Keep asking.

Real talk, beloveds.

I have wanted to stop.

Asking.

Hoping.

Believing.

Asking, hoping and believing takes a llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooot of work. Particularly, when hard is being especially hard.

What do I DO when I get to feeling this way? After some admitted pouting, I get back after it. I ask. I hope. I believe. Life is much too short to do otherwise.

Yea, I could take the pity party route. Only leads to more waiting and heartache.

Yea, I could do as most do and blame the entirety of the world for my present mess.

Yet, I choose. To ask. To hope. To believe. I got thangs to do.

As do you.

It’s okay to get discouraged. Perfectly fine to pout, just a smidge, at disappointment. Do what you need to then get up and get going. You got thangs to do.

doing thangs despite the heartache,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Unless you are here to pass out snacks, you should be out there doing thangs, living your life, rejoicing in the wonders to come and encouraging some other folk to hang in there. In case no one has told you yet today: I love you. So does He.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Keeping my promise to me.

I don’t feel well.

ALL I want to do is to remain in bed. Moaning. Feeling sorry for myself.

I am terribly annoying when not feeling well. I stomp about. Fussing. Fretting. Sighing. I do lots and lots of sighing. Dramatically.

Anywho, in the midst of my dramatic sighing, good habits reminded me it was time to get up and get some pieces written.

GEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZZZZZZ!

So, I am keeping my promise to myself. I have promised myself a treat of a nice cold glass of orange juice and maybe a cracker or two or twelve.

I just stopped by to let you know you were loved and not alone. I just wanted to let you know you are seen, heard and loved. You are cherished. You are so many things not given much credit for.

Okay, now I have done my due diligence, I have a cup of juice waiting for me. Someone be nice and spread some cheer around here. Last one out turn out the lights. Hopefully, someone shall leave some nice treats for me. Hint…lol.

asking for great blessings for you and yours,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Keep on keeping those promises you have made to yourself. You can’t help what others do. All you can do is to keep on being good to you. You SHALL be rewarded. I promise. How do I know? Cuz He said so and God ain’t no liar. Be encouraged. Be blessed this day.

Please, please, please stop worrying about bills, how you will do this, how you will make this and make this day an amazing one. Enjoy your moments. Make some hilarious ones. Asking for A Friend.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

What are you filling your heart with?

I am filling my heart today.

With:

Love.

Music.

Peace.

Hope.

Joy.

Thanksgiving.

Song.

Warm thoughts.

Laughter.

Coffee.

Peanut butter cookies.

Okay, so maybe the peanut butter cookies and coffee are not the best things, right now, as I am fighting with a wee bit of a cold.

Still, I am filling my heart with some fabulous Cee Cee Winans. Currently listening to ‘You Are Loved’…….*hugs self*.

It just feels good to be loved, doesn’t it? So, thought I would stop by to tell you how very much you are loved. You are….*hugs folk*.

I wish I had an endless supply of time, money and friends who could help me spread tons of love and joy. Hey! We don’t need a dime to do THAT!

*Cassandra grabs a bucket full of love and joy and begins dumping on all she can get her hands on*

What are you filling your heart with? There is just too much garbage out there to be filling the heart with. Do your best to stay away from all the darkness and divide waiting to swallow a heart whole.

asking for A Friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Whatcha got for my heart? For yours? Fill it with wonderfully delicious things eh?

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Shut the hell up, Cassandra, God said to me.

God: Shut the hell up, Cassandra.

Me: Well, that wasn’t very nice of You to say.

God: I meant for you to shut the hell up, beloved.

Me: What in the fresh hockey sticks does THAT mean?!…*pout*.

God: What have you been DOING, beloved, the past few days?

Me: Nothing. Okay, worrying, just a smidge, just a teensy weensy bit.

God: Why? What have you been focusing on?

Me: Well, reality came calling and brought all kinds of doubt with. Then, fear tagged along who ALWAYS runs with doubt. They have all been ganging up on me lately.

God: Why have you not sent them back from the hell from whence they came and reside?

Me: Welllllllllllll nowwwwwwww…..hhmm. They were making really good sense. Especially when 55 showed up and got to hooting and hollering about how vulnerable I am now. No job. NO friends. Not really. Only a few dollars in the bank. Plus I’m 55!!!!!

God: Is that ALL you have?

Me: Well….ehem. No.

God: Why didn’t you come and sit with me? Why did you not bring me your fear(s)? Have I not promised to be there for and with you?

Me: You did.

God: Do you trust me.

Me: With my life.

God: How about trusting me with your finances then? Last I checked the birds are STILL being fed. I can’t recall the last time I broke a promise to you.

Me: You haven’t.

God: Back to my original request:

Shut the hell up, Cassandra!

Me: K.

Be encouraged, beloveds. Change can be scary. The unknown can be terrifying. BUT, ONLY if are listening to utter foolishness that we are unloved and alone. HA!

Kick rocks fear. Take doubts with you. Tell reality to look up. Tell 55 to chill and take two seats. Rest, Cassandra. You CAN. You WILL.

asking for Your Friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I did not want to get out of bed this morning. I got up. I did not want to take out the trash or check the mail. I’m fixing to take out the trash and check the mail. Life goes on. I plan on moving on with it. Yes, my view is tough to look at. Destruction everywhere. Yet, things WILL be rebuilt. Somehow. Some kind of way.

Once rebuilt, things shall be different. I AM different. I am learning to make my piece with my new normal. I find myself angry with it. Yet, I was terribly unsatisfied with my old normal. The old normal, however, I knew. The old normal kept me from wandering too far. The old normal kept me from dreaming too loudly.

I find my dreams shouting now.

GO!

DO!

BUILD!

I don’t know how. My dreams no longer care. They were almost wiped out in the tornado. Get going, Cassandra. Ah, God, I don’t know where to start. I don’t know HOW. Heckamiah, God. I’m scared. I’m 55. I’m alone. Yet not. Here I go, Abba. Come with me. Asking for many friends…

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Real talk: I no longer demand justice. I have learned to ask for Just Us.

Life has been hard.

Folk have been cold.

Many, er, most have walked away.

Boldly.

Coldly.

Shockingly.

I am learning, tearfully, to no longer demand justice. I no longer ask or demand folk to stick and stay because I have made the choice to stick and stay.

I stay because I love.

I stick because I have integrity.

I stick and stay because He sticks and stays. I stick and stay WITH Him.

I no longer demand justice. I now ask Him for ‘Just Us’. Meaning, beloveds, I seek HIM and our relationship. All the rest will come out in the wash.

I have no idea what folks will come around. I do know He, The Father, He, Jesus, He, The Holy Spirit will NEVER leave me, nor forsake me.

This, yea, THEY are enough. For me. Yea, I love yall. Yea, I wish for closeness from folk.

If yall don’t come, though, what shall I do?

I shall keep on being me.

I shall keep on loving folk.

I shall keep on keeping on.

I shall do what’s right simply because it’s right.

I shall encourage folk simply because I was made/love to do so.

Simple as that.

God is good.

Life is awesome.

Even when it’s hard.

Especially when it’s hard.

Be encouraged.

asking for A Friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I was astonished, again, by coldness felt from a supposed friend. These days are sifting the real from the imagined. It hurts. It is necessary. I am grateful.

I appreciate this hard. It is revealing more of me. Ah. Aha!

Keep looking up, beloveds. Don’t worry about justice for all the slights and wrongs you have gone through despite all the rights you continue to do. Keep on doing what’s right. Simply because it’s the right thing to do.

Stop worrying about outcomes. We will probably never truly understand what the world is going on in this world. Do we really need to? All I can do is do the best I can. I am. That shall be enough for me today. As for tomorrow, ask me tomorrow…

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

You deserve more.

More credit than you give yourself.

More love than you allow yourself to have.

More care than you show to yourself.

Ah, beloveds, know ye not how precious you are?

You deserve so much more than you give, allow and show to YOU.

Why will you give to a stranger yet allow nothing much, or at all, for yourself? Great question, eh? Asking for A Friend.

Most of us walk around starved and empty. Depleting ourselves of everything. Giving away everything. Accepting/asking for nothing. Enough with that!

I am doing my utmost to love on me. I can’t believe how unbelievably hard it has been trying to rest. I have been used to working myself into a near coma. Now, Life simply asks for me to be. Just for a time. I have been fighting time like the dickens.

You deserve more, beloveds. So do I. Shame on us, eh, for dismissing these hearts of ours. Let’s do better, shall we? Let’s give ourselves oodles of love and THEN give from the excess.

asking for A Friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Okay, um, you are supposed to be loving on some you. Whatcha doing here? You want coffee? Okay, let’s have some. Let’s remember tea for all the tea lovers out there…

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Hey Mags.

Be encouraged.

Nuff said.

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Be encouraged. I have taken the day off from encouraging the world. Okay, I haven’t, but it sounded defiant and restful for a second there.😊🤣

Don’t let life get you down. Rest. Then get back after it. I made ☕ AND 🍵. How great am I? Asking for A Friend. ❤️‍🩹❤️🥰

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Believe it or not.

Life is going to do it’s thing.