Tag: grateful

Life

Hello Sunday!

Shaun Bradford

A little late with writing today, but all is well. I actually slept a good 6-7 hours. Which has not happened in ages. Guess I wore myself out cleaning out storage bins. Y’all, I am an organized mess. Lol! The bins look nice and neat until you lift the lids. They are filled with items from my military career, undergrad and grad school, bills, letters, pictures, magazines, books, movies, etc. When I say I keep everything, I keep EVERYTHING! Ugh!! I rarely throw anything away. Which is funny because I found a letter from one of my sisters that was written in 2001. She sent me a picture of my nephew and wrote, “I’m sending this to you because you keep everything.” Wow! That’s what I do.

I guess I should attempt to explain why I hold on to so many things. First of all, I shouldn’t refer to all of the items as “things,” but memorabilia. The majority of the items I don’t believe I’ll ever throw away. I have letters from friends and family dating back to 1980s. Last night I found cards my granddaddy sent me for holidays and birthdays. Something I will always cherish. These came from someone who spent his entire life trying to live up to his reputation of being this hard, cold individual. But later in life he would call just to say hello and tell me he loved me, and he would send cards. Then there’s my military memorabilia. I have uniforms, orders from different assignments, awards, evaluations. You name it, I probably have it. Will I part with them? Probably not. As I mentioned, I have work from undergraduate and graduate school. I worked too hard on some of those projects, I just can’t throw them away. My magazines! My magazines date back to the 90s. I have Jet, Essence, Ebony, Sister-2-Sister, Time, Legacy, Sports Illustrated, Beckett Sports, and a few others. I have local magazines. Newspaper articles of events or people I know. Honestly, I do not know what I’m going to do with all of these things. I told my kids that when I buy my forever home, I am going to have a room where I can display everything. I can see myself walking through the room with my grands (children, nieces, and nephews) telling them stories about all of the items. To me, that’s heaven.

Okay, as usual, I got a little off track. I also have pictures.. tons of pictures! I took pictures of everything!! I have pictures from high school. Pictures from basic training. Y’all, I was in there just snapping away. Lol. I have soooo many pictures. Right now I have over 17,000 images stored between my phone and cloud. I just can’t seem to bring myself to delete many of them. They are so much more than pictures. They’re memories! They represent times, places, and feelings. As a child, whenever I would visit family, all I wanted to do was look at old pictures and ask questions- “Who’s this?” “Where was this taken?” Those questions usually led to great stories. Now I have my own stories.

Anyhoo.. as you can see this Hello Sunday is very random. Just felt like sharing. I’m going to glance over it to make sure it somewhat makes sense, but I’m not going to do much editing. This is how I typed out my thoughts so I’m going to leave this as is. Authentically me.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Shaun

Life

Enjoying the Ride

Shaun Bradford

Since I’m awake I might as well write. December 2020 is finally here. Y’all, we made to the end of the year!

A year ago I shared the attached quote on Facebook. The last sentence says, “And even if you lose, you just can’t lose.” Hmm…

Yesterday I was in a mood. A friend and I were texting about how we remember things versus how they actually happened. I told her that my journal entries always set me straight. I recall things one way, then go back and read journal entries from that period. Almost half of the time my recollections are not quite the way I remembered. Sometimes I was hurt far worse than I remembered, or loved much harder than I remembered. After texting her a few examples of what I thought happened versus what really happened, she said, “Don’t you wish you could go back with the knowledge you have now.” Well, that one statement put me in a mood. For hours all I could think about was why didn’t I do this or that. Why did things not happen for me? Y’all, I wasted hours thinking about things that happened over the last 20+ years. Talk about crazy! Unfortunately, I fell asleep feeling a little down. However, I woke up to several encouraging messages to include this memory.

Even though I looked back and thought about how I could have done things differently, it wasn’t meant to be. What was meant to be, is. I wanted more. My vision was higher and still is. I refused to settle. So yes, I suffered heartbreaks and what seemed like failures, but my story is not over. I only have one life and I refuse to settle for less than God’s absolute best. So am I losing? Nah.. I’m winning!

God is good. Enjoying the ride!

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford
God is working.

Last week I wrote a blog for my other site, A Research Diva’s Journey (see blog below). Y’all, my heart was so full. Tearing up just thinking about what transpired. I say this all of the time, and I truly mean it, money and things don’t bring me joy, experiences and seeing others excel does it for me. Those are the things that make my heart smile and show me that any– and everything is possible!

This particular blog is about President-Elect Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. No, she’s not the first African American who’s held this position, nor is she the first African American female. However, she is the first to make me feel like my journey to the United Nations is actually tangible. She’s a southern girl (woman) born right next door in Louisiana. In her TEDx she mentioned her parents. They reminded me of my great-great grands who encouraged us to get a good education because it was an opportunity they were not afforded. As a teenager I wanted to join the Peace Corp. Guess what?! She joined the Foreign Services. Y’all, what really resonated with my soul was her motto to always lead with kindness and compassion. Yes… I’m crying. She is ME!

Below is the beginning of my blog, Limitless Possibilities. If you have time, please read it. Y’all, God is working! Shaun

Yes, I’m still here! Smile. Life is definitely a journey and I am on one. Have you ever wondered why God reveals things in stages? Or why He shows …

Limitless Possibilities
Life

Thanksgiving

Shaun Bradford

Today I am giving thanks for every blessing God has bestowed on me. I’m alive. I’m well. My kids are here with me. My parents, siblings and their families are well. Y’all, I’m blessed.

With that said, I am also thankful for the small blessings I often take for granted like breathing freely. At this moment there are millions suffering from the side effects of COVID-19, one of which is labored breathing. Last week I watched my uncle struggle to breathe while urging us, his family and friends, to take the virus seriously. His Facebook Live from ICU was very emotional and difficult to watch. Watching him weep while telling God why he wasn’t ready to die was heart wrenching. It is not something I ever want to experience, or wish upon anyone else.

Two other things many of us take for granted are shelter and having access to food. How many of you actually wake up thinking I could be homeless right now or wondering how you will feed yourself and/or family? Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousands who woke up last Thanksgiving oblivious of what was to come. Like you and me, they never imagined being homeless or food insecure. However, now they are homeless and have no idea of how they will eat tomorrow or next week. Just imagine being a parent trying to figure out how to provide for your children and you can’t even provide for yourself. Again, it is something I never want to experience. Prayers for those who are.

Y’all, this pandemic has really made me more aware of my blessings. It is so important that we stop and thank God for the blessings we have today because it is not promised that we will have them tomorrow.

Before I end, I would like to say I am thankful for each one of you. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blogs. It is something that I do not take for granted. I really do appreciate you. Wishing you peace and many blessings.

Shaun

Life

Insanity

Shaun Bradford

So the quote goes, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” I would credit the quote to Albert Einstein, but I found out the original quote came from someone else. Who knew?! Anyway, it still defines insanity, especially when you are seeking a better outcome. Now if you’re satisfied with where you are, by all means, continue doing what you have been doing. However, if you desire something different, something better, you have to change what you are doing.

My question to you, which is the same thing I have asked myself, are you tired of doing the same thing over and over again and getting nowhere? Or are you satisfied with where you are? If you are tired or unfulfilled, it’s time to do something different. Even if it means restructuring or rebuilding your life.

Personally, I do not want this year to end like it began. I don’t want to go into 2021 carrying the same old baggage. It’s time to switch things up and to continue switching things up until I get my desired outcome. Then I’ll have to switch it up again. I do not believe things were meant to stay the same. Now that’s insanity!

So, not long before I decided to write this blog, I watched a short clip of an interview motivational speaker Lisa Nichols had with Steve Harvey. In the video, Lisa said:

My biggest accomplishment is being willing to give myself a thousand second chances. And every time I got to 999, I press reset. . . At some point I have to stop asking– Can I be great? Can I be brilliant? Can I be okay and still be accepted? I just stopped asking permission and just gave notice unapologetically. Not in a braggadocious way. Not in a way that shrunk anyone else. In a way that said I only got one life and I’m going to ride this one until the wheels fall off.

Lisa Nichols

Lisa’s right, we only have one life. We owe it to ourselves to stop doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. I don’t know about you, but like Ms. Nichols said, I’m ready to ride this thing called life until the wheels fall off.

Be Blessed!

Shaun

Life

My Mind Needs Rest

Shaun Bradford

I have so much on my mind. Trying not to overthink everything and just go with the flow.

About two months ago, my supervisor decided to step down from a project and make me the project lead. It wasn’t something I expected or wanted, but I’m here still trying to adjust. Since I was already doing most of the work, she said I would be able to handle it. Well, I am, because that’s what I do, handle it. But now I have more responsibilities on top of my other projects. I love multitasking. I tend to thrive on it. However, things have become a little overwhelming.

And then there’s the book anthology. Don’t get me wrong, I am excited about this new venture and telling my story; however, I’m not as excited as the other authors. I keep trying to pump myself up, but it’s not working. I guess you could say I’m not excited about my part in it all. Listen, don’t misunderstand, I’m excited for the other authors, and I love their excitement, but I don’t share their same feelings. Although the book is about being an overcomer, most of the authors are entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs. So they’re super excited about the opportunity to promote their businesses. Which I completely understand because I was there a few years ago. I was just like them, all enthused and ready to make money! Today I’m in a different space. My goals are more service driven than financial. I enjoy hanging out with them because I love hearing about the services they provide. It’s information I am able to share with others.

Just had to throw this in– Y’all, there are some fascinating people in this world who offer amazing services. I’m always in awe of their stories as well as their services. To me it represents God’s manifestations.

With all of that said, I do have my baby, Mississippi Thriving. I’m so happy I created this social media platform. It allows me to share resources and information with other Mississippians. In my mind, I’m bridging gaps by connecting Mississippians to one another as well as resources and services. It’s my way of giving back.

So what am I going to do?

How do I plan to move forward?

I guess, I’ll do what I always do, go with the flow. My projects will be handled, and I will continue to participate in promotional events for the book. Y’all, I’m trying to get used to the interviews. Ugh! At the end of the day I know that I can always find solace in Mississippi Thriving. Grateful.

Why is my alarm about to go off?!! Ugh!! My life…