After watching a recent interview with Denzel Washington, where he asked God to let him see His face, I decided to ask God to show Himself to me as well, but not in the same way. I wanted to hear Him. I wanted Him to speak to me in real-time and so clearly that I wouldn’t have to question if it was Him. And y’all, He did it. Of course, I didn’t hear His voice, but He answered a very specific question, in detail, through someone else. Listen, can’t nobody convince me that God isn’t real. The crazy thing is that He always talks to me, but sometimes I second guess what I hear. Him answering me as He did only made my relationship with Him stronger.
Seeing this Facebook memory from three years ago puts my request into perspective. God is real, so very real. And the best part is, He loves me!♥️ ~Shaun
Every time you dim your light, you betray yourself and minimize the glow God has placed inside you. Let your God-given light shine through and let it shine bright!♥️
Yes… I’m back. Hopefully this is the last of my posts about the movie and my military experience.
As a soldier, airman, or seaman, the mission always comes first. You don’t have the luxury of being in your feelings while working. No, you suck them up and get the work done. I was one of the “lucky” (written with lots of sarcasm) ones like the women of the 6888 battalion because my job was mission essential. Meaning, we worked around the clock, 24/7, no weekends or holidays off. We were blessed to have superiors like Major Charity Adams who were generous enough to work breaks in. Morale was everything!
Being a single mom in the military added another level of stress to a job that was already stressful (if you only knew all that my job entailed—whew!). I remember my desire to always overachieve because I didn’t want anyone to use my status as a single mother against me. I never missed work. I always made sure I had a babysitter even when my daughter was sick. I never wanted to be the burden to the group.
When I received orders to go to Turkey, I asked if I could turn them down and accept another location stateside. I was told I couldn’t. That if I didn’t accept the orders I would be forced to get out. So, I had to make a decision—to leave my daughter with my mother who was already struggling to care for my siblings or out process. I told the person handling my case that if I could not take my daughter with me, I would out process. After reviewing my enlistment papers and the orders, I was told I had exactly enough time remaining on that enlistment to do an accompanied tour, which meant I could take my daughter with me. Y’all, that was God! Because I was ready to give it all up if she couldn’t go with me. Then, when I got Turkey, I had 30 days to find someone—a stranger—who could escort my daughter back to the states if a war broke out. Whew! Just thinking about it all brings back so many memories and feelings. I was 24 years old with a little one. I remember walking around base with her in tow trying to get things done. I had a car but it was being shipped over, and I didn’t have the money to keep taking taxis. I would make our little trips adventures so she wouldn’t complain or cry. Most of the time it worked but not always. She was still a child, and when she got sleepy it was over!
I remember this one time when missiles were launched towards our base (yes…Turkey is in a war zone) and the sirens were going off (again, I can relate to the movie), I had to choose between grabbing my chem gear to protect myself or not. I was at home at the time. Had just gotten off of a 12-hour night shift and my daughter was at daycare. My thoughts were if she’s not going to survive, why should I? Fortunately, the missiles were intercepted and life went on. Those were crazy times.
Y’all, I actually made it through those times. This is why I praise God. I have soooo much to be grateful for. So much! I made it and my baby girl made it. We’re here!
Okay… THIS is the last of my military story…at least for now.
Thanks for allowing me to spill.♥️ ~Shaun
To lighten the mood, here are a few pictures from our stay in Turkey. She was 3 when we arrived.
With my friend Destiny (Kader). She owned a tailor shop.She loved taking pictures…and I loved taking them of her.Forever posing.ChristmasIn Cappadocia. Nothing like the Cappadocia today.In a hotel in Cappadocia. This was taken after a 6.3 earthquake hit Adana. I was stationed at Incirlik, which is 5-10 minutes from Adana. We had just arrived at the hotel, which was about 3 hours away, and we felt the earthquake there. I had just checked in and was sitting on the bed when I felt the tremors. The electricity went out. And this was 3 hours away! Talk about divine timing on my part! We could’ve been at home when it happened, or on the road. The only damage I had was cracks in the wall and pictures knocked down. Others had it worse. So many in the city of Adana and surrounding areas lost their lives. The next week, we had another one but it was only about 4.5.
I have been watching interviews and reading reviews about The Six Triple Eight over the past few days, and all are true. The movie accurately portrays the strength of the Black woman and our ability to take on challenges and excel. We’ve always had to prove ourselves worthy of our positions and place in this world (even today). I know the mental anguish all too well. Believe me, I have my own military stories, as well as civilian ones. As Johnnie Mae kept saying, being in the military was no different from being back home. She and Charity Adams were my sheros in the movie.
So, when I wrote my initial thoughts about the movie, I chose to focus on Lena’s character and her journey. Not her journey as a soldier but her journey as a woman trying to navigate through pain and still perform as if everything was okay. Still trying not to give too much of the movie away. Yes, I know that pain as well. Mine may not have been caused by the same thing, but the pain was there. As I said, I have my own military stories.
As I wrote in my last post, the movie was awesome! It’s definitely a must see!
As I suggested two years ago, we trust our instincts to protect us from harm but rarely use them to guide us toward good things. How about we consider reconditioning our mindset to expect good things to happen instead of bad or expecting the best of people instead of the worst?
Trust your instincts to expect and accept good things.♥️
I KNOW y’all probably think I’m a little loony because of the way I praise and interact with God, but I promise you I’m not. This connection I have with Him is surreal.
I shared my last post, “Welcome to Freedom Fridays,” almost 3 hours ago. How about I just opened YouTube, and the first sermon was Pastor Steven Furtick’s message “Freedom From What’s Holding You Back,” which was posted five hours ago, hours before I wrote my post. Well, it gets even better! Y’all, why was he talking about the limits we keep placing on God and how they’re holding us back?! In my post, I wrote, “I’m releasing the limits I’ve placed on myself and the ones I have placed on God.” I had no idea he had already preached this in a sermon. Talk about confirmation! So, yes, the limits must go!
You see, this is why I have to write more. Soooo much happens between posts. So many testimonies and revelations to be shared. Listen, get you a relationship with God. He’s so amazing!!
It’s Shaun’s World 
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