hope

Smiling From Ear To Ear

Good Morning☀️

This morning I am smiling from ear to ear! Can’t you hear Beyoncé singing “Love On Top”? Well, I surely can. (Smile.)

Well… I’m not smiling because I finally got a man or won the lottery. Lol! Nope. I’m smiling because…….

Beyoncé won a Grammy for ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!!🌟🌟🌟

Aaaahhhhh!!!

Y’all, I can’t stop smiling!

Listen, this makes today’s Facebook memory even more special.

His timing is PERFECT!

Talk about beautiful. She waited patiently—for years. YEARS!!!

I am soooo happy for her!

Yesterday started off rough but ended up being a great day, and I intend to carry that same energy into today.

God is so good. I’m so very thankful He loves me.🙏🏽


I pray you have a wonderful day and a fabulously blessed week!♥️

Love you always,

Shaun

hope

God’s Gift

Good Morning!☀️

This morning’s message is another Hello Sunday. This one is from January 30, 2022.

Hello Sunday”– January 30, 2022 (shared in its entirety)

Today I would like to share some of my thoughts and feelings about where I’m at in this stage of life. Basically, I just need to write. 

This morning I came across another Facebook memory I shared two years ago. Here’s the quote:

Never allow waiting to become a habit. Live your dreams and take risks. Life is happening now. AUTHOR UNKNOWN 

Back then I was like, “Yeah! I’m not waiting for nothing or no one. I’m living my best life now!” Fast forward to today, this quote has me feeling some kind of way. Let me explain.

Transparent moment:

For a while now.. I guess you can say for months now.. I’ve been second and triple guessing my feelings. Even after a few sessions of therapy, my therapist says I’m fine. So why don’t I feel fine? 

Here’s what I’m feeling or have been feeling, and as strange as it may sound it kind of frightens me – calm, peaceful, relaxed, happy, and loved. Everything I’ve ever dreamed of and it frightens me. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Like why does it frighten me so?

Okay.. back to the quote. When I shared it two years ago, I remember feeling like I really needed to enjoy the space I was in, needed to be more present. I remember constantly waiting for things to happen or trying to make things happen. I spent so much time doing both that I was only living my life in spurts and was always anxious. Now here I am two years later, very present and living in the moment, living the dream.

So why am I so perplexed about where I am in life? 

Well, since I was a teenager I have always said, and lived by this –“After I turn 50, I’m going to live my dream.” You see, the first 50 years were supposed to be my test and trial period. My period to make mistakes as well as make the amount of money needed to support and sustain my lifestyle for the next 50 years. And the next 50 were to be spent doing what I actually loved, which kind resembles what I’m doing now but without the millions of dollars I imagined. Yep.. I’ve had it all planned out for decades. Yeah.. planned. I have to laugh because according to my plan and timeline, I’m supposed to be working my butt off trying to figure out how I’m going to live and sustain my dream and I’m here living nonchalantly like 50 isn’t fast approaching. Guess you could say I’m still in the test and trial period so why am I worried. Well, I’ll be 49 this year and time is running out! 

Side Note – As I was writing, God reminded me of what I asked for. Last March, as I was sitting at my desk working my butt off, I looked out the window and saw this bird singing. At that moment, I told God I wanted to live as free as a bird, and as clear as day He told me I could. Three weeks later I resigned from my job. Ever since I’ve been living this carefree, basically, euphoric life. He gave me exactly what I asked for but for some reason I keep trying to find fault in it. Maybe, I don’t have to work my butt off trying to figure out how I’m going to support my dream. Maybe all I need to do is leave it in God’s hands while enjoy life.

Note – After I write this blog, I’m going to leave this matter alone because I get the feeling that I’m disrespecting God’s gift every time I bring this up. 

Y’all, I’m feeling much better now that I got that all out. Life is really good. Just had another “Aha!” moment. Have I been subconsciously searching for ways to self-sabotage my dream? Would I do that to myself? Hmm.. Something to really think about. 

Anyhoo.. thanks for reading and following my random thoughts. Sometimes I just need to get it all out into the universe. I’m so grateful for this space. God is so amazing!


As you can see, I wrote a lot that day. Today, I can say I’ve adjusted to the gift God’s granted me. I received it early (a couple of years before 50, which threw me for a loop) and, I’m not going to lie, it took me until sometime last year to fully embrace it—meaning not waiting until my life looked like what I envisioned but living and taking risks now.

Now, I’m moving on to the next phase of life after 50. Of course, I feel like the withdrawal from the World Health Organization has thrown a wrench in my plans to fulfill one of my lifelong dreams (as you can see, I said “my” plans). However, knowing God, like I know Him because of past experiences, He’s already in the works of making something I didn’t even consider happen. Y’all, God is so good at what He does and so unpredictably strategic—so I am going to leave that whole matter alone and relax and keep doing what I need to do until He tells me otherwise. He is in control, and I know He loves me and will never lead me wrong. Even though I don’t always understand what He’s doing, I trust Him.

Before I end, please keep those suffering right now in your prayers. Last night, when I made my “Prayers” post, I didn’t want to mention the plane collision because the news was too new. I didn’t want to be the one to share the news if everyone hadn’t heard about it. It was devastating for me and so many more. I can only imagine how their loved ones felt, especially if they saw it play out almost in real-time on X. It was a lot! So, please keep them and everyone else in need of prayers in your prayers—which is probably all of us, but some more than others.🙏🏽

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading. I know it was long. I truly do appreciate you. My prayer for you is that God blesses and keeps you in His loving arms and at peace. May He soothe all of your hurts and calm your fears. Know that He’s always with you. Always. And He loves you, and I love you too. Have a wonderful day.♥️

Love you,

Shaun

hope

Trust Yourself, Trust Your Instincts

Here’s what I shared two years ago.

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.♥️

Love you,

Shaun

hope

The World Needs You

Please keep showing up. I know sometimes it’s easier said than done because, on some days, it’s hard showing up for yourself. But please, keep showing up. The world needs you.♥️

Love you,

Shaun

God’s got you. Show up and He will do the rest.
hope

You Are A Blessing

Guess what?!

You are a blessing! Yes…YOU!

Listen, never doubt what your existence brings to the world. Yes, the world! It just wouldn’t be the same without your presence. Please believe me when I say, you are invaluable.♥️

Love you,

Shaun

Originally shared on December 5, 2022.

hope

God’s Plan

On this day last year, I shared the following on Facebook—

“Everything always works according to God’s plan, and it always works out better than you imagined. Trust His plan.”

Shared on December 4, 2023

If you’re like me, you have absolutely no idea of what God’s plan entails. So, all you can do is trust Him. With that being said, I do and always will believe that His plans for our lives are greater than anything we’ve ever imagined. I believe this.

Now, let go and trust Him. He’s got you!♥️

Love you,

Shaun

hope

Don’t Throw In The Towel Yet

Earlier this morning, a friend texted me a photo I sent them a few years ago. It was a list of things I wanted to achieve within five years (2019-2024). After reading the list, part of me wanted to focus on what I hadn’t accomplished, while the other part smiled at what I had. Y’all, I have only achieved two or maybe three out of seven things. The other four are still a work in progress. But guess what?! 2024 is not over yet! I still have a few more weeks to cross off another item or two. Smiling

On another note, when things don’t go as planned, please don’t dwell on it. Use it as an opportunity to do something else or try something new. Just think of it as God’s way of shaking things up to keep you moving.

Love you!♥️

Shaun

hope

Guess What?!

You will WIN!🙌🏽


Since I’m wide awake, I thought I’d go ahead and post some good news for you to wake up to.

The message is, “You will win!” Yes, YOU! As I said a year ago, you always do. Smile♥️

Love you,

Shaun

Thought I’d go ahead and share since I’m wide awake. My two just got home and they are very talkative.

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You Choose

I couldn’t choose which Facebook memory to share, so please choose the one that resonates most with you at this moment.

Facebook Memory #1: November 27, 2022

Stay focused!

Facebook Memory #2: November 27, 2023

Keep smiling!

At the moment, they are both significant. Right now, I’m all smiles, and as you know, smiles are quite contagious. So, even though we are miles apart, I hope you are smiling. As for staying focused, I am definitely focused.♥️

How about you? Which did you choose?

Shaun

hope

Life Goes On

Life doesn’t stop because we do. No, it just continues on. So, take a breather when you must, but do get back up and continue going right along with it. Life is just too short and way too precious for us to stop and allow it to pass us by.♥️

Love you,

Shaun

You must keep going!