Ah, God. Why NOW?

Ah, God.

Why NOW?

Did this hard HAVE to get extra hard, just NOW?

Ow, God!

Thus hard really hurts. Especially NOW.

Oh, God.

You promised not to give more than we can bear. I trust You. Me? Not so much with this much hard.

I want to:

Run.

Hide.

Rage.

What good would that do?

So I:

Stand here.

Mute.

Screaming inwardly.

Praying outwardly.

Ah, God. Why NOW?

asking for a friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Keep pushing through the hard. You will get through. You are NOT alone. You are loved. Be encouraged.

I can not tell you how hard life has been to me. So what? I have thangs to do. As do you. I no longer allow myself to wallow. I don’t know how many more moments I have. Neither do you. Live. Love someone. Starting with you.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU.

Shut it: The Universe told me to shut up(it).

The Universe: Shut it! Close your mouth. Open your heart.

Me: Ow. Ew. Okay.

Geeeez!

So, I had been praying, er, complaining, about how woe is me and why is my life acting this way and…

*sound of needle being scratched across record can be heard*

Yeppers, beloveds, The Universe snatched me up quick, fast and in a hurry. Reminded me that I had to CHOOSE to wade past all my blessings, to get to the things I did not have.

I had to move my joy, to the side, to focus on the no, I thought I heard.

I had to kick to the curb, all the images of past victories, I had experienced, in order to look upon the apparent victories that would never be.

In short, I was choosing to look at my nots, my not nows, and forget about all the yes and amens I have experienced, up to now.

Life won’t always tell you yes. So what?

God won’t always tell you yes. So what?

The Universe won’t always tell you yes. So what?

You were ecstatic, weren’t you, when you received your yes?

High time we all learn to except the no, just as graciously.

I told The Universe geeeeeeeeeez then got back to living, hoping, trying and enjoying my life, right NOW, not in some nether world of maybe or how come.

When your feels get you all up in your feelings, shut it. When your try wants to cut up and sit down, shut it. When your fears want to get all up in your business and scare the behooey out of you, shut it.

Shut the door on:

Complaining.

Fear.

Hopelessness.

Anger.

Impatience.

And all the things you may have been allowing to tell your joy to shut it.

Shut the door on disbelief. Shut it out. Tell it to kick rocks. Life is short and you got thangs to do.

telling doubt to shut it up,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Okay, so, um, why you still here? Get on out there and love someone. Someone needs the awesome life called you. Don’t forget how amazingly fabulous your heart and life is. For those who don’t think so…what the world is the matter with THEM?

Be encouraged.

Be encouraged.

You CAN.

You WILL.

Have awesome evening/day wherever you find yourself.

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Don’t be afraid of your lonely.

I have been lonely lately. I don’t know why. Normally I enjoy being alone.

I am learning to sit with my lonely and talk to her. I ask her why she is lonely. I asked her what she would like to do with her life. I ask her what she needs from me.

She sighs.

She looks at me in a longing way.

I don’t know what she longs for.

I don’t know what my heart is longing for right now.

I used to be afraid of feeling such as this. I turned the noise up loud so as not to hear feelings like this.

Now I sit.

Now I listen.

Lonely has been awfully loud lately.

I think I shall take lonely and go sit with The Universe. I shall ask The Universe to speak with lonely.

It would be easy if I could work my way out of lonely. I have tried. It hasn’t work. Lonely obviously has something it wishes to say to me. I shall listen.

listening to my lonely,

Cassandra,

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Listen to your lonely. Don’t fill the space with distraction or other people. Sometimes, your heart needs to speak to and be with just you. Many are terrified of themselves. Don’t be, beloveds.

Don’t be ashamed of who you are. Don’t be ashamed of where you are. If you have been or done some not so nice things, forgive yourself. Make things right, if you can. Ask forgiveness then begin again. Stop shaming yourself for things you were ashamed of doing.

God loves you when you are loving. God loves you when you have been not so much. He loved you. Period. Let yourself out of the jail you have placed yourself in. You hurt. So, you hurt someone else. Unfortunate.

Be encouraged. We are NOT our mistakes. We are NOT our pain. You do yourself a disservice when you lock away your heart. Let folk in. Begin again. Okay? Asking for A Friend.

Remember:

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being… YOU

You are not alone.

You are not alone.

Someone is.

Love them.

Nuff said.

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Someone needs to hear they are not alone. Maybe that someone was you, today. Love somebody. Be encouraged. I have been telling folks to be encouraged for more than thirty years. A long time. I have to tell myself that often. Fighting for dreams can be discouraging. This has been an awfully discouraging year and a lonely one for me for some reason.

We only get this one life. I don’t think folk understand this. If so, they probably wouldn’t be acting the way that they are. I am so earnest when I write because I hope to catch a few before it’s too late and they run out of time. Ah…

Don’t argue with tired.

Don’t argue what tired. Tired will have you thinking life is just too much. Tired will have you thinking that’s okay to quit. Tired will have you believing you won’t win.

Tired wanted to stay in bed. Tired gave me a million reasons why I should stay in bed. I told tired to shut up and go make us some coffee.

Don’t argue with tired. Make tired stay in the fight. Make tired keep trying. Make tired work for you.

Don’t argue with tired. We got things to do.

dragging tired into the shower,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Lazy and tired are pouting. That refused to let them stay in bed. They are currently doing the laundry.

Don’t let your lazy entire let you take the easy way out. Keep going. You can. You will. Remember, there’s only one you. You are priceless. You are precious. You are needed. You are loved. Keep taking things one step at a time.

Improve.

Improve.

Your try.

Improve.

Your mind.

Improve.

Your work.

Improve.

Your care.

How?

Try.

Think.

Work.

Care.

Seems like folk are looking to and waiting for others to tell them how to think/feel/do. Make your own decisions. Think for yourself.

You will make mistakes? So what? That’s what happens when you make decisions. You will also succeed. In any event, fail from the choices you make and not from the choices of others.

Last weekend training I had a partner. This coming week, I will flop on my own. It’s part of the training. It’s part of the growing. It’s part of life. I will try. I will improve. How about you?

improving,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Improve.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being… YOU

Love them a different way.

I miss my mom.

Everyday.

I have learned to love for a different way.

Mom loved coffee. She always had us make her some Folgers Instant. Don’t ask me why. I guess we made it just perfectly.

My Kuerig went kaput. At first, I was annoyed. Now, I am grateful.

I had to go back to instant. It reminded me of mom. Now, when I make my coffee I spend time with her. I talk to her about my life. I tell her that I miss her. I wonder if she is proud of me.

It used to be hard thinking of her and looking at her picture. Now I have a small picture of her that I look at all the time.

Life often throws us curve balls. We just need to learn how to play another way. We can’t give up and refuse to play because things have not gone our way.

If you have lost someone or life has tossed a curve ball at you keep going. Learn to a dad that love another way. Keep being the best you that you know how to be.

Don’t allow anger or disillusionment to stop you from living your life. We often don’t get to see the big picture.

I don’t know why the hard has had to be so hard this year. I do know the hard has been revealing the depths of my character.

The hard has been making me confront my fears and my mistakes. The hard has helped me to understand that mistakes are okay to make. The heart has made me laugh at myself. The heart has made me grateful for what I have.

I appreciate my instant coffee more. I appreciate every moment more. Ah. Aha!

Keep trying.. Something you may never understand. I will never understand why life took my mom.

Have an awesome day today. Have a cup of coffee. Laugh. Cry if you need to. Just don’t give up. I’ve been talking a lot about not giving up. That’s because I have to tell myself not to give up.

I didn’t want to get out of bed today. I got out of bed. I did not want to vacuum. I vacuumed.

Now I sit and have a cup of coffee with mom. I wish I could lay my head on her stomach. I can’t. I have to love her a new way. I do.

loving in a new way,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Remember to be good to you when you’re going through a tough time. Remember that it’s okay to not be okay until you are okay. Grief can be sneaking. It hides within crowds and in the sunlight. That’s okay. I will be here with you. Be encouraged. You can do this. One step at a time.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being… YOU

Let’s cause some Monday Mayhem!

It’s Monday!

Time to unleash our dreams!

Time to inflict some Monday Mayhem upon aa that has defeated us:

Fear.

Doubt.

Apathy.

Hiding.

Lazy.

Faithlessness.

Let’s storm the walls and take back the things pride has been trying to keep us from:

Relentless.

Resolve.

Wonder.

Integrity.

Character.

Love.

Hope.

Faith.

Communication.

Fellowship.

Pride is sneaky. Pride lies and says no one cares. Pride lies and says we don’t need anyone. Pride lies and says we don’t have to share our thoughts and hearts as people should already know. Ha!

Yea, beloveds, let’s cause some Monday Mayhem. This world needs our love and all we bring to life’s table. The world is hungry. Best we get out our serving platters.

And now, don’t start judging yourself on what your platter looks like. And what little or what you have to serve. What you have is perfect. What you have is just the right meal for the world. Stop judging yourself and just be yourself. I mean it!

Have an awesome Monday. Select your attitude carefully. Just as you choose your wardrobe when you wake. If you find yourself wearing the wrong attitude, then change your clothes.🥰 You can’t blame the world for the attitude you find yourself in.

Be encouraged. I will be carrying you around in my pocket. So I can pray for you and tell you stupid jokes. I shall make you laugh all day. Please know you are loved and not alone. I hope for you peace, love, joy, laughter and all of life’s good things.

You’re a dastardly friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: What do you dream of? Wake up and move towards making them happen. This IS my dream: Writing to and encouraging the whole of the world. Ah. Aha! Get going now. The world is waiting.

“Embracing Home: A Symphony of Senses in My Neighborhood”

As I turn the familiar corner into my neighborhood after a prolonged absence, there’s a magical transformation that occurs. It’s not just the physical return to my humble abode; it’s a reunion with a symphony of senses that define the essence of home. The olfactory overture begins as I catch a whiff of my favorite […]
“Embracing Home: A Symphony of Senses in My Neighborhood”

I sooooooooooo enjoy Silent Knight’s way of describing things. Delicious!

If you have some time, scroll through some different blogs. It’s heartening to see how many folk care about others and the world around us. Gives me hope.

Enjoy your Sunday. I have spent a delicious afternoon writing and enjoying the writing of others.

Thank you, truly, to all who have liked a piece or two. I no longer live for likes when I write. Still, they mean a lot. Means we have connected, if just for a fleeting moment. Means someone else has heard how much they are loved.

I love you. Some have not heard those words spoken to their heart. I wanted to make sure you were loved on. Just a bit. Also, imp said to give you this…

*Cassandra tosses water 🎈 balloons in every direction and takes off*🤣🥰

Be encouraged.

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe