Month: December 2023

My why is no longer my reason why.

I used to want to see my name in lights.

I used to want to see a book, written by me, in a book store.

Prominently placed, of course.

Why?

I could say, then, I didn’t know why. I just knew I had this yearning, this burning, to see MY name, in a place of prominence.

If you ask me NOW, I would probably tell you I needed to be:

Seen.

Heard.

Validated.

Then, yes, ONLY then, could/would/should I be…

Loved.

Ah, love!

It’s what we all seek, eh, beloveds?

EVERYTHING we say and do is to garner love. We seek it, zealously. We guard it, jealously. We hoard it, greedily. With most of us loving it, gingerly, guiltily, foolishly thinking and believing we are not worthy of IT. Of love.

Ah, beloveds, fools that we are. We are worthy of love simply because we ARE.

It took me decades to learn how to receive love. It took decades of God chasing me down to show me His Love. For me. I didn’t believe Him. I dared not believe Him. How could He love a goof like me?!

Yet, He did. Still does.

Now, I find my why is no longer my reason why.

Now, my reason for being is…

Being!

Ah.

Aha!

Now, I write, to encourage others to find their why.

Why?

Because, beloveds, you have always been my true reason why. I encourage. It’s what I do. It’s not the whole of me.

I am many things. As are you. The trick is understanding we are more than what we do. We are more than what we have. We are more than what we give.

I write to encourage as many folk as I can for as long as I can in as many ways I can muster and think of. Simple as that.

I no longer have to. I choose to.

Life is short. Don’t waste your life trying to earn validation. Keep doing what you love. Keep loving yourself. Keep pursuing your why.

Why?

Your why may lead me to my dream. To yours. To many. To one. To..?

We shall never know unless we keep going, eh?

I don’t know if I am making sense to you. I don’t know if I am making sense at all. I don’t know…*shrug*.

Keep on being you. You are loved and you are not alone.

being my why,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: It’s easy to wonder if our words are falling to the ground unheard. Keep sharing. Keep trying. Keep believing. In you. Asking for A Friend.

8:30!: I asked The Universe.

8:30!

Who plays a football 🏈 game at 8:30, on a Sunday morning?!

I was tired.

I wanted to watch the game.

8:30!?

Who wants to watch a football 🏈 game at 8:30, on a Sunday morning?!

I was tired. I wanted to watch the game. I pouted. I pondered. It had been a long week. I had been sick, all week. I was feeling better. Finally.

I decided.

To sleep in.

I fell.

Asleep.

Secretly, I pouted. I wanted to watch the game, I whispered to my heart.

Morning woke me. Chastised me, for not asking, for what I wanted.

I was annoyed. I had wanted to watch the game.

The sun was mocking me, 😉 winking, through the curtain, saying I should have asked, for what I wanted.

I wish I would have asked night to have day wake me, with enough time to watch the game.

Phooey!

In mid pout, I felt a gentle tap, on my shoulder.

I looked over…

8:30! Yaaaaayayayayayayayayaya!!

The Universe woke me!

Yipppeeeeee…lol.

Okay, so I know this is a silly thing to have gotten all excited about. Yet, it does not take much to get me fired up. I really was disappointed I had forgotten to set the alarm.

Moral of the story:

Ask for what you need/want. Who knows? The Universe may wake you as well.

satisfied,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Life is short. Ask for what you need and want from life. You won’t receive what you don’t ask for.

Remember alway:

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU

I still believe.

I still believe.

Still.

I will.

Believe.

I believe, I will.

I believe.

I will.

Still.

Still, I believe that I will.

I must.

Why?

Someone has to.

Someone must.

I believe that someone has to be me.

I believe that someone must be me.

*Cassandra embraces a world that won’t believe. She chooses. She believes. Still.*

believing still,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: NEVER let your light be extinguished. Keep on believing. We have to. We must. Will you?

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being… YOU

Act your age: 25 and counting.

“Act your age.”

Really?

What, pray tell, is THAT age?

I turned 55, on November 3rd. In my heart, I am 25. I have been, and ever shall be, 25 and counting, for the rest of my days.

Why?

Because it is MY age. MY life. MY choice.

I have been seeing TikToks lately, admonishing ‘older folk’ to:

Dress this way.

Don’t dress that way.

Don’t dye your hair.

Dye your hair.

Go there.

Do NOT go there.

Leave your husband/family and DO you….smh.

Now, beloveds, I do NOT, for the life of me, understand where this trend seems to be that it’s okay to blow up one’s life simply because the TikTok/social media masses are doing so.

Don’t yall know, by now, that most of these folk are running game on you to get all up in your wallets?…smh.

I have also seen where folks are ‘seeing the light’ after having trashed their lives, for clicks, clickbait and dollars. Only to understand, FINALLY, how short life is. Now they are trying to reverse engineer their choices and profit NOW on ‘doing the right thing’. Apparently, there is a new dollar stream in ‘acting right after acting a complete and utter fool until one gets too old to do so’.

How about we all act right because it IS right to do right?

Okay, speech over.

I guess I am trying to encourage folk to just BE.

Who YOU are.

Not who the world tells you that you ought or have to be.

Do because you wish to do.

As for me and my house, I feel like eating tater tots and fruit snacks. They make me feel like a kid again. They make me smile. I think I shall allow myself to BE a kid again. For the night. Tomorrow? I shall put on my big girl pants and do the day.

Act your age. Whatever the age YOU choose…lol. Life is short. Enjoy your moments. ALL of them.

Be encouraged. I keep saying that because I need to hear it. These have been some discouraging days. So what? I embrace the hard. I am growing. Though, I would rather spend these days hiding under a mountain of comforters!

Take care of your heart. Love on you for me, would you please? Asking for A Friend.

here as best as I can,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: In case no one has told you today:

I love you.

You CAN.

You WILL.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU.

Heart ♥ check Friday on Saturday.

How is your heart, beloveds?

YOURS?

As for me and mine…geeez this has been a long month. Already!

Currently, I am singing, badly I my add, ‘My Help Cometh From The Lord.’ I’m waiting for the neighbor or police to come help me get some shut the hooey up.😆

I am finding habits really are hard to break. A good thing.

Good habits made me get up and keep it moving.

Good habits had me blasting, uplifting music, and taking out the trash.

Good habits had my doing my daily writing.

Good habits have led me to…YOU.

Again, how is YOUR ♥ heart?

Asking for A Friend.

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Be good to yourself today. Be sure to get some rest in. Tell lazy it has full control today only.😆

You are loved and you are not alone. Keep on being you.

I am not strong: Finally.

Finally.

I am content just being…

Me.

I am content just being.

I am content.

I am.

I am?

I AM!

Ah.

Aha!

I wish someone had told me a looooooong time ago that I did not HAVE to be strong ALL the time.

I am not always strong. I am not always weak either. There are days where I am somewhere, there, in between strong and what in the fresh hell is this?!

That’s okay. The world doesn’t want you to know it’s okay to NOT be:

Perfect.

Packaged.

Proper.

It’s okay to be:

Scattered.

Shattered.

Shaken.

Finally, I KNOW I am amazing just by being.

Keep on being you, beloveds. ALL of you. Especially the boring parts. I find folks boring immensely interesting and satisfying.

Stop judging yourself by the world’s standards. You know when your act right is not acting right. You know how you feel about this or that.

Be encouraged. I say these two words EVERY day. I say them to myself. It’s easy to feel lost and alone in such a large world. The world is smaller than you think.

being weak with you,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I am not strong. Thank God I don’t have to be. Neither do you.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being… YOU

Real talk: When your dreams are too heavy for you to carry…alone.

I told God my dreams were too heavy for me to carry…alone.

Alone.

ALONE!

I want to be mad at the whole damned world. Okay, just one person: Mom.

Mom😭.

December is the haaarrrdeeest month since mom passed away Christmas morning 2016. This year will be year seven. 7!

Crap. Crap. Crap! DAMMIT, I am not a cusser and want to cuss the whole entirety of this momless world!

I don’t.

I have learned to plan for this time of year. For holidays. For missing mom days.

I MAKE myself get out of bed.

I MAKE myself something to eat.

I MAKE myself take out the trash.

I MAKE myself work.

I MAKE myself reach out and love someone.

I MAKE myself lean on God.

I MAKE myself make myself laugh.

I MAKE myself write three pieces, at least, daily.

I MAKE myself listen to praise/worship/uplifting music.

I MAKE myself read my Bible.

I MAKE myself watch Hallmark movies I still sniff over because of all the delicious sappy.

I MAKE myself remind you, remind ME, that we are loved and NOT alone.

I MAKE myself enjoy coffee with mom and loving her in a new way. Crap!

I MAKE myself make my grateful lists on the daily.

I MAKE myself give my heavy dreams to God to help me carry.

Ah, beloveds, be encouraged. Life is worth living. Even the hard parts. Oh, beloveds, lean on those that care for you. Ow, beloveds, this hurts.

We CAN. We WILL!

Remember:

You are not your pain.

This too SHALL pass.

The rainbow is coming after the storm has passed.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being… YOU

leaning hard,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Ah, mom…

I told God my dreams were too heavy.

I told God my dreams were too heavy.

He said I know.

He told me to lean upon His Shoulder. That way I could carry them.

I told God I was too tired to continue to carry these dreams unfulfilled.

He said I know and for me to keep trusting.

I told God these dreams are too heavy and not leading me anywhere.

He said stop for a while and catch my breath.

I leaned.

I trusted.

I rested.

I told God my dreams are a bit lighter now.

He said I know and for me to keep going.

going/growing,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: This piece is for anyone who is tired and discouraged from holding onto a dream for seemingly too long.

In a way I am thankful my dreams have not come true yet. My writing is different. I am different. I had to learn to keep fighting for myself. I had to learn how to give up on myself. I had to learn to believe in my gift. I had to learn to believe in me no matter what.

I had to learn the only validation I needed which from myself. I had to learn to love myself whether anyone loved me or not.

I had to learn that there was joy even in the midst of sadness and pain and trying and trials and discomfort and being uncomfortable and not knowing what to do.

I had to learn my voice and thoughts were important. Even if only viewed by me. I had to learn my weird was okay. I had to learn that it was okay to not be ok until I became okay.

I had to learn how to stand gracefully. I had to learn how to fall foolishly. I had to learn that I was love whether I stood or I fell.

I had to learn…

Ah.

Aha!

Keep knocking on the door to your dreams beloveds. You don’t know who or what is standing on the other side!

In the meantime, KNOW that you are growing. That you are changing lives. One at a time. Just your being here has changed my life. You help me stay focused. You help me keep a laughing. You help me know that I am loved and not alone.

Be encouraged. You can and you will. Keep putting your work out there. Keep putting yourself out there. Your one day may be today!

I hear a cup of coffee calling me. Care to join me? Let us laugh and visit a while. God will take care of our dreams for a while…

Remember why.

Remember why…

You started.

Why would you give up now?

Remember why you loved them…

Why would you give up on them now?

Remember why you dreamed…

Why would you give up on your dreams now?

Don’t give up.

Not now.

When can you give up?

Don’t EVER give up on love, on your dreams, on YOU, beloveds.

Yes, you may need to walk away from relationship(s) that are not safe or do not serve you or the other person(s).

Don’t walk away because things are:

Hard.

Frustrating.

Boring. Smh

Trying.

Stagnant.

Growth goes through many stages. Some are hard. Some are boring. Some are stagnant. Some are trying. Some are tedious.

So what?

Life is not easy. Doesn’t mean it’s okay to quit and to give up on things. Folks seem to give up much too easily.

Remember why. It helps with the long journey. I have wanted to tell my dream to kick rocks sooooooooooooooooooo many times. Why do I hang on? Because I remember why I dreamed, in the first place. I have a place to get to. As do you. Let’s get to getting where we were meant to go, shall we?

going/growing with you,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Be encouraged. You can do this. You will. And, if not, you will have made something amazingly awesome with your life and relationships.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU.

Real talk: Take the time.

I wanted chicken strips.

I did NOT want to take the time to preheat the air fryer.

I tossed in aforementioned chicken strips into the aforementioned and cold airfryer. Smh.

You know what had happened…*sigh*.

The chicken strips were NOT my usual crispy.

I was crispy!

Until…*sigh*…Yikes! and Egads! reminded me I had gotten with lazy and decided not to preheat the air fryer.

Real talk, beloveds. Do NOT get with lazy and take the time to do the things that need done in the time it will take to get them crispy.

Sheesh, Cassandra. Get it together. Speaking of which, I have yet another tale to tell. brb.

fixing to tell it,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: You are loved and not alone. I am in too much of a hurry to…hahahahaha. Kidding:

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU