until it’s pointed out. So now, I always try to think before I respond, especially when I am excited.
Let’s just say, yesterday was one of those days. I was happy and excited and I retweeted a tweet without knowing if the information was factual. Then someone saw it and asked me if I was going to delete it. Y’all, they didn’t know about the blog I had written about it or my fangirl behavior. I’m laughing now, but yesterday, I was a mess. I allowed that person’s comment to make me feel like that weird little girl again. So I unpublished the blog; however, I did not delete the tweet. It wasn’t like I was the only one who had tweeted it.
Anyhoo… yesterday I wrote another blog after I unpublished the original one and I ended it with this–
I went from being happy to feeling weird. This is definitely something I need to work through. Living a life where you feel you can’t fully express yourself isn’t really living, is it?
Less than two weeks to 50. Will I live my life out loud or continue to box myself in because the real Shaun is too much for most?
Not even two hours later I republished my original blog with the caption – “DECIDED TO LIVE!!” I realized that that weird little girl feeling I had was something I had placed on myself. I created the “weird girl” box ages ago and was about to retreat back into it. As I say so very often, I am so grateful God loves me and will not allow me to stay down. After thinking about how I allowed one comment to take me back to a place I thought I had passed, I decided I had a choice, I could keep carrying that box around or destroy it. I decided to destroy it!
I told y’all I’m dropping baggage before I head into this next half of my life. Either I’m going to embrace ALL of me or stay bound. Y’all, I am choosing ALL of me!
Ten more days! Only God knows what other baggage is still left to be released or destroyed. One thing I can say for sure is He’s bringing all of it to the forefront saying you either release it or remain where you are. So, yeah, the ball is definitely in my court.
Okay… I did not intend for this blog to be this long.
Message – Remember to be kind to yourself and embrace ALL of you!
Crazy faith flourishes in the atmosphere of belief. – Pastor Mike Todd
Shaun’s Journal Entry, June 13, 2022
I ended the entry with a screenshot of a post I had shared earlier that year. I won’t share the screenshot, but I will share the message that was attached to it.
Ask, then believe.
Listen, ask for what you desire, then believe it will happen.♥️
It’s Shaun’s World 
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