Tag: gratitude

Life

Celebrating Year 50: Month 4

Shaun Bradford

Happy Birthday to me, again!! Just kidding. I am four months on this side of 50 and although this celebratory journey hasn’t been glamorous, it has been exactly what I have needed. Everyone who knows me knows I like watching God work. Well, I am doing just that. I now have a front row seat watching Him work in my life. You would think I would have been seated here all along, but nooo… I have been seated several rows back… in my own life. Shaking my head. Well, I am now front row at an exclusively, private screening of my own show, It’s Shaun’s World. Yes, I am finally here! Woohoo! And this time I am the main character. Can’t believe it has taken me this long to get here. Well, I did have to take care of my babies; however, I should have also been taking care of myself as well. Hindsight is 20/20, right?

Anyway, over the last four months, as with any good show, I have celebrated, cried, laughed, cried, gained a lot of wisdom, and cried even more. When I tell you these last four months have been intense—almost like a boot camp. As a result, I am stronger, wiser and more focused than ever.

Seriously, God’s been working on me. There were so many areas of my life that I thought I was doing well in only to find out I needed a lot more work. Here’s a quote taken from my Hello Sunday written two years ago.

“I believe God reveals things in stages. He reveals them when He knows we are equipped and ready to move to the next level. Whether we view the revelations as disappointments or blessings, every reveal or “aha” is always on time.”

I was so right. Every revelation has been right on time. Can’t wait to see where this show goes. I have eight more months left in the first of 50+ seasons. Wherever it goes I know that I will always come out on top. You know why? It’s because God is the writer, producer and director of this show. Plus, he loves me! Laughing

That’s all for now. Thank you for celebrating with me! I have a few Facebook memories to share later.

Take Care!♥️

Shaun

Life

It’s Still Possible

Shaun Bradford

Nine years ago, I had the opportunity to meet someone I had long admired, Dr. David Satcher, former Surgeon General of the United States. I was on cloud nine. At one point in time, I wanted to be the Surgeon General of the United States. Interesting, huh?

With Dr. David Satcher at FNCE in Atlanta, October 2014.

This is why I revisit my Facebook memories every day. They remind me of my goals and dreams and so many wonderful moments. That picture reminds me that any and everything is possible. I can still be who I desire to be and achieve any dream imaginable. During that same week, I met chefs Leah Chase and Marcus Samuelsson.

Y’all, I was so excited to meet Dr. Satcher. I’m pretty sure he thought I was a fan of his because of his looks or something. Nah.. I was a fan of his work. At the time, I saw myself doing the exact same thing or something similar. I was like, if he could do it, then so could I. I just had to touch where I wanted to be. Y’all, I was on my way there! I was so close.

I may not be able to recreate that same atmosphere but I can tap back into that mindset. It’s not gone. It’s still here. I needed to see this today. God is so good. I keep telling y’all He loves me. I know He’s going to make sure I get to where I am going.

On another note, both of my shows are back!! Tyler Perry’s The Oval and Sistas did not disappoint! Tuesday, I did okay. Wednesday… Wednesday, I really wanted to jump back into chat mode but I didn’t. I did good. Someone I met in the We Are Sistas group said they would chat with me after the shows so that’s worked. I’m going to be alright.

Looking forward to seeing where this next half of my life takes me. ONLY expecting, claiming, and accepting great things!

Hello Year50!♥️

Shaun

Life

I’m Blessed

Shaun Bradford

I am so emotional right now. Crying so many happy tears.

Y’all, when I became a mom at 21, I had no idea what life would look like almost 30 years later. I had no idea what kind of mom I would be. I had no idea what kind of child I would raise. All I knew was the kind of mother I aspired to be; however, I didn’t know if I could live up to it.

I was a single mom working mostly 12 hour shifts alternating days and nights, rarely had weekends off and holidays were just another day. I was living in a 700 square foot mobile home and barely making ends meet. At the time, I was living in Florida and my closest family was over 600 miles away. Fortunately, I had my coworkers and a couple of friends I met along the way who I could trust enough to babysit for me. Yeah, that was a big thing for me. I didn’t trust everyone with my baby.

I was this single mom who never missed a day of work, even when my baby was sick. Didn’t want to be viewed as the stereotypical single mother. I had already been called a statistic by one of my superiors. So I tried to be a perfect airman while attempting to be a perfect mom. I had no idea what I was doing. I was just trying to make it.

Now, here we are almost 29 years later and she’s doing the same for me. She’s my biggest supporter. My biggest fan. She’s witnessed all of the good times and all of the bad. Along the way I didn’t know if she would resent me because she didn’t have some of the same opportunities as some of her peers. I just didn’t know.

All I ever wanted was for her and my son to live their lives to the fullest and be kind and compassionate people. Now, don’t get me wrong, they’re outspoken and opinionated (we have great conversations and debates), but they are always respectful.

Y’all, I am still in awe of how God blessed me with these two. It’s been decades and I still look at them with amazement. I cannot believe I am a mother. And I had absolutely no idea that they would love me like they do. As a little girl, I prayed for children who would love me unconditionally (of course I didn’t use that term back then but it’s exactly what I wanted). Honestly, I really didn’t believe it was possible because I had never witnessed that kind of mother/child relationship before. I just knew that was what I wanted. So, while they were growing up, I tried to make sure they knew without a doubt that they were seen, heard, appreciated, and loved. Now they are doing the same for me.

This morning—the reason behind the tears—I received my grades on several assignments from last week, and all had perfect scores. After I texted my two the good news, my daughter sent me money to treat myself to lunch. Y’all, that’s what I used to do for her. Now she’s doing it for me. And that Beyoncé concert! Y’all, I didn’t have to spend a dime. She took care of it all. I know it may not sound like much but it’s everything to me. So thoughtful.

Okay.. enough crying. I have things to do. Just wanted to share my blessing with you.

My baby girl. My princess.♥️

Life

Remember the Good Times

Shaun Bradford

Remember how life used to be before it became so complexed and complicated.

When your smiles and laughter were purely genuine.

When your dreams and aspirations were just pieces of your imagination.

When sitting on the front porch people watching was your favorite pastime.

When the smell of fresh rain made you smile and thunderstorms put you to sleep.

Remember…

When love was free.

When no one had hidden agendas.

When a person’s word was their bond.

When sharing your life on social media was nonexistent.

Remember…

When life was so simple.

You know…

When you were free to BE.

Remember those times, places and spaces. They are reminders that life is so worth living.♥️

Keep those memories near and revisit them often.

Love you!

Shaun

Life

Put God First and Keep Him First

Shaun Bradford

On October 12, 2022, I began dedicating the first 30-45 minutes of my day to God. As soon as I opened my eyes, I would express my gratitude for life, love, peace and grace. Then, I would recite a few personal prayers I had written down. Lastly, I would listen to or read something inspirational. This had/has been my daily routine for a year. At least, that was my intention.

Well, over time I noticed that the time I spent with God slowly decreased. I found myself making compromises by spreading parts of my morning routine throughout my day. However, I was already doing this—watching inspirational videos and praying throughout the day—so it wasn’t like I was adding more to it. You see how I tried to justify my actions for taking away that first 30-45 minutes? Funny, but definitely not funny. That time I had dedicated to God was and is so important.

It wasn’t until a couple of hour ago that I realized that I had skipped that time all together. I said a few words of gratitude when I woke up, but that was it. I felt terrible when I finally realized what I had done. This didn’t happen all of a sudden. As I mentioned earlier, it happened over time. Every time I decided something was a little more important or I could just do it another time, the less time I actually spent with God.

After realizing what I had done this morning, I immediately stopped what I was doing and acknowledged Him.

Question: Have you ever found yourself too busy to spend quality time with God? Be honest.

Y’all, I just had an “Aha” moment. Quality time… Not just any old time, but quality time. Yesterday, I wrote that quality time was my primary love language, yet I have not been spending quality time with God. What was supposed to be quality had become a true routine, almost task like.

It’s time that I get back on track. I cannot afford to lose this relationship I have built with God. It’s too important. If you have found yourself putting your relationship with God second, third or last, I encourage and challenge you to change that immediately. Your relationship with God is vital!

Love you!♥️

Shaun

Life

All Things New… Again

Shaun Bradford

Hello. Hello. Hello!!!

Praying you had an amazing week. As you know, mine was pretty awesome! Anyhoo… it’s back to reality and the rest of these assignments that are due this weekend. Ugh!! Gotta love life.

Here’s a Facebook memory from last year, September 29, 2022:

God will make ALL things new.♥️

Loving and living in all things new. Loving this space I’m in. Smiling.

That’s it! Wishing you a fabulous weekend. Love you!♥️

Shaun

Life

Grateful

Shaun Bradford

Woke up singing “Grateful” by Hezekiah Walker. It’s one of the songs on my favorite playlist. The song says—

I am grateful for the things that you have done
Yes, I'm grateful for the victories we've won
I could go on and on and on about your works
Because I'm grateful, grateful, so grateful just to praise you Lord
Flowing from my heart are the issues of my heart, it's gratefulness

Thanking God for life.♥️

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford

Today makes 50 years 3 months! Yay!!!

Unlike the first two months, this month has not been as revelatory as the first two. I am not going to lie, I felt like I was being ripped apart those first two months. God would reveal areas where I needed to make changes in order to grow and I actually made them. I did not make excuses like I had many times before. No, this time I followed through. And y’all, I am so glad I did. I had no idea how much anxiety and stress was associated with how I had been operating. Now I feel like I am in a better place; a healthier place.

I also started back going to school. It’s a whole other kind of stressor, but I will make it. I am still trying to find a balance between it and life. I do not want to get burned out, nor do I want to be so stressed that I risk my health for a degree. Unlike many of my family members and several of my friends, I have made it to my 50s without hypertension or diabetes and my goal is to keep it this way. So be it if it takes me longer to achieve my goals. Health is truly wealth. I refuse to allow stress to take it.

On a more positive note…

One of my babies is 20 today!!! He stopped by last night after work. Only got to see him for a few minutes before he headed to the dorms, but those few minutes were worth it. I love my baby. Can’t wait to spend the day with him. At least I hope we’re spending the day together. He might have other plans.

Okay… that was about the birthday boy. Now about my princess!

She’s getting married!!!!

Been wanting to write about her engagement since it happened two days ago but had to wait for them to announce it. I cried and screamed—screamed and cried—not screaming now, but I am crying. It was so beautiful. She was absolutely clueless. I had known for months. Keeping it a secret while trying to feel her out about how she truly felt about marriage was one of the hardest things to do. Making sure she didn’t see any of her fiancé’s texts coming through while we were together was also challenging. But now it’s over. She had talked him into going on an adult Disney trip for his birthday. (Before he had always gone with family and never got the full experience.) Little did she know his birthday trip was actually for her. Yes… I am still crying. She deserves the best and I absolutely believe he is it.

They officially met the first day they moved into the dorms in 2013. His cousin was my daughter’s roommate. Just like in the movie Brown Sugar, the bonded over music and have been together ever since. Now they’re literally making music together. He’s her producer. I’m so happy for them and excited to be by her side as she enters another phase of life. She’ll be his wife, but always and forever my baby.

Side note: When I tell you music is powerful! Y’all, it is definitely another love language. Listen, make me a good playlist and I am hooked for life. For real! Laughing. There is just something about music, good music, that takes me to another place. Hence the reason I always have some song playing in my head. It’s like my thoughts come with background music. Crazy, huh?

Anyhoo… cheers to three months on this side of 50. Looking forward to the years to come. I wonder what month #4 will look like. For starters, I am going to see Beyoncé Wednesday!!! If I have nothing else to report about month 4, I can say I attended the Renaissance World Tour! Smiling.

Wishing you an amazingly blessed week. Love you!♥️

Shaun

He was always so dramatic.
The couple!♥️♥️
Life

My Prayer for You

Shaun Bradford

Facebook Memory: September 22, 2022

My prayer for you today, and always, is that God showers you an abundance of love and blessings.♥️

Wishing you nothing but blessings.

Shaun