Tag: my journey

empowerment, Life

God Placed Me Where I Could Grow

Shaun Bradford

How did this end up in my “Drafts”?

**Originally published on October 2, 2026**

Happy Friday!☀️

Wasn’t it just Monday?! Smile

Since it’s Friday, here are two flashbacks from this day six years ago. Both resonated with me this morning.

October 2, 2026 – Facebook Memories

God placed me where He could grow me.

I feel this.

I understand this.

Fannie Lou Hamer—an American icon and leader from the Mississippi Delta. (She was born and lived not even an hour from where I was born.)

Mrs. Hamer’s statement reflects where I currently am in life.

“When I liberate myself, I liberate others.”

Even though this week has been all about me, I know this journey isn’t only about me. I’ve spent most of my life putting everyone’s needs before my own. Not intentionally. It just happened that way. However, this week, I realized I could no longer effectively help anyone until I helped myself first—until I liberated myself.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Mrs. Hamer had breast cancer when she died. She suffered in silence while putting others’ needs before her own. Let that sink in…🩷🕊️

If you’d like to read more about Fannie Lou Hamer and her work as a Civil Rights grassroots leader, here’s a good source from Women’s History.org: Fannie Lou Hamer.

Yes, I was placed here to grow.🪴

This is all I have for now. I pray you have a beautifully blessed day.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

By the way… Tyler Perry’s latest movie, Doing Life, is streaming on Netflix. He said it’s his most powerful movie yet. So y’all already know I can’t wait to see it!😁

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

gratitude, Life

Clyde Kennard and JET Magazine

Shaun Bradford

Last night I attended a lecture about a local civil rights icon, Clyde Kennard. Clyde Kennard was the first African American to attempt to enroll at what’s now the University of Southern Mississippi. Although he became part of civil rights history, he wanted to enroll for the same reason as everyone else—to get an education.

Clyde Kennard’s story is one of segregation, mistreatment, betrayal, imprisonment, illness, and unwavering hope. Until his death, Mr. Kennard hoped to see a world where everyone was treated fairly, equally, and had the same educational opportunities.

Here’s a short documentary about Clyde Kennard— Measure of Progress: The Clyde Kennard Story. Produced by Dr. Alysia Burton Steele and Bobby D. Steele, Jr.

Research on Clyde Kennard’s story was conducted by Dr. Sherita L. Johnson, Dr. Loren Saxton Coleman, Dr. Cheryl Jenkins, and Dr. Rebecca Tuuri. Their latest project is the book “Mixing: Race, Higher Education, and the Case of Clyde Kennard.”

So, you may be wondering why I included JET Magazine in the title. Well, much of the information gathered for the book came from the scholars (mentioned above) following the work of journalists and photographers who documented Clyde Kennard’s story in JET Magazine. Last night, they explained how Jet Magazine was the only national publication that humanized Mr. Kennard’s story.

From their lecture, I also learned that JET Magazine was one of the few national publications that conducted extensive research to present African American stories. For me, learning this was one of those indescribably beautiful moments. You see, I still have copies of JET Magazine. I look through them from time to time, but rarely stop to read the articles. I’m pretty sure I read a few of the articles when I purchased them, but I never considered the work that went into presenting those stories. This week, I plan to take a moment and read a few articles with this thought in mind.

I also have copies of Ebony, Essence, and Sister 2 Sister magazines.

Y’all, I truly love my life! If you only knew what I’m feeling right now. The only way I can describe it is Forrest Gump-ish—I’m surrounded by and standing in the midst of history.

My life and MY GOD! I can’t express it enough, I just love the way He loves me. I am truly blessed.🥰

This is all I have for now. Thanks for stopping by and reading. I pray you have a wonderful day!♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

Life

Just Gonna Sit This Right Here

Shaun Bradford

Feeling a bit disturbed. Didn’t wake up this way, but feeling it now.

A few weeks ago, I saw that an ex had started following me on Facebook. I tried to ignore the likes. But then he messaged me. That was the wrong move. I knew that responding would’ve opened a door that closed decades ago. Forgiveness doesn’t mean access. BLOCKED.

Just checked another Facebook account and here he is again with another follow—not even four hours ago. This time BLOCKED off the bat.

I’ve come too far to relive 30+ years ago. It took me forever to get my life back on track. That time and space is somewhere I never want to revisit.

If he’s the same person I knew back then, then I know he’ll see this message.

This is for YOU…

The love I had for you was ages ago and only for that moment. There’s no going back. I’ve moved on. You may have changed like you said, and I pray that you truly have. I wish you nothing but peace. I pray that you find love and live out the rest of your life at its best. May everything you touch prosper and be successful. I truly want you to be happy and blessed.🙏🏽

My life…

Why am I hearing Mary J. Blige singing “No more pain…”

No more drama.

No more pain.

Not this time.

Sorry to have included you all in the conversation, but it needed to be said.

I pray y’all have a glorious Self-Love Saturday! May it be filled with lots of love and joy.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

empowerment, trust God

Your Wings Are Ready: It’s Time To Fly

Shaun Bradford

It’s time to fly.🦋 You got this!♥️ Love you, Shaun

Your Wings Are Ready

Happy Friday!☀️

I was just about to share another post from this day several years ago, when this one from last year caught my eye— “Your wings are ready.”

Hey YOU!

Yes… YOU!!

Your wings are ready! Don’t just prepare to fly, prepare to SOAR!

Bet you didn’t know butterflies could become eagles, did you? God is good like that. Smile

This is all for now. Have a wonderfully, blessed day and beautiful weekend!♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

Prepare to SOAR!!🦅 Don’t be afraid. God’s got you.♥️♥️♥️

Life

Hands Off The Brakes, Part 2

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

I’m just going to jump right into this ramble. I have a lot to unpack. Today, I’m more focused on the release than the structure of how it flows. Please bear with me.

First, when I saw Tyler Perry’s post about this being one of his most powerful films, I already knew it was going to be deep. So I intentionally waited until the end of the day to watch it. I needed to be able to sit in whatever he was bringing. Yeah… he can get deep like that.

Anyhoo… yesterday was already emotional for me. I saw that a magazine article I interviewed for had been published. According to the date, it was actually published two days earlier, but I had just received the link. I had so many mixed emotions about the article. I second-guessed everything I had said. I kept thinking, maybe I had overshared or didn’t share enough. But the biggest thing was what my siblings would think about what I shared. It was nothing bad, just my take on our reality growing up. I wish that I could’ve shone a better light on my mom in the article. It doesn’t mention that she graduated early from high school and went to college. It doesn’t mention her surviving abuse and paving the way for me and my siblings to have better lives than she did. There was so much I wish I’d mentioned, but didn’t. So yesterday, when I received the link to the article, I hesitated to share it with them. I shared it with my daughter first, and she said it was a great article. She couldn’t understand why I didn’t want to share it. But I know my siblings…

I finally got the courage to share it with them and let them know I was going to post it on Facebook. It was my homage to my mom. The sacrifices she made were so that we could be who we are. So that I could be who I am. Here’s the link to the article if you’d like to read it— Conversations with LaShaundrea Bradford

Back to Tyler Perry’s movie, Doing Life, without giving too much away. The story isn’t only a love story but also centers around a sick mother and her three adult daughters and their dynamics. Unlike the mom in the movie, my mother was never harsh or cold. Now, she wasn’t the hugging type and did yell a lot, but she never cussed at us or called us out of our name. Not even when she was frustrated with us and in pain. In all honesty, she was a people pleaser, and she got her heart broken so many times, but it never stopped her from doing for others or giving. That was my mom.

So when I said I was feeling so many mixed emotions, that’s what I meant. The next is about the main storyline itself. I ended my last post with, “Every woman deserves a Carousel.” Well, Carousel was the main male character, and Anika was his love and one of the sick mother’s daughters. Again, not going to give anything about the movie away. I just loved the way Carousel cared for Anika. He kept telling her that he had her, and y’all, he did!

I don’t know about you, but that’s what I’ve always longed for in a relationship. For a man to have my back. For him to be someone I can truly count on. Not someone who talks the talk but can’t walk the walk. Carousel was that man. Whatever he said, he backed it up with action! Now, I know this was just a fictional story, but I truly believe men like Carousel exist. I always have. Hence the reason I want to get married again. I want my Carousel!😂 So, yeah, that was the other part of my mixed emotions.

Y’all, life is something else! It definitely be lifeing. You never know what people are going through unless they decide to share. Like I just did. Smile

Welcome to my world!

This is all for now. It’s Self-Love Saturday. Be sure to do something extra special for yourself. You deserve it!♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration

Ummm… why didn’t nobody mention that I was misspelling BRAKES!!! I just caught this!🥴

empowerment, self love

My Journey With God, No. 150

Shaun Bradford

YOU are your priority. Not another task. Not another goal. Not another mission. Not another person. YOU, my friend, are your only priority. Everything else is secondary.

Your Priority

My kids have been telling me for the longest that I am my only priority. The last time my daughter was here, she kindly told me that although she’s glad I still consider her and my son when making decisions, they should no longer be a factor in whatever I choose to do. She said that I need to reimagine my life not centered around them.

So what did I do? I started taking on tasks and putting other people’s needs, goals, and interests before my own. Not like I hadn’t been doing it before. Smile. But yesterday was my breaking point.

Yesterday, by noon, I had become so overwhelmed by everything I had taken on that I could literally feel my blood pressure rising—plus I was having hot flashes like CRAZY! Y’all, hot flashes are no joke!! Then, yesterday evening, I saw a post about one of my step-cousins passing from an apparent stroke. He was only a year younger than me.

After finally taking time to sit and breathe, I remembered what my daughter said, I am my only priority.

Today, I need to focus only on myself and what I want to achieve. I live to help and be there for others, but who’s here for me? Who’s helping me? Umm… no one besides ME! So I need to make sure I put myself first and do it daily, not just today. I’m not being selfish. I just want to live a long, healthy life. I have at least 50 more years of life to live.😊

This is all I have for now. Thanks for allowing me to share/ramble. I pray you have a beautifully blessed day!♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.

Life

Check On Your Strong Friends

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

I’ve always agreed with the sentiment—“Check on your strong friends”—but I never factored myself into that equation. Yes, I’m usually the strong friend, but I don’t need checking on as others do.

I’m good.

Nothing keeps me down.

I bounce back quickly.

God’s got me.

But yesterday, I needed to be checked on.

I wasn’t depressed or anything. But I was mentally and physically exhausted. And, I really needed to talk to someone. Not text, but talk. It’s crazy that I didn’t realize I needed to hear another’s voice until my phone rang. Then, when the person on the other end asked, “How are you doing?” Whew! Boy did I start talking!!

The funny thing is, we didn’t talk about much. I just needed human interaction that didn’t involve working or solving problems. Honestly, I needed to laugh.

Yesterday, I wrote about how drained I was. Well, this is how drained I really was.

While I was on the phone, I was also changing my bedding. I kept trying to put a fitted sheet on the bed but for some reason it wouldn’t fit. I would put it on one corner and by the time I tried to put it on the opposite corner, the other side would come off. I tried this several times before realizing I was trying to put a twin sheet on a queen size mattress. Ugh!! All I could do was laugh. I was out of it!

After our call ended, I texted my friend and thanked her for the call. It was definitely a God thing. You see, my friend and I rarely talk on the phone. We either text or talk in person, but never over the phone unless we’re working on something.

Again, I needed that call.

I also need to get out of the house more. I work from home and rarely interact with people in person, and rarely for fun. But this is about to change.

It has to change.

Okay… This was another random one. Or maybe I’m finally using my blog for its intended purpose, to share bits and pieces of my world with the world. Yeah… I think I’m back!

Welcome to Shaun’s World.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration. 

Life

12 Years Ago

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

Here’s what I shared four years ago—

September 22, 2014 written on September 22, 2022

Eight years ago, I wrote my first “purse note.” It’s the first of several notes I have kept in my purse to refer back to whenever I need encouragement or to be reminded of my dreams, goals and purpose. Yes.. I have eight year old pieces of paper in my purse.

So, I wrote this particular note during a pretty weird time in my life. I say weird, but truthfully, it was almost like an awakening. It was like my spiritual awareness was on 100. No lie! It was like I was connected to the universe and everything I could possibly think of or imagining was coming my way. I felt like a magnet. All I had to do was think of something and it was drawn to me. Y’all, I had never experienced anything like that before. It was pretty surreal!

Here’s a tiny snippet of what I wrote on that day–

“Out of my reach, but nothing is too hard for God.”

I ended the note with this:

Philippians 4:7 (Living Bible version)

If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.

It’s taken me a good seven to eight years to finally understand what it truly means to reside in God’s peace. No matter what I had to endure, God’s peace and love always kept my mind and heart stable and safe from harm. 

As for the snippet… Baby, I’ve learned that there’s nothing out of my reach. If I truly want it, I can have it. The catch is, I actually have to work for it. Yep.. gotta put in that work! Smiling 

I truly love my life. Y’all, God is so good. 

Grateful & Blessed

The military has a saying “Hurry up, and wait.”

One second everything’s moving a mile a minute. Then, the next second, nothing is happening at all.

For a few weeks now, everything’s been moving at such a fast pace that I haven’t had a real moment to take a good breather. Yesterday, I was both wired and tired. Had only slept a good 4-5 hours (not consecutive) in 24-36 hours. Nothing bad was happening. I just overcommitted. By yesterday evening, I was definitely operating on autopilot. Today, I have not one once of motivation in me. This engine has run out of steam…

I needed to see that post shared four years ago. I love my enthusiasm and optimism. At the moment, I really want to write about myself in the third person because that Shaun and the Shaun from 12 years ago are so different from today’s Shaun (at least, at the moment—maybe I’m just drained). They were younger and so eager to take on the world. All they talked about were pursuing their dreams and purpose (okay… I guess I haven’t changed much—Lol). They make me smile.

Truth be told, 12 years ago seems like such a distant memory. Four years ago, I could still feel the excitement. Today, it feels like someone else’s story than my own memory. I retired that particular purse note several years ago, probably after I made that post. I said it had fulfilled its purpose for that time and deserved to be placed in my box of memories. However, today I’m thinking I may need to go retrieve it and reread it because I want to feel that energy again.

Nah… I think I’ll find and read it later because this Shaun is a little too drained to get excited about pursuing dreams, goals, and purpose. Smile

This is all I have for today. Let’s chalk this up as a random ramble. I’m pretty sure none of it makes much sense and I have absolutely no energy or desire to go back and proof it. And if you’re wondering why I even stopped to write… Well, I’m 114 days into my new writing streak. I don’t care how much I try not to care about me not missing a day of writing, I care about not missing a day. Ugh…

My life.

Okay… I’m done.

I pray you have a wonderful day!♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration. 

God’s plan, Life

Hello Sunday (294)

Shaun Bradford

Happy Sunday☀️

I’ve been deep in thought this morning about life—life in general, and where I fit into the scheme of things.

Today’s Quote of the Day is a scripture, Jeremiah 1:5— “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…”

Yesterday, my elder friend, Ms. Raylawi, called and asked if I wanted to go to a college football game with her and one of her friends. Although I really wanted to stay home and work on a few things, I said yes. Before I could get ready, she texted me several changes to the plan. Before the last change, I threw a pork tenderloin in the oven and prepared toppings for sliders. Then, right before I left the house, she called to tell me that all of her plans had fallen through and she’d probably stay home. I told her it was okay because we were still going to have a great evening. I let her know I had already prepared our meal for the evening so we could just eat and hang out. And that’s what we did. We ended up watching the first season of LUPIN and talking until I saw that she could barely keep her eyes open. I told her she looked like a toddler fighting their sleep. It was way past her bedtime when I left.

I shared this story because this has been much of my life. As a child, I played with kids my age. However, I spent most of my time with older female relatives and family friends. Y’all, they had fascinating stories, and I sat and listened to them talk for hours. And sometimes we didn’t talk at all. We would watch the stories (soap operas) or their favorite shows together, then sit on the porch and people watch. When I became an adult, I did the same. I spent time with each of my childhood elders until they passed. Sometimes I was the only one who spent time with them before it happened. Now, here I am again. Not saying my friend is about to pass, but she’s been talking a lot about death lately and making sure everything is in order.

I often ask God if this is my life’s purpose. Many, many moons ago, I thought about opening a senior daycare. Then, a few months ago, one of my colleagues asked if I wanted to help her provide nutrition sessions to seniors at a few congregate feeding sites, and I said yes. So, every month I get to meet new seniors and hear their stories, while encouraging them to live their best, healthy lives.

I know this was random. Just got a lot on my mind about life and my role in it. Guess I should have made this one a “My Journey with God” post.

Anyhoo…

This is all for today. Oh… one more thing!

So, Ms. Raylawni told me she doesn’t sleep with her phone in her bedroom anymore because every morning before 5:00, it would ding. She said now when she hears it, she smiles and says, “That’s LaShaundrea.” Y’all, the smile on her face when she said it made my heart smile. Whew!

My life…

Okay… now I’m finish.

Thanks for letting me ramble. I have a few things to do to prepare for the week ahead, but I think I’ll take it easy most of the day.

Please take care of yourself and enjoy your day. May it be just as lovely as you are.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration. 

empowerment, Life

My Journey With God, No. 149

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️ And Happy Self Love Saturday!

Here’s a quote from Fave #4.

“Just try new things. Don’t be afraid. Step out of your comfort zones and soar.” –Michelle Obama

Quote of the Day – 9.19.2026

Comfort zone…

I believe these last three years have pushed me outside my comfort zone more than any other period in my life. I’ve already done more on this side of 50 (at 53) than I’ve done in decades at a time. I asked for my years beyond 50 to be far different from the last, and I’m so in awe of how God is bringing my ask to fruition.

While scrolling through my photos, I came across this text between my daughter and me. Y’all, all I could do was smile. It’s a testament of me asking and God answering.

This was October 2023.

I just love my baby girl!!💗

I was at home that day, reading tweets from colleagues attending our national food and nutrition conference (FNCE). For years, I lived for attending those conferences. They gave me the annual boost I needed to stay motivated, as well as sparked new ideas. You see, after I took my big leap of faith and resigned from my job, I could no longer afford to attend the conferences. I could barely afford to attend our state conferences.

Then, a year later…

Less than six months after my daughter texted, “You are preparing for the next level!!!!”, I said yes to serving as the president-elect of our state’s dietetics association. This didn’t take me outside my comfort zone (I had served years before), but I was at a stage in my life (or so I thought) where I just wanted to live the “retired” life. Smile

Here are more pictures from that day. Y’all, I really love our conferences.

Met my fellow Potter’s House e-church member, April.😊

Okay… So maybe I go for the food.😂 Always a good time!

I also attended last year’s conference in Nashville. This year, I’m planning our state’s conference, so it’s my main focus right now.

A few posts ago, I asked the question— “What do you want most [from life]?” And in another post, I wrote—

“Listen, if you want to truly live, sit and stay in God’s presence. He will give you experiences that will satisfy your soul. Yeah…His experiences are soul deep!”

I know what I truly want, and so does God. Attending the conferences may seem like a small experience, but for me, it’s one of those soul-deep ones. Yes, I love the food (I really think food is my love language☺️), but I love being around the people most. When I’m at those conferences—and that’s any conference or event—I talk to EVERYBODY! I even talk to the janitors cleaning the restrooms. I want everyone to feel seen, valued, and appreciated. Plus, it’s how you make connections. So yeah… it’s soul deep for me.

Listen, there are so many soul-deep experiences outside of your comfort zone. Be open to saying yes to new opportunities and doing something new.

This is all for today. Have a wonderful self-love Saturday. Celebrate it by doing something new!♥️

I love you,

Shaun

**Be sure to stop by Shaun’s Daily Inspiration and get your daily dose of inspiration.