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More about Shannon

Hello all! I’m so glad you’re here. I’m Shannon Stedman, a Jesus-loving wife and mother of five. I love outdoor activities, exploring new areas, exercising, reading and writing. I write on my whole journey in the areas of faith, health and relationships. Read More…

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Children are not born racist and prejudice, it is

Children are not born racist and prejudice, it is learned. Growing up, my mom wanted my brother and I to have a more diverse experience than simply the community that we lived in. We bussed almost an hour each way to school. I went to an elementary school where I, a white girl, was the “minority”. It was an amazing experience, I absolutely loved it! When I was seven or eight years old my cousin was born. My first question to my mom was “what is it?”. My mom said “it’s a girl!” I was confused and frustrated because she hadn’t answered my question. I followed up with “no, is the baby black or white?” It’s easy to be in denial about what happens around our world when it’s not happening directly to us. I want to be a mom who strives to protect the whole state that my children were born in and teach them to protect it for themselves. God, please help me to teach my children to guard their hearts and minds from the pollution trying to imprison them. Maybe stick to and remain true to the unconditional love and acceptance that they were born with. #parentinglife #mamabear #untamed #theuntamed #uncaged #alllivesmatter #racisminamerica #racism #racismisreal #prejudice #childlikefaith #loveistheanswer

This is my amazing, spunky and wild niece and godd

May 15, 2014⁣ ⁣ I was free to go. I had been a

May 15, 2014⁣
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I was free to go. I had been asking pretty much my entire stay how long I would be there. Finally the day came, I was free to go home. Free to go outside. Free to go live my life. Except there was a problem, I had absolutely no idea what to do and I was scared to death.⁣
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Read the rest of “Free to Go” at www.shannonstedman.com⁣
Link in bio⁣
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#holestowhole #recoverywarrior #recoveryjourney #mentalhealthrecovery #free

God is working. Breakthroughs are coming. Just hol

God is working. Breakthroughs are coming. Just hold on. #12steps #recoveryquotes #recoverywarrior #holestowhole

I am jittery, excited, afraid, energetic and exhau

I am jittery, excited, afraid, energetic and exhausted all at the same time. I want to do everything and I want to do nothing. It's the adrenaline. I like it and hate it at the same time. My mind is moving a mile a minute and at the pace of a snail simultaneously. What is this ride? I want to get off but I kind of like it a little too. ⁣
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The creativity is flowing while I also feel foggy and like I am trudging through calf-high mud. The wheels are spinning out of control, but the bike isn't going anywhere. "Just breathe. Just breathe. Don't panic. Just be." ⁣
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Read more at www.shannonstedman.com ⁣
“Divided and Standing?”⁣
Link in bio⁣
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#holestowhole #reparenting #recoverywarrior #faithoverfear

She is 11. Recently I rubbed my eyes hard wonderin

She is 11. Recently I rubbed my eyes hard wondering if I was seeing things right. The middle child who has been shorter than her little brother for years was now looking him square in the eyes. No more height differential here.⁣⁣
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One of her most important tasks is to get the “perfect” picture. ⁣
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The girl who I termed “my quiet observer” as a baby has strong opinions, thoughts and feelings is now sharing them, sometimes gracefully other times with force and attitude. ⁣⁣
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Who taught her to be her own person and speak her truth anyway? ⁣⁣
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So funny how I sometimes feel my parenting mission and work comes back to bite me, haha haha! Even so, I wouldn’t change it. My job is to try to give my children roots and wings. I hope to be a conduit to help them grow into who they have been created to be and to point them to relationship and connection with God, themselves and others. ⁣⁣
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It is important, transformative and exhausting work. ⁣⁣
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Read about some of my mothering experiences past and present at www.shannonstedman.com or click the link in my bio. ⁣⁣
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⁣#gratefulthankfulblessed #gratefulmom #strongkids #speaktruth #empoweredwomen #mygirl #11yearsold #tweenlife.

Yesterday this boy (who also does hibachi on the s

Yesterday this boy (who also does hibachi on the side) gave me the following response when I told him to put a shirt on under his jacket when we were going out.....⁣
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“Mom, you can’t control my life. Why don’t you just let me experience the natural consequences of my actions.”⁣
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I paused for a moment, speechless. Whose child is this anyway? ⁣
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What could I say to that? He was right. Damn, he’s been listening. Now he’s using my words to speak wisdom and truth to me. ⁣
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This whole encouraging kids to become responsible for themselves and speak their mind parenting philosophy is for the birds (as my grandma used to say). ⁣
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I guess it’s working....... ⁣
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Hop over to my blog to read more of my mothering thoughts and experiences in my Mother’s Day post. ⁣
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www.shannonstedman.com⁣
Link in bio⁣
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#mothersday #mothersday2020 #speakyourtruth #speaklife #speakup #empoweredkids #momlife #myboy #parentinglife #boymomlife

I rode down the elevator and shuffled into the mai

I rode down the elevator and shuffled into the main lobby all the while policed by the nurse walking at my side. I was excited and terrified at the same time. I hadn’t seen my children in over a week. What were they thinking? Why had mom been gone so long in the hospital? Why did they have to come to the hospital to visit me on Mother’s Day? “Just show up” I kept telling myself, “Just show up”.⁣
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As I entered the lobby, my eyes had to adjust to the daylight. I was not used to this natural light. I had been spending my days on the second floor with bars on the windows and not many windows at that. I wasn’t used to this.⁣
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I think I was mostly like a deer in headlights. I spent 15-20 minutes with my children with three other adults present. It was a sweet reunion laced with the undertones of fear and uncertainty. I felt like the six adult eyes in the room were on me, constantly evaluating for signs of anything that would require them to step in. I don’t know what they were looking for, but I know they were looking. They had no clue what to expect from a mom in a mental hospital visiting with her kids on Mother’s Day.⁣
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Read the rest at www.shannonstedman.com⁣
Link in bio⁣
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#mothersdaygifts #mothersday #mothersday2020 #recoverymom #recoverywarrior #recoveryispossible #recoveryjourney #recoverymode #momhealth #gratefulthankfulblessed #gratefulmom

During my time in the hospital, I generally lived

During my time in the hospital, I generally lived from visiting hours to visiting hours. It was all about the survival in between. Although they were often awkward and uncomfortable, they were a welcome reprieve from the doctors, the meds, the screaming and sadness of other patients and most of all my torturous insides. They offered connection and sometimes I forgot that I was locked on the second floor of a mental hospital with bars on the windows. Just sitting in silence brought comfort even if just for a moment.⁣⁣
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Most times I didn’t really know what to say and really couldn’t talk much because I was so foggy and jumbled inside. Many of my loved ones had no clue what to say or do. None of that mattered. They showed up. Just being in the presence of familiar people was enough even if we weren’t saying anything at all.⁣⁣
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The days felt unending. Each day felt like a week and I had no idea how long I would be there. I went through a few roommates during my stay.⁣⁣
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One visit that I especially awaited was the one from my pastor. I didn’t know when he was coming but I knew he would show up.⁣⁣
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Read the rest of the story at www.shannonstedman.com⁣
Link in bio⁣
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#mentalhealthrecovery #mentalhealthwarrior #recoveryispossible #recoveryjourney #recoverywarrior #holestowhole #hopeful

Six years ago today I walked through the hospital

Six years ago today I walked through the hospital doors. I sat in a very small room no windows, stark white walls. There was nothing more than a desk and three chairs in there.⁣
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I said goodbye to my mom and went up to the second floor. Several of my belongings were confiscated. Now I sat alone in a new room with stark white walls. This would be my home for awhile.⁣
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I spent two weeks there. I felt dead inside. It wasn’t until close to the end of my time there that I felt a flicker of life inside of me.⁣
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A lot has happened and changed in my life since that time. What is still the same is feeling a little alive and a little dead inside. Today it’s more dead.⁣
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Now I hear the soft, gentle whisper reminding me that death comes before new life. I feel a little flicker of life inside me. It’s hope.⁣
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These photos were taken almost two weeks after I left the hospital in 2014. ⁣
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Visit my blog for more of the story ⁣
www.shannonstedman.com⁣
Post link in my bio⁣
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#wholeness #recoveryjourney #recoverywarrior #healingjourney #mentalhospital #writerofinstagram #truthseeker

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