Tag: positive vibes

Life

Never Give Up

Shaun Bradford

Here’s what’s currently playing in my head– Yolanda Adam’s Never Give Up. Listen, no matter how bleak things may seem, remember to stay faithful. God is always working behind the scenes. So keep dreaming and never ever give up! He’s got you. Be blessed.

Never Give Up by Yolanda Adams

Visions that can change the world
Trapped inside an ordinary girl
She looks just like me
To afraid to dream out loud

And though it’s set for your idea
It won’t make sense to everybody
You need courage now
If you’re going to persevere

To fulfill your divine purpose
You’ve gotta answer when you’re called
So don’t be afraid to face the world
Against all odds

Keep the dream alive don’t let it die, if something deep inside
Keeps inspiring you to try, don’t stop
And never give up; don’t ever give up on you
Don’t give up

Every victory comes in time
Work today to change tomorrow
It gets easier
Who’s to say that you can’t fly?

Every step you take you gets
Closer to your destination
You can feel it now
Don’t you know you’re almost there?

To fulfill your life’s purpose
You’ve gotta’ answer when you’re called
So don’t be afraid to face the world
Against all odds

Keep the dream alive don’t let it die, if something deep inside
Keeps inspiring you to try, don’t stop
And never give up; don’t ever give up on you

Sometimes life can place a stubborn block in your way
But you’ve gotta keep the faith
Reap what deep inside your heart
To fly

And never give up
Don’t ever give up on you,
Don’t give up

Who holds the pieces to complete the puzzle?
The answer that can solve the mystery
The key that can unlock your understanding
It’s all inside of you
You have everything you need

So, keep the dream alive don’t let it die
If something deep inside keeps inspiring you to try
Don’t stop
And never give up; don’t ever give up on you

Sometimes life can place a stubborn block on your way
But you’ve gotta keep the faith
Bring what’s deep inside your heart
To the light

And never give up
Don’t ever give up on you
No don’t give up
No, no, no, no

Don’t give up
Don’t give up
Don’t give up
Oh, don’t, no, no, no, no
Don’t, give, up

Source: LyricFind and Never Give Up lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Life

Hello Sunday!

Shaun Bradford

A little late with writing today, but all is well. I actually slept a good 6-7 hours. Which has not happened in ages. Guess I wore myself out cleaning out storage bins. Y’all, I am an organized mess. Lol! The bins look nice and neat until you lift the lids. They are filled with items from my military career, undergrad and grad school, bills, letters, pictures, magazines, books, movies, etc. When I say I keep everything, I keep EVERYTHING! Ugh!! I rarely throw anything away. Which is funny because I found a letter from one of my sisters that was written in 2001. She sent me a picture of my nephew and wrote, “I’m sending this to you because you keep everything.” Wow! That’s what I do.

I guess I should attempt to explain why I hold on to so many things. First of all, I shouldn’t refer to all of the items as “things,” but memorabilia. The majority of the items I don’t believe I’ll ever throw away. I have letters from friends and family dating back to 1980s. Last night I found cards my granddaddy sent me for holidays and birthdays. Something I will always cherish. These came from someone who spent his entire life trying to live up to his reputation of being this hard, cold individual. But later in life he would call just to say hello and tell me he loved me, and he would send cards. Then there’s my military memorabilia. I have uniforms, orders from different assignments, awards, evaluations. You name it, I probably have it. Will I part with them? Probably not. As I mentioned, I have work from undergraduate and graduate school. I worked too hard on some of those projects, I just can’t throw them away. My magazines! My magazines date back to the 90s. I have Jet, Essence, Ebony, Sister-2-Sister, Time, Legacy, Sports Illustrated, Beckett Sports, and a few others. I have local magazines. Newspaper articles of events or people I know. Honestly, I do not know what I’m going to do with all of these things. I told my kids that when I buy my forever home, I am going to have a room where I can display everything. I can see myself walking through the room with my grands (children, nieces, and nephews) telling them stories about all of the items. To me, that’s heaven.

Okay, as usual, I got a little off track. I also have pictures.. tons of pictures! I took pictures of everything!! I have pictures from high school. Pictures from basic training. Y’all, I was in there just snapping away. Lol. I have soooo many pictures. Right now I have over 17,000 images stored between my phone and cloud. I just can’t seem to bring myself to delete many of them. They are so much more than pictures. They’re memories! They represent times, places, and feelings. As a child, whenever I would visit family, all I wanted to do was look at old pictures and ask questions- “Who’s this?” “Where was this taken?” Those questions usually led to great stories. Now I have my own stories.

Anyhoo.. as you can see this Hello Sunday is very random. Just felt like sharing. I’m going to glance over it to make sure it somewhat makes sense, but I’m not going to do much editing. This is how I typed out my thoughts so I’m going to leave this as is. Authentically me.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Shaun

Life

Enjoying the Ride

Shaun Bradford

Since I’m awake I might as well write. December 2020 is finally here. Y’all, we made to the end of the year!

A year ago I shared the attached quote on Facebook. The last sentence says, “And even if you lose, you just can’t lose.” Hmm…

Yesterday I was in a mood. A friend and I were texting about how we remember things versus how they actually happened. I told her that my journal entries always set me straight. I recall things one way, then go back and read journal entries from that period. Almost half of the time my recollections are not quite the way I remembered. Sometimes I was hurt far worse than I remembered, or loved much harder than I remembered. After texting her a few examples of what I thought happened versus what really happened, she said, “Don’t you wish you could go back with the knowledge you have now.” Well, that one statement put me in a mood. For hours all I could think about was why didn’t I do this or that. Why did things not happen for me? Y’all, I wasted hours thinking about things that happened over the last 20+ years. Talk about crazy! Unfortunately, I fell asleep feeling a little down. However, I woke up to several encouraging messages to include this memory.

Even though I looked back and thought about how I could have done things differently, it wasn’t meant to be. What was meant to be, is. I wanted more. My vision was higher and still is. I refused to settle. So yes, I suffered heartbreaks and what seemed like failures, but my story is not over. I only have one life and I refuse to settle for less than God’s absolute best. So am I losing? Nah.. I’m winning!

God is good. Enjoying the ride!

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford
God is working.

Last week I wrote a blog for my other site, A Research Diva’s Journey (see blog below). Y’all, my heart was so full. Tearing up just thinking about what transpired. I say this all of the time, and I truly mean it, money and things don’t bring me joy, experiences and seeing others excel does it for me. Those are the things that make my heart smile and show me that any– and everything is possible!

This particular blog is about President-Elect Joe Biden’s nominee for U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield. No, she’s not the first African American who’s held this position, nor is she the first African American female. However, she is the first to make me feel like my journey to the United Nations is actually tangible. She’s a southern girl (woman) born right next door in Louisiana. In her TEDx she mentioned her parents. They reminded me of my great-great grands who encouraged us to get a good education because it was an opportunity they were not afforded. As a teenager I wanted to join the Peace Corp. Guess what?! She joined the Foreign Services. Y’all, what really resonated with my soul was her motto to always lead with kindness and compassion. Yes… I’m crying. She is ME!

Below is the beginning of my blog, Limitless Possibilities. If you have time, please read it. Y’all, God is working! Shaun

Yes, I’m still here! Smile. Life is definitely a journey and I am on one. Have you ever wondered why God reveals things in stages? Or why He shows …

Limitless Possibilities
Life

Thanksgiving

Shaun Bradford

Today I am giving thanks for every blessing God has bestowed on me. I’m alive. I’m well. My kids are here with me. My parents, siblings and their families are well. Y’all, I’m blessed.

With that said, I am also thankful for the small blessings I often take for granted like breathing freely. At this moment there are millions suffering from the side effects of COVID-19, one of which is labored breathing. Last week I watched my uncle struggle to breathe while urging us, his family and friends, to take the virus seriously. His Facebook Live from ICU was very emotional and difficult to watch. Watching him weep while telling God why he wasn’t ready to die was heart wrenching. It is not something I ever want to experience, or wish upon anyone else.

Two other things many of us take for granted are shelter and having access to food. How many of you actually wake up thinking I could be homeless right now or wondering how you will feed yourself and/or family? Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousands who woke up last Thanksgiving oblivious of what was to come. Like you and me, they never imagined being homeless or food insecure. However, now they are homeless and have no idea of how they will eat tomorrow or next week. Just imagine being a parent trying to figure out how to provide for your children and you can’t even provide for yourself. Again, it is something I never want to experience. Prayers for those who are.

Y’all, this pandemic has really made me more aware of my blessings. It is so important that we stop and thank God for the blessings we have today because it is not promised that we will have them tomorrow.

Before I end, I would like to say I am thankful for each one of you. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blogs. It is something that I do not take for granted. I really do appreciate you. Wishing you peace and many blessings.

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford

This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (KJV)

We have exactly five Sundays, and almost six weeks, left in 2021. As I mentioned in my last blog, I cannot take old baggage into 2021. This includes old habits and thoughts.

At the end of last year, many of us claimed we were ready for 2020, the year of 20/20 Vision. However, most of us were not prepared for what we asked. I mean, were you prepared for this kind of clarity? I know I wasn’t. I believe this pandemic has been an eye opener for most of us. It has brought out the best in some people and the worst in others. It has revealed which relationships were worth saving and which ones to let go. For many of us, 2020 shifted our focus from the things we thought we were lacking, to our abundance of blessings. It also exposed our strengths and weaknesses, in which many of us have taken advantage of working on. Y’all, 20/20 Vision is what we asked for and God delivered.

As I said, I will not take old baggage into 2021. Which means I need to start working on eliminating them now. Here is my plan:

  • Make every moment count. I plan to be more intentional about how I spend my time.
  • Stop wasting time entertaining negative vibes. I will make a conscious effort to turn negative situations into positive ones.
  • Purposefully speak life into myself as well as others.
  • Say “Yes” to opportunities I want to do and “No” to the ones I don’t. Here’s the catch, saying “no” cannot be attached to fear. In those situations I will say “Yes!” I must do it afraid.
  • Lastly, however most importantly, allow God to lead and give Him complete control. I’m not going to lie, just saying “give Him complete control” is a little scary. Like, what does that mean and what will He do? Well, I just have to trust Him. He has never let me down nor left me, so why does this seem like the hardest to do?

I believe my plan is doable. Seriously, I have no desire continuously repeating the same things from years past. 2020 brought clarity. 2021 will bring prosperity. Speaking it. Claiming it.

How do you plan to bring in 2021? Will you leave old baggage behind? Will you start prepping today or will you wait until New Year’s Eve? Remember, you only have six weeks.

Stay safe and be blessed!

Shaun