Tag: my journey

hope

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning!☀️

Lately, I have been a little more emotional than usual. It took me a minute to figure out why, and I finally have. A rebirth is happening. At least, that’s what it feels like.

Some may think what I’m about to say is weird, and it’s perfectly fine, but the timing of “The Six Triple Eight” movie and my daughter’s upcoming 30th birthday are so intertwined. The 30 years hit me while I was visiting her a week ago. Then, seeing the movie this weekend brought back memories of my experiences in the military around the time of her birth (almost 30 years ago) and the first few years of her life. Y’all, I’ve been crying nonstop this weekend. It feels like I am finally releasing everything I have held in for decades—the stress, uncertainties, and pressure I placed on myself to be a great mother to a child who did not ask to be here. I chose to bring her into this world, which meant I was responsible for making sure she always felt loved, protected, supported, and never like a burden. Those were the things I needed as a child, and I was determined to make sure she had them. And then the song “The Journey” by H.E.R. gets me every time I hear it. Y’all, these past 30 years have definitely been a journey.

Here’s what AI had to say about 30 years—

“It can be a turning point in a person’s life or a time when a historical event’s long-term effects can be seen. … It can be a time when someone realizes who they are, gains self-awareness.”

Whewwww… y’all, this is a lot.

I now realize that 30 years ago, I shut down part of my life to become the best mom I could be, and I know exactly when it happened. That’s a story for another time. Last week, I finally saw the woman my baby girl has become and know that my mission has been achieved. Now it’s time for me to live.

My life definitely changed 30 years ago, and I have absolutely no regrets—I never have. I just adjusted. Seeing my baby girl’s smile today lets me know all my sacrifices were worth it.

Here are two pictures… A lot can change in a year.

Squadron Christmas party in Germany (December 1993).
Squadron Christmas party in Florida (December 1994). Almost 9 months pregnant.

What a journey…

Thanks for allowing me space to exhale and release. I pray you have a glorious Sunday!♥️

Love you,

Shaun

hope

The Six Triple Eight, Part 3

Shaun Bradford

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.
Christmas
In 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.

My life….

I am beyond blessed.

Grateful🙏🏽

hope

In God’s Hands

Shaun Bradford
Breathe….

You are in God’s hands. You’re covered. Right now, I can hear Marvin Sapp singing, “He Has His Hands On You.”

Marvin begins his song with these words—

“A lot of us in this house tonight, we are on the potter’s wheel right now and it’s not comfortable. It doesn’t feel good. But we need to just take solace in the fact that even though it may not feel good right now, as long as I’m in His hands I know that everything is going to be alright.” –Marvin Sapp

In God’s hands is such a wonderful place to be. After I shared my last post, “My Journey With God, No. 38,” God led me to read my journal entry written two years after I made the Facebook post (see previous post for reference—the journal entry date was December 18, 2020). After reading that entry, I heard, “There’s life after heartbreak.” He went on to show me a few other things. Things that gave me a sense of peace and hope.

This is what happens when we’re in God’s hands, when we’re covered. He will always send comfort, we just have to be open to receive it. And what I love about God—because He’s had to do this with me many of times—is that He doesn’t force us to receive the comfort when it’s offered. Instead, He holds it until we are ready to receive it. Today, I needed comforting after I saw that Facebook memory. God knew I was open to receive it, so He gave it to me. Beyond Blessed

Despite how crazily unpredictable life can become, I know that God has me covered. I am in His hands.

And so are you!♥️

Love you always,

Shaun

This post was shared today on Instagram. A word, indeed. Gotta let the past hurts go and step into the great things the future holds.♥️
hope

The Beginning of a Journey

Shaun Bradford

I was born in the Mississippi Delta. I was born to a teenage mother. I was born an African American female. Some would say I was born a statistic. …

The Beginning of a Journey

This morning, I was reading my journal and saw that I had written my “very first” blog post (that’s what I had written) seven years ago. All I could do was smile because I had forgotten about my other blog site that I have neglected over the years. Ugh… It was the one I created with my first business venture, The Research Diva–RD. I revisited the site to see what I had written seven years ago (December 6, 2017). Smiling even harder now and crying a little because that post wasn’t my first. My first post was actually written two days earlier, on December 4, 2017. I can’t believe I didn’t write about it. Anyhoo… With my permission—I don’t want to plagiarize myself even though I’m not going to cite it properly—I am copying and pasting my entire post. It’s also reblogged above. And y’all, the title has me choked up. I can’t help but add “…with God.” It defines the beginning of my journey with God. Whew!!! When I tell you, I have chills. Who knew?! Listen, when I tell you, the last few days have been like a whirlwind. Yesterday, I was reconnected with someone I wanted to work on a project with 10 years ago. Y’all, ten years ago!! Yeah…this morning I’m pretty emotional. This journey of mine has definitely been quite interesting.

Okay… without further ado, here’s my very first blog!

The Beginning of a Journey, December 4, 2017 written by I Am LaShaundreaB

I was born in the Mississippi Delta. I was born to a teenage mother. I was born an African American female. Some would say I was born a statistic.

When I was a little girl, I didn’t know we were poor. My concept of poor, or impoverished, came from the children Sally Struthers represented during her Saturday afternoon broadcast for the Christian Children Fund. Unlike the children on television, we had food to eat, water to drink, clothes, shelter and a working mother. We were not poor…so I thought.

As I got older, I realized we didn’t have as much as some, but sometimes we had a little more than others. I can remember getting hand-me-downs from other families and eventually passing those hand-me-downs to other families in need. Believe me, we were very grateful for our new clothes. We were also grateful for mayonnaise sandwiches.

My mother always worked- from chopping cotton to being an administrative assistant. She always had a job or two. However, she never made enough to get us out of poverty. Some how she managed to make too much to receive government assistance. Funny how that works. I believe that’s when I became familiar with the phrase “the working poor.”

In high school I discovered the Peace Corp. One of my French teachers had just come from Sri Lanka. Her stories about helping people in need was so exciting. I had already taken three years of Spanish and was on my second year of French. My plans were to be an interpreter at the United Nations or for a big corporation. I had big dreams. Well, after hearing her stories, I thought back to Sally Struthers’ show and so many like them, and decided I wanted to use my linguistics skills  where they would count– underserved/undeveloped populations.

Unfortunately, I never joined the Peace Corp. God had other plans. I joined the Air Force– Aim High! In hindsight, it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I had the opportunity to travel to different countries and interact with other cultures. One significant thing I learned was, we were all alike. The younger people reminded me of myself and my friends; the middle aged ones reminded me of my parents’ generation; and the elders reminded me of my great grandparents. It was a wonderful experience.

In 1999, I decided to return to Mississippi. My mom had moved back to the Mississippi Delta, from Kansas, a few years before. My plan was to enroll in a Hospitality Management program and eventually open a bed and breakfast. Again, God had other plans. Instead of majoring in Hospitality Management, I majored in Culinary Artistry. Which led me to the Dietetics profession.

Dietetics. I love my profession! Dietitians ROCK!! Just had to add that little plug before I continued. 

Here’s where the research part comes in. During my last semester of undergraduate school, I was introduced to a research project that was taking place in the Mississippi Delta. The location was approximately 30 minutes from my home town. I wanted to know more about the program so I volunteered to help with data collection. It was during this time that I actually paid attention to the statistics. I knew the Mississippi Delta was considered the poorest region of the state, but I hadn’t seen numbers. Numbers make a difference.

I saw the poverty and I didn’t see it. It’s hard to describe. My thoughts were, the people in the Delta just had a few setbacks. They looked happy. They were eating. Some were working. Most actually had new clothes. However, many had chronic diseases, were depressed, in debt, jobless and hopeless. The more I worked within the community, the more I became aware of. I started asking questions about their health and employment opportunities. I started paying attention. I was saddened by what I saw (it was like blinders had fallen off). I believed that if the situation in the Delta didn’t change, it would eventually become a ghost town. Then I thought about my great-great grandparents and all they fought for— owning land, voting rights, to be seen as an upstanding citizens, etc., and I knew I had to do something.

After completing graduate school and my dietetics internship, I had the opportunity to work on another research project in the Mississippi Delta. I was grateful for that opportunity because I saw it as a way  of honoring my ancestors and fulfilling their dreams.

Two years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Kennedy and Jessica Odede, authors of Find Me Unafraid. After reading their book about finding hope in the midst of hopeless circumstances in Kenya, I had to meet them. If you’re familiar with the bible, I felt like the woman with the issue of blood that had to touch the helm of Jesus’ garment. I just knew if I could touch someone who was able to bring hope to a community that resembled so many communities in the Delta, so could I. It was also at that moment that I decided my work needed to be global. I believe children in the Delta would benefit from interacting with other children around the world. I believe it will give them another outlook on life. The theme of my new venture is Connecting Communities Through Research. There are numerous research projects funded every year that are similar.

Wow!! Again, I can’t believe I had forgotten I had shared this. Y’all, God is sooooo amazing! I needed to see this. I needed to be reminded of my Why.

Thank you for reading. I know it was long but I thought it was best to share it in its entirety instead of only sharing the link. I pray that you have a lovely day.

My late brother’s only child, my niece, is graduating from college today. I can’t wait to celebrate with her!🥰

Enjoy your day!♥️

Love you,

Shaun