My life. My world. Love, hope, peace, joy & happiness.
Remember your “Why” and your purpose, and never stop pursuing them. You have the Greatest of greats—the Almighty God—backing you, AND YOU are His child. Don’t let anything stop you, not even you. Smile
Keep going!♥️
Love you,
Shaun
While looking through an old notebook that I was using as a journal and as a study guide (not sure why I was using one notebook for both😩), I found a letter I had written but never sent to my sister. Here’s a snippet of what I wrote.
30 January 1993
At the time, I was 19 years old and stationed at Ramstein AB, Germany. Y’all, I was just a baby. However, even back then, I made note of gems that I still live by today:
As I mentioned in the letter, I was where I had always dreamed of being, but I wasn’t doing anything with the opportunity I had been given. Looking back, I realize no one in my circle had the same or similar goals or dreams. So, instead of venturing out and doing my own thing, I adapted to their world. From what I had written—“I don’t have any goals anymore.”—I believe I had lost hope.
How sad…
But very eye opening.
It’s so important that we surround ourselves with like-minded people or our dreams and aspirations will suffer. Or…we must be strong enough to venture out and do our own thing to keep our dreams alive.
Life is interesting and God is good.
Forever grateful for His wisdom and love.♥️
Shaun
Good Morning!☀️
Can you believe we’ve already reached the end of 2024?! This year flew by, but by the grace of God, we’re still here! Hallelujah, we are still here.🙏🏽
On December 29, 2021, I shared—
“Your next chapter will be AMAZING! Receive it. Speak it – “My next chapter will be AMAZING!” Own it!”
I’m smiling because I spoke it, received it, and now I’m owning it. I’m not sure when I stopped viewing my life as chapters in a book. Maybe it was during or after the COVID pandemic, or maybe it was last year, my Year 50. All I know is I haven’t thought about another chapter or looked forward to something AMAZING in years. I don’t have to because I’m already living in it. My life is already AMAZING—it just keeps getting better!
Y’all, I am absolutely loving this side of 50! Thank You, Lord, for making this side different and better than I ever imagined.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with viewing your life in the context of chapters. As you can see, I also did. However, I’ve reached a point where I try to find the AMAZING in everyday moments instead of waiting for it to miraculously show up in the future. Life is just too precious and short to keep waiting for something amazing to happen when it’s already happening now. Just look around and you’ll see it. Then, once you see it, receive it and own it. It’s yours!
That’s all I have for you now. Wishing you an AMAZING, relaxing Sunday.♥️
Love you,
Shaun
Yes, it’s after 3:00 AM and I’m awake. My new sleep schedule is a work in progress. Plus, it’s the weekend! Smile
Anyway, “trust” is on my mind. I was thinking about how I’ve had my guard up most of my life because life experiences have taught me not to trust too easily. There were times when I let my guard down for people I believed I could trust, only to be disappointed and heartbroken later. What hurt even worse was finding out they never had my best interest at heart. They were always out for themselves.
Well, God has been working on me in this area. His message has been constant—trust Him. Trust Him to bring people into my life who I can trust. This also means trusting Him when He says and shows me that someone doesn’t mean me well and must go.
So, I’m going to do something new. I’m going to lower my guard and trust God to bring people into my life who I can trust. If He says I can trust them, then I can trust them.♥️ ~Shaun
Listen, when I released the limits I had placed on myself by only posting at scheduled times and limiting the number of posts I shared, I had no idea how freeing it would be. Y’all, I feel like a genie without a bottle. Who knew I could post whenever I wanted to?! Smile. Oh, the limits we place on ourselves….
Anyhoo…
Here’s the second part of my message about obedience. It’s not the size of the ask that’s important, nor is it about the task. The importance lies in the act of being obedient.
You see, before I wrote my previous post about obedience, I was tasked with doing something simple but kept delaying it because I didn’t think it was important. Well, after only completing part of the task, I heard that still small voice say that I keep thinking my next is tied to something big or what I consider significant, but in reality, it’s tied to my obedience. Say, what?!!
Y’all, it’s never about the ask or the task but about our obedience.
So, be obedient. You don’t have to understand what God is asking you to do; just do it.♥️
Love you,
Shaun
Here are two posts I made on this day about love.
The first is a caption I added when I reshared the original post.
December 27, 2023
The original post.
December 27, 2021
Remember, love doesn’t hurt. It’s the craziness surrounding love that causes the pain.
Love and be loved.♥️
Love you,
Shaun
Lord, please direct and guide my footsteps so they remain pointed toward You and Your purpose. I never want to move without Your guidance. Everything I touch and do must lead back to You. For I know, my existence is for Your praise and glory.♥️ ~Shaun
Good Morning!☀️
Be still and watch God work.
Praying you had a wonderful Christmas, and that the rest of your holiday season be filled with love, laughter, peace, blessings, and joy.♥️
Love you,
Shaun
Good Morning!☀️
For several years now (since December 24, 2018), I have shared the same quote from Michelle Obama’s book “Becoming”–
“Am I good enough? Yes, in fact I am.”
For years, I questioned my worth. Seeing Michelle Obama (who’s #4 on my infamous list of people to meet) mention it in her book gave me hope. If she also questioned her worth at times and still surpassed her wildest dreams, then I could, too.
In 2018, I began a doctoral program to earn my DrPH (Doctor of Public Health) degree. I decided to pursue this degree after experiencing one of my most crushing moments professionally. Before then, I was always on top of my game. Personally, my life was in the pits, but professionally, it was taking off. Y’all, I was “The Research Diva!” I was so confident and sure of myself and where my career was going. Other professionals and organizations had begun contacting me because of my experience and expertise. However, I hadn’t accounted for some only reaching out because of the fact that I was Black. Once I realized I was only being used because of the color of my skin and my ability to reach populations some couldn’t, I was crushed.
After this realization, every project I was asked to work on, I questioned why I was asked. Was it because of the color of my skin? Did they truly recognize my worth? That’s when I felt if I had my doctorate, my race wouldn’t matter. But I already knew the answer to that, too.
So, for six years, I pursued the DrPH degree. I started strong, but then life happened…COVID happened…then life again. Last year, when I shared her quote, I had just finished another semester of the program, and I had a decision to make—spend more money working towards a degree that I was only pursuing to be deemed worthy or to withdraw. In May of this year, I finally withdrew from the program. Part of me felt like a failure because I couldn’t push past the fact that I was only doing it to prove my worth. Like girl, still get the degree! Then, the other half felt relieved because I could finally focus on the things I wanted to pursue, my real goals and dreams. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be referred to as Dr. LaShaundrea B.; however, I know I am worth more than a title and credentials.
Soooo…
Am I good enough?
Baby, YES! I’m more than good enough!
I now realize I needed to go through all of that craziness to get to where I am today. I can see where my ego and pride could’ve eventually been my downfall and at a higher level. Life is truly a journey.
Well, that’s all I have at the moment. Listen, if you are currently questioning if you are good enough, this is assurance that you are. You are more than good enough. You’re the best!♥️
Love you,
Shaun
This morning, I’m singing Hezekiah Walker’s song “Grateful.” 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.”
God is so good. So very good. I’m so grateful to be in His presence. I am so grateful for His love. I am truly blessed.♥️ ~Shaun
It’s Shaun’s World 
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