Tag: relationships

Life

Wednesday Writings

Shaun Bradford

Y’all, I’m sitting here in awe because I didn’t have to think of something to write about this morning. You want to know why? Because it was already written (well, partially written) three years ago– August 24, 2019. I just love my Facebook memories and journal entries.

Journal Entry– August 24, 2019

“Trust and loyalty are my two greatest fears. Yes, fears. If I trust you, will you hurt me? If I’m loyal to you, will you leave me? Right now I’m learning to trust. Trust isn’t something I’ve ever given to someone easily. It’s sad to say but there are only a few people I completely trust. Really only two, my two [kids]. I know they have my back.”

Now, that was the first part of my entry. Today, I can happily say that trust and loyalty don’t bother me as much as they used to. I believe it was this exact year when I realized trust should be given a chance to be earned (believe me, I wasn’t handing out trust passes) and loyalty didn’t have to be reciprocated. Before then, I didn’t really give many the opportunity to earn trust. Had been hurt too many times before. Same with loyalty. I had been hurt and disappointed too many times. Life

Well, this next part I was kind of hesitant to share because it seemed a bit too personal. However, I decided to share it anyway because it is part of the story, my story. So here it goes. One of my transparent moments. I’ll let you know if my thoughts have changed any, afterwards.

“Will I trust my mate completely? I’m praying that I will and he does the same with me. Complete trust. Complete loyalty. Meaning NEVER talking about the other in ways that degrades the other, or causes someone to look at them unfavorably.”

Hmmm…

“Complete trust.” “Complete loyalty.” Are those even possible?

Ironically, I’ve been thinking about the two (trust and loyalty) a lot lately. I told y’all a few blogs ago that my life follows a pattern– same month, different year, same thoughts. How weird is that? Anyway, a few days ago, I actually had a conversation with God about the two. Then, not even a day later, I had a conversation with someone else about the same exact things- trust and loyalty. As I mentioned earlier (in my journal entry), the lack of trust and loyalty were my two greatest fears.

This time when I asked God the same question I asked three years ago– will I be able to trust my mate completely?– here’s what He had to say. Yes, He talked and I listened. (Smile) He said that He would never entrust me to anyone I could not trust or who wasn’t loyal. He explained that I’m wise enough to know the difference between intentional and unintentional harm, and that I would have to use this wisdom as a guide when assessing true loyalty and trust. People are not perfect, they’re human. They will make mistakes. Also, He assured me that He would never send me someone I cannot fully trust or who wasn’t loyal. It would be beneath Him to do so. Y’all, that last part!! Whew! Listen, God ONLY sends THE BEST! You already know His answer made me smile.

Trust and loyalty.

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday and fabulous rest of the week.

Shaun

Life

Time

Shaun Bradford

When we were younger, we believed we had all the time in the world to do those little things we knew were significant but found insignificant at the moment. Things like living healthier and cultivating meaningful relationships. They were always at the back of our minds, or on our to-do lists, but somehow they never quite became a priority.

Unfortunately, we cannot turn back the hands of time. Those health issues that could have been prevented are now being managed. Relationships that could have worked, or been better, are either long gone or beyond repair. Sadly, time didn’t wait until we were ready. However, the good news is we are still here and have the opportunity to make wiser choices.

Listen, time isn’t stopping nor is it slowing down. So if there is something or someone you value, make it or them a priority. It’s so important that we take advantage of the time we already have, not the time we believe you have. Be sure to make every moment count.♥️ ~ Shaun

This is my first animated drawing! Y’all, I’m creating and it feels absolutely amazing! Can’t wait to see where this adventure takes me.☺️
Life

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford

Happy Sunday!

Y’all, I have been so busy since I made it home from house sitting. Seems like I haven’t had a chance to catch my breath. I would provide details but at the moment, I’m a little too tired. However, I will tell you this.

My son is officially a freshman in college!

Which means he’s already testing his independence and boundaries. Friday, I moved him into the dorms. Yesterday, he was already exploring the campus. Yesterday around noon, I received a text from him informing me that he was going out to eat with friends. Umm.. What friends? I didn’t ask. Just texted back “Okay” and “Separate checks.” He said that was the plan. Well, that was around lunchtime. Tried calling him several hours later and got the “The person you’re trying to reach is not available at this time” message. I already knew his phone was dead. I didn’t panic. Told myself he would reach out soon, and he did. Well, that was around 6 PM.

Around 10:30 PM, I receive a text from my daughter asking if I thought my son accidentally blocked her because all of her iMessages were turning green. Of course I didn’t think that he had so I did something I guess she hadn’t tried, I called him. Well… I got the same lovely message again. This time I was a bit concerned. Not because I believed something was wrong but because he was being irresponsible. Around midnight I get a call from him apologizing saying he didn’t know his phone had died. I assured him that it was okay, but definitely not okay. I also told him that his sister was worried so he called her.

Before I went to bed, I texted him to see if he was okay and told him that I was happy he was having fun. Y’all, this is someone who’s on his phone almost every waking hour of the day and he had no idea his phone was dead. So he was really enjoying himself, which made me smile.

I believe he’s learned his lesson. Well, at least I hope he has. I am so looking forward to guiding him through this next phase of life. I know it may be challenging at times; however, I’m confident that God will give me the patience, wisdom and tools needed to make it to the next phase.

Thanks for reading! Wishing you a wonderful, relaxing week.

Shaun

Life

What’s Controlling Your Thoughts?

Shaun Bradford

Whatever OR whoever controls your thoughts controls you. Don’t believe me? Watch your actions. Whether noticeable to others or not, your actions will always tell the truth.♥️ ~ Shaun

Life

Attainable

Shaun Bradford

Your dreams and goals ARE attainable. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:

  • Am I putting in the work?
  • Am I making the necessary sacrifices?
  • Do I actually want it?👀

Dig deep! If you REALLY want it, make the sacrifices and work for it!♥️ ~ Shaun

Life

Wednesday Writings

Shaun Bradford
Writing my story.

Last week I experienced another major life shift. Unlike nine years ago, I felt the shift and didn’t panic. I felt it and actually smiled.

You see, when I turned 40, my life began to change. Actually.. it began to unravel. I can even tell you when the shift happened. It was on my 40th birthday. I was disappointed because my birthday was not what I had always imagined– wasn’t even close. I know it sounds shallow but it was a big deal, a very big deal. Honestly, I tried to convince myself that I could live with the disappointment, but I couldn’t. All I could think about was a life of being asked to be content with disappointments. This prompted me to ask myself, “Shaun, where do you see yourself in ten years?”. I also asked my ex the same. Well.. guess what?! We are both exactly where we said we saw ourselves being. Hmm… life is interesting.

I didn’t see it then, but I see it now, that was when my marriage actually ended.

So that was a major shift.

Well, last week, after returning home, I felt another shift. I thought I was returning home to the babies I had left. Yeah.. I know, they are not babies but they will always be my babies. Anyhoo.. I returned home to two young adults. Adults who had been doing their own thing while I was gone. I’m not going to lie, it took me a minute to adjust to the change, but only a minute. When I finally accepted that things had changed, I was like, “I like this.”

Listen, I’m smiling as I write because I spent the last year wondering how I would survive being an empty nester. Wondering what life would be like with only myself to care for. Well, I can happily and confidently say, I’m gonna be alright. I’m so looking forward to this next chapter.

Thanks for reading! Wishing you a wonderful day.

Shaun

Life

Chosen

Shaun Bradford

Handpicked by God. One of a kind. There’s only one YOU! Know that YOU were specifically chosen to fulfill God’s purpose. Keep doing you!♥️ ~ Shaun

Life

Wednesday Writings

Shaun Bradford

Happy Wednesday! Today’s blog is a hodgepodge of Facebook memories I that I’ve shared on this date over the years.

Okay.. Here’s the memory dump!

“In time it’ll be revealed.”

My response to a video Bishop T.D. Jakes shared:

THIS MESSAGE RIGHT HERE!!💃🏽
I am unique. There’s no other like me. There will never be another like me. God placed me in this world to fulfill a purpose that only I can fulfill. He made me exactly who He wanted me to be. So when you see me doing me, know that it’s all a part of God’s plan. He’s shaping me and molding me to fulfill His purpose. Whew!!

“What’s for me, is for me.”

This is all I have for you today. Hopefully you were as blessed by the memories as I was. Listen, knowing that what’s meant for me will not miss me and I’m the ONLY one who can fulfill a specific purpose, makes me want to sing and dance. Y’all, I’m blessed.

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday! Take Care.

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford

Obedience: Compliance with an order or request.

Obedience. For the past few days I have been seeing and hearing the word “obedience” everywhere. Even read a past journal entry this morning that referenced obedience. From past experience, I know that when something rings this loudly in my thoughts and surroundings, it’s a message. And to be completely honest (transparent) obedience is something I have been struggling with lately. Not necessarily being obedient to God now, but thinking about past requests for obedience that I obeyed and am now feeling somewhat out of place. However, the flip side of actually following through with the request is I feel more free and at peace. Weird, huh? Here’s an example.

Moment of Transparency:

One of my most recent struggles has been with Twitter. If you have read any of my past blogs over the years, you know that I have multiple accounts on multiple social media platforms. I know it may seem odd to have so many accounts, but for me, it’s my way of compartmentalizing the content I share. To me, it just makes sense to have multiple accounts. Anyway, I have had this one Twitter account for a little over eight years now that I have been struggling with letting go. The message I have gotten from God over the past few years has been to let it go, but for some reason, I can’t completely do it. Maybe it’s the memories, the connections, the friendships (virtual friendships) or the history that has me attached. Giving it up feels like I’m giving up a piece of me or eight years of memories. And y’all, the only thing I was asked to do was to log off. I wasn’t asked to delete it, just log off. Simple, right? Not really.

Well, at the end of last year, I was finally obedient and logged off. I did great for a while. Then a new movie came out that I really wanted to tweet about but couldn’t because I was no longer on that account. Although I shared a few tweets from one of my other accounts, it wasn’t the same. And y’all, my shows were getting so good! All I thought about was tweeting, but couldn’t. Talk about agony!

Honestly, logging off was one of the best things I could have done. It was so freeing. I felt so much lighter. What I didn’t realize then, which I do now, is that I was addicted to that account. Not Twitter, but that particular account. I couldn’t function without constantly checking it. Even when my mind wasn’t thinking about tweeting, my finger would find the Twitter app, open it and mindlessly scroll down my timeline. Y’all, it was really bad! And I know what had me addicted. It was the constant interaction and feedback I received; and when I didn’t get it, I would feel ignored or rejected. So I would tweet until I got the response I desired. Ha! Can’t get any more transparent than this, right? (Smile) Listen, I was a mess. I had to log off. It was so necessary. Y’all, my mental and emotional well-being was in jeopardy!

A couple of months ago, I decided to log back on to start sharing my quotes. So far things are going well. Confession– I have shared a few tweets outside of my quotes but I haven’t engaged in any tweeting activities. Yesterday, I was reading tweets that had been shared on Instagram. One post encouraged followers to LIVE tweet during the shows, which was something I used to do. Y’all, there’s nothing like LIVE tweeting. Anyway, after seeing the posts, I began feeling sad because I missed the action. I missed the conversations. I missed my people. I was so tempted to go back and pick up like I never left. But I couldn’t. Y’all, I never want to feel that weight of addiction again. It was too much!

Obedience. Fortunately, I can say the only thing I actually lost from being obedient was the addiction. The true connections and bonds I made over the years, as well as the memories I’ve created, still remain. Grateful

So, that was just one example of a recent struggle I’ve had with being obedient and releasing something. I also struggle with being obedient and receiving things. Now that’s the big one!

Well, this is all I have for today. Thanks for reading and enjoy your day!

Shaun