Tag: peace

hope

I Need To Get This Out, Please Bear With Me

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

Y’all, I need to get this out before I take on today and this weekend. Been holding it in too long.

Momma is dead.

Grandma Velleria (momma’s stepmom) is dead.

They are both gone and I am hurting.

Now, I’ve said it.

I’ve acknowledged it.

But it still doesn’t seem real. My soul feels it, my body even feels it because the tears won’t stop flowing; however, there’s a disconnect somewhere. Not sure where, but it’s there.

I have tried and wished I could skip today and everything this weekend will bring. Not only is today the anniversary of my mom’s death, but it’s also the day of Grandma’s wake, and tomorrow’s her funeral and the next day, Mother’s Day.

Can I scream?!

Is it alright to SCREAM?!!!

I hate funerals.

I hate feeling sad.

I feel terrible because I have only texted one of her children and posted hearts and praying hands under the others’ Facebook posts. That’s about all I could and can manage right now. I love them and feel their pain, but I’m also not ready to acknowledge with them that she’s gone.

Honestly, I wouldn’t even be mentioning it now if I hadn’t woke up to a text from my bestie reminding me to celebrate both women this weekend with laughter and fond memories. UGH!!!! Of course she meant well but I didn’t want the reminder. I didn’t even tell her Grandma had died. She saw it on Facebook. I haven’t even mentioned it our group chats. Shoot, I haven’t even chatted since Grandma passed last week. I’ve been avoiding it. Now, it’s here.

I can’t run from it.

I can’t hide from it.

I can’t keep acting like I don’t feel the pain.

It’s here.

Yeah… I’m feeling a lot this morning. I was going to share something uplifting but decided to go on and get my feelings out the way. Get this cry out and carry on.

I miss my momma. I can’t even look in the mirror without seeing her in myself. I wish I could’ve taken her pains away—not only her physical pain but the pains of life. All she wanted was to be accepted, respected, and loved. I wish I could give her a good hug just one more time.

Grandma Velleria will be so missed. She was not the typical grandmother most people my age or older would think of at first thought. She loved life and lived; however, not before going through years of abuse and mistreatment—mostly from my grandfather. They had that Rick James–Teena Marie kind of love. They were together in the 70’s and early 80’s so things were WILD! But once she got away from him, baby, she LIVED! Up until she passed, you could find her listening to music and dancing. She was the life of the party and the light of the family.

Grandma was her mother’s only child. She left behind six of her eight natural children and two stepsons, my uncles. She had nearly 20 grandchildren, and I can’t even begin to list the number of great-grandchildren and their children. Her presence will definitely be missed.

That’s all for now. Thank you for allowing me to express my feelings, something I probably need to do more often. Please keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers this weekend.

Wishing you a wonderfully, blessed weekend. May yours be filled with lots of love and joy.♥️

I love you always,

Shaun

hope

Roses

Shaun Bradford

My photo memory is filled with pictures of roses. These just happened to be saved on May 8th.🌹♥️

May 8, 2020
May 8, 2016

When I was a little girl, almost every house on my great, great grandparents’ street had rose bushes. There was even a lady who lived down the street named Ms. Rosie, who had a yard full of roses. I said that I’d have a whole garden of roses when I grew up. Instead, I have a phone full of photos and drawings of roses. Smiling because life is funny. Gotta love it.♥️

Shaun

hope

Embracing EVERY Good Thing God Has For Me

Shaun Bradford
May 8, 2024

Last year, I shared the following in my post, “Embracing All Good Things”—

“Today, I am embracing all good things. Embracing every single blessing God sends my way. I am so thankful for His love. I can’t say it enough, I am truly blessed.”

And nothing’s changed. I am seizing and embracing every last good thing God has for me. Taking nothing for granted. Nothing! I am so blessed.

I pray you are doing the same.♥️

Love you much,

Shaun

hope

When God Moves

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

Over the past month, I have watched God move in ways I have never witnessed or experienced before. Last night, when I shared that my spirit was having its own praise and worship moment, I was still in awe of how God had shown up hours earlier. Even as I write, I can’t help but praise God.

Short story…

Almost a year ago, I received a direct message from someone asking me if I would share an event on my Mississippi Thriving Facebook page, and I shared it. About a month later, I attended a luncheon for women veterans, and the person who asked me to share her event was the guest speaker. Towards the end of the event, I introduced myself to her, and she invited me to have coffee (hot chocolate for me) the following week. She was looking for volunteers to sit on the planning committee for the event I had shared for her. Well, what was supposed to be a quick meeting turned into a two-hour conversation. During our conversation, she shared her vision of providing resources, services, and assistance to unhoused communities in Central and South Mississippi.

When I tell you our meeting was divinely orchestrated! I had asked God for a mentor to help me with my nonprofit, which had been sitting idle for three years, and He sent her. After a couple of conversations with her, I finally launched my nonprofit.

Since meeting my mentor, who is now my newest friend (as you can see, I’m not ready to share her name yet), I have made more connections with the community than I made while doing community-based research—nearly 20 years. I have also participated in more community events (participating in another in a few hours) in less than a year than I have in my entire career. When I tell you I am so in awe of God! I asked, and He moved.

Yesterday, I attended my first public hearing to support my friend. If you didn’t know, providing assistance to the unhoused community isn’t very popular with cities. Over the last several months, my friend has had to jump through hoops to renovate an abandoned hotel that she and her husband have planned to turn into a day/resource center for the unhoused. Yesterday was another hoop… BUT GOD!!! When I tell you I watched God work! Yesterday, when I shared “God has the final say,” I was sitting there watching Him in action. At first, things appeared to be going downhill, but at the last minute, it all worked out in their favor.

Listen, you can’t tell me what God can’t do! When He gives you a vision or dream, hold on to it. It may take years to come to fruition, but it will happen. Also, timing is everything. We both talk about this all the time. Them acquiring the hotel, which had been sitting abandoned for years, was all about timing. Even our connection was about timing, and my obedience. You see, I almost didn’t go to the women veterans event. Kept making excuses all that morning, all while hearing I needed to go. Talk about an opportunity that could’ve been missed!

I can’t say it enough—God is so good! I just love the way He loves me. I asked for this side of 50 to be different, and lo and behold, He’s making it happen. I am so very blessed.

This is all I have for now. I pray that you have a beautiful day. You deserve it!♥️

I love you always,

Shaun

hope

Praise and Worship Never Ceases

Shaun Bradford

Y’all, I’m still singing the Winans’ “Everything You Touch Is A Song.” Stopped by Walmart to pick up a few things, and my spirit is in here having its own praise and worship moment. Whew!💃🏽

God is so good. So very good! Everything He touches, even breathes on, is a song.♥️

Shaun

Oh, to be in the presence of God!♥️