Tag: happiness

Life

Only Two Weeks Left in 2023

Shaun Bradford

Y’all, we are only two weeks away from the glorious 2024! Yes, I am referring to it as glorious because 6/24 is my birthday month as well as my 51st birthday. How cool is that! Looking forward to every wonderful thing God has planned for me. It’s going to be a great year!

Here’s a caption from one of last year’s Facebook memories along with the Hello Sunday post I shared with it.

Facebook Memory: December 18, 2022

Only 2 weeks left in 2022!🎉

Whatever happened or didn’t happen this year, was meant to be. If you’re human like me, I know you celebrated your wins, even the small ones. But your losses, disappointments and setbacks… How did you cope – or attempt to cope – when things didn’t quite go as planned?

Me– I leaned on God a little more. I’m so grateful for His love, mercy and grace.♥️

Hello Sunday
There is nothing comparable to God’s love, mercy, and grace. He’s so amazing.

Y’all, self-love is everything, but God’s love will always, always, always reign supreme. I just love the way He loves me. If you do not already have a strong relationship with God, I suggest you build one. There is absolutely nothing like it—nothing like it! I cannot stress it enough, I am truly blessed.

Praying you have a peacefully, blessed week. Whatever goals you set for 2023 can still happen! Don’t let the countdown to the new year stop you from achieving as much as you can. You got this!

Love you!♥️

Shaun

Life

Hurt People Hurt People

Shaun Bradford

Decided to include two Facebook memories in this morning’s post. Even though one is about healing from hurt and the other about love, I believe they were meant to be shared together.

Facebook Memory: December 16, 2018

Today’s message: “Hearing When You’re Hurting.” Bishop T.D. Jakes

Sometimes emotional pain is worse than physical pain, and it’s harder to heal. So many people are in pain. Some of it stems from years of hurt. But God is a healer. Amen

Facebook Memory: December 16, 2022

Love is patient.
Love is kind.
Love is understanding.
Love ALWAYS wins.♥️

As I mentioned earlier, I thought the two memories should be shared together. Have you ever heard the phrase, “hurt people hurt people”? Well, I never bought into the idea until recently. I used to believe that the phrase only referred to people who intentionally hurt others. You know, the vindictive ones. I never considered the unintentional hurts.

I believe it is not until you are healed that you realize you hurt someone else because you were hurt.

Without going into too many details, that’s exactly what happened before I decided to divorce my ex. After 17 years of holding on to the pain of my daughter’s father abandoning me (and all the other craziness), I forgave him. Y’all, that was when everything changed. My entire outlook on life had changed because I was no longer in pain. Sadly, my eyes were opened and I began seeing all the damage I had caused. This included my marriage. Up until then, I honestly hadn’t realize I had married him out of pain. Little did I know, I was one of those hurt people who hurt people.

Now love…

I believe love is everything I had defined it to be—patient, kind, and understanding. However, I do not believe it is possible to fully love someone else while you are still in pain. Shoot…you don’t fully love yourself because if you did, you would let go of the pain. I still cannot believe it took me 17 years. I almost repeated the same mistake when my ex wouldn’t sign the divorce papers after almost 4 1/2 years. I had to let that pain go.

So, here is what I have learned from my experience. It’s not until you are healed from the pain that you realize—1) your pain can cause you to unintentionally hurt others and 2) fully loving someone else—including yourself—while you are still in pain, is impossible.

Life is definitely full of lessons.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading. Wishing you a wonderful day. Love you.♥️

Shaun

Life

Chosen

Shaun Bradford

Have you ever asked God, “Why me?”? If you have not, I most certainly have. I never asked disrespectfully, but I have asked. Y’all, I have questioned God so much at times that I know if He were human He would be sick of me.

Today’s Facebook memory is similar to the answers I typically receive after asking. Also, on that particular day (saw another post I shared), Pastor Steven Furtick had shared a snippet of his sermon about being chosen.

Facebook Memory: December 14, 2021

God chose YOU! Let that sink in. Feel it. Own it. Believe it.

Being chosen doesn’t always feel good. In fact, it often feels heavy. Just remember, you are not in this alone. God’s right there with you. He will never leave you. Trust Him.

Here’s a screenshot of Pastor Furtick’s post.

Whatever God has chosen you to do, you can do it. He will never choose you for something only to let you fail. Nope, not my God! So, trust Him. Continue allowing Him to lead and remain obedient. When you get tired, lean into Him and rest. Then, get back up and keep going. Believe me, He’s got you.

Wishing you a wonderfully, blessed day. Love you!♥️

Shaun

Life

Good Things Are Coming

Shaun Bradford

The two messages below were not shared together before; however, it seems so fitting to share them together today. They actually compliment each other. The first one completes the second’s message.

Facebook Memory: December 11, 2022

Remain hopeful. Good things are headed your way.♥️

Shared on December 11, 2015 without a caption. None was needed.

The message: Remain hopeful. God will never ask you to give up something without having a better plan and/or replacement in place. Be patient. Everything will happen at the right time—God’s time. Until then, continue being obedient and following God’s lead. Before you know it, everything will be replaced with more than you could have ever imagined. Hang in there!

Love you!♥️

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford

Woke up in the middle of the night because it was storming. I could hear the rain pouring down and the wind blowing. We had had tornadoes and tennis ball sized hail reported in different areas of our state so I knew it was probably bad outside. Instead of getting up and looking out the window or looking at the weather app, as I would typically do, I rolled over and went back to sleep. Said I would worry about the weather if or when the weather alerts and sirens sounded—which never happened. Right now it’s very calm out. The storm has passed and there is no more rain in the forecast.

I believe my experience is an example of how things should play out when we encounter storms in our lives. We should not worry or panic but give them to God. Then, we should rest in Him knowing He has us covered.

Right now, Greg O’Quin ‘n Joyful Noyze’s song, I Told the Storm, is playing over and over in my head. Here is a snippet of it:

Even though your winds blow
I want you to know
You cause me no alarm
‘Cause I’m safe in His arms
Even though your rain falls
I can still make this call
Let there be peace
Now I can say go away
I command you to move today
Because of faith
I have a brand new day
The sun will shine
And I will be okay
That’s what I told the storm

I told the storm (told the storm, storm, storm, oh yes I did)
To pass (ohh ohhhh)
Storm you can’t last (you’ve got to go, yeah)
Go (go away) away (I command)
I command you to move today (you to move, ohh yeah)
Storm (oh storm yeah)
When God speaks (when my God speaks)
Storm (you don’t have a choice in the matter)
You have to cease (you have to cease, yes that’s…)
That’s what I told the storm (what I told the storm)
Lyrics: Musixmatch

Y’all, we must speak to our storms and let them know we are covered by THE almighty God. They may toss us around, but they will never destroy us. Amen

I pray you have a wonderfully, blessed week. I will be back later with another post.

Love You Always♥️

Shaun

Life

Thank You, Lord

Shaun Bradford

Singing–

Thank You, Lord
Thank You, Lord
Thank You, Lord
I just want to thank
You, Lord

Thankful.

Have a blessed day!♥️

Love you,

Shaun

Life

Forever Grateful

Shaun Bradford

Saw this memory and had to share. Listen, when I speak about God’s goodness and love, believe me it is coming from a place of complete gratitude. I don’t praise Him for things I desire but for the blessings He has already given me. Maybe this is the reason I am always emotional and intentionally grateful. Y’all, I am so very blessed.

Facebook Memory: December 8, 2019

One more post. Another testimony.

A few days ago I wrote about purchasing a car two weeks before going to see the Odedes. Almost a year later, to the date (December 8, 2016), that car was totaled.

The entire undercarriage was damaged. I still experience back pain and it’s been seven years.

You know how God shows you things before they happen. Well, that’s what happened on that evening. I was driving home from work when the thought crossed my mind, “What if someone hits me?” Honestly, I wasn’t in my right state of mind. I was thinking about all of my problems. Earlier that year, I had taken another job where I took a huge pay cut. Bills were due. I was frustrated because I was still married after almost two years of being separated. I was miserable. So, for a moment, I was like, what if… (kind of hard to admit this was my train of thought). Nothing happened at that moment. However, not even 30 minutes later, someone hit me.

It was so unexpected. I never saw the car coming. I was so focused on my problems and getting home. The lady ran the red light and hit me. It was like a dream. No.. it was like I was watching a movie. I remember getting out of the car and an off duty police officer helping me, telling me I needed to wait on an ambulance. I was trying to go see if the other person was okay. I’m so happy the airbag didn’t deploy because I probably wouldn’t be here.

After my accident, I became more grateful. I believe I was putting the hashtag “ForeverGrateful” on EVERY post. Only God knew how grateful I was, and still am. No matter how tough things get, I don’t want to leave this world before my time. I don’t even want the thought to cross my mind. I know I’m here for a reason. As for the car, it served its purpose. Y’all, please don’t take life for granted.

I had saved this quote on the day of the accident. Had no idea what was coming. God is so good!

PLEASE be mindful of what you think and speak. Y’all, our thoughts and voice have power. Believe me, I know life gets hard and may seem unbearable at times, but please hang in there. You matter. Your life matters. I would have missed out on so much had I not lived. So, when y’all see me writing about how blessed I am, I referring to the gift of life and my two hearts (my babies). Y’all, I am still here.

I am truly, truly blessed.♥️

Shaun

Life

Life Goes On

Shaun Bradford

Be careful not to let your current situation stop you from pursuing your dreams. They say things always seem to get worse before they get better, and I can attest to that. Been through so much over my lifetime. Every time I was about to give up, God came through. He did it for me and I know He will do it for you.

Remember, this is only one small part of your story. As long as you are living, your story continues, and life goes on. God’s got you (and me too).

Just hold on! I promise you great things are coming.

Be Blessed!♥️

Shaun

Life

SCREAMING Congratulations JustOneKi!!!🌟

Shaun Bradford

Okay…I’m about to be SOOOO EXTRA in a few hours. When I tell you my Facebook memories are ALWAYS on point and on time! Listen, I cannot make this stuff up!!!

So here’s my memory from two years ago. Afterwards, I’ll tell you why it is so significant.

Facebook Memory: December 4, 2021

For those who don’t have TikTok.🤪

Exciting things are happening!! Y’all know I don’t do videos, but I’m soooo proud of Ki. Most of the time we only see the finish product. Rarely do we see what happens behind the scenes. This has been years in the making. She’s been singing since she was a toddler. So her debut single is a pretty big deal. Yep.. it’s BIG!

December 10, 2021 [release date]
Tell Me

I’m so proud of you, KiSondrea!!🥰

I be soooo extra when it comes to my babies!!🤪

Well…

As I said, my Facebook memories are ALWAYS on time!!! My daughter doesn’t know it yet, but one of her singles, BODY, just hit 100K views on YouTube!!! She never checks it but I do from time to time, especially since she has been so close, and yesterday she was soooo close. Today she has 100K+ views. I am SO PROUD of her!!!! Can’t wait until she wakes up so I can SCREAM!!!🗣️

CONGRATULATIONS KI!!!🎉🪩🎉🌟🎉

Here’s her song, BODY. It was produced by her boyfriend who is now her fiancé. What a year! I’ll let y’all know how she reacts. She rarely posts anything on social media. She has a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, master’s in Journalism, and works for a marketing firm, but rarely promotes her work. I don’t get it, but she does and I respect that. However, TODAY…we’re going to celebrate her accomplishment and I am going to celebrate her with the world (my little set of friends and followers–laughing). That’s my baby and I am so proud of her.

Wishing you a wonderful day!!

Be Blessed♥️

Shaun

Life

Renaissance

Shaun Bradford

Y’all!! I can’t begin to describe what I am feeling right now. Just came from seeing Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. Listen, after attending her concert I was on a high, but this time… y’all, words can’t even express what I am feeling! I love it when I connect with people. When people view life as I do. Beyoncé is another one of those people who gets what life is really about. It’s about love, peace, freedom—the freedom to BE—and people (community). Yeah…I’m pretty much on an emotional high right now. Life is just beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

Boy, am I loving Year50.

Welcome to my renaissance!!!

Y’all, I’m here!!!

Good Night♥️

Shaun

Me being me because I am free to BE!!