Repeat after me.

Repeat after me:

I got this.

Now, go do this, beloveds!

You CAN.

You WILL!

doing it with you,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Let THIS be the day you choose action over fear. You got this. Go do it. Asking for A Friend.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on beingโ€ฆYOU!

Real talk: Go to sleep on it.๐Ÿคฌ

I was mad.

Reeeeeeeaaaaaaaalllly mad.

Life made me a ๐Ÿ‹ meringue ๐Ÿฅง and promptly smashed it in my face!

๐Ÿ˜ณ๐Ÿคฌ๐Ÿ˜ณ๐Ÿคฌ

I was mad.

Mad enough to do something incredibly short sighted.

Mad enough to do a permanent thing to cover a temporary happening. Yes, this happening was unfair. Yes, this temporary happening was NOT just.

Yet, it happened. What’s more, beloveds, God, Lifeย  AND The Universe all waited, to see what I would DO.

I fussed a bit.

I fumed a lot.

I made ridiculous proclamations and protestations for a time.

Then, I stood on my FAITH.

Then, I rested on His Strength.

Then, I laughed with The Universe.

Then, I told life ha!

Then, I went to sleep.

Peacefully.

Joyfully.

Hopefully.

I worried NOT about tomorrow. I plan on having a FANTASTIC tomorrow.

Why?

I can do nothing about today’s happening. It happened. So what? I got thangs to do.

doing thangs,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Don’t let what happens to you make you into something you are not. It’s NOT what happens TO you but what you allow to happen IN you as you respond to said happenings.

Be encouraged.

Life is not often fair. So what? You got thangs to do. Get to doing those things.

I CAN say that today’s happening has helped me to choose me and steer me towards doing something I had been hesitating doing for no other reason than fear. Ha!

Let’s go!

In case no one has told you today: I love you. So does He.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on beingโ€ฆYOU!

Recovery: Factory ๐Ÿญ reset.

My tv was cutting up. Acting a fool. Causing ME to act ten kinds of fool!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, God. Stop messing with my tv!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I fussed.

I fumed.

I fussed AND fumed.

Finally, Yikes! and Egads! suggested I pull up some YouTube videos and see if I could figure out how TO GET MY BLASTED TV WORKING AGAINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGG!

After a million videos and a bajillion million tries, I was FINALLY able to get it going.

How?

By doing a factory reset.

Who knew?!

It took a while. Finally, I could get back to my viewing pleasures. Ah, God.

This had/has me thinking about life and the fact that there are times when we need to do a factory reset on our stinking thinking. We need to pull the plug on all the old perspectives we have lived by that were based on nothing but the fears and anxt of family, friends and every other thing but what WE think/believe.

I have done several factory resets on my mindset. I have reset, refocused and reimagined my life and all it CAN be. STILL.

I’m 55. So what?

I don’t have much experience in what I truly desire to be doing. So what?

I don’t have a lover to hold onto when things go bump in the night. So what?

I am loved.

I am NOT alone.

Just those two things keeps me looking up and moving forward. Ah, Universe, I see you. See me back. Love me back.

asking for a friend(me),

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Carrying so much hope and dreams around gets heavy. So what?! I shall carry them til they be fulfilled. Let’s go, beloveds! We got thangs to do!!

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on beingโ€ฆYOU!

You STILL win.

When life hands you lemons.

You STILL win.

When the math just ain’t mathin’

You STILL win.

When EVERYTHING you have tried has come to naught.

You STILL win.

When the promotion goes to someone else.

You STILL win.

When someone else is chosen.

You STILL win.

Keep trying, beloveds.

No matter the outcome.

You STILL win.

winning with you,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I got up off the matt. Didn’t think I would. Didn’t know how. Yet, I did. By grace. By FAITH. By hope. By love. Ah, God. Life is worth living. Even when it is so damned hard. Loving me some life. Cassandra.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on beingโ€ฆYOU!

Recovery: It’s okay to rest.

It’s okay to rest.

Nuff said.

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Okay, beloveds. Whatcha still doing here? You are supposed to be resting, remember? You have done enough. Let your try be enough. Asking for A Friend. It’s okay to rest. Get some.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on beingโ€ฆYOU!

Stop judging God by your outcomes.

God loves us.

Period.

Not just when we are good.

Not just when things are sunshine and rainbows.

Folk judge God, ofttimes by what they have or don’t have.

I have to admit I used to judge God based upon the results of my prayers. A check mark, to the good, for answered ones. I check on the ‘He didn’t’ row, for the nos or silent ones.

A check mark when things went well. A check mark when things went downhill.

A check mark when I got praise at work. A check mark when work was being too worky.

I sowwy, God. That was NOT fair of me.

God doesn’t owe me a thing. God does NOT have to do a blessed thing for me. God is NOT My Consierge. SMH. I sowwy, Father. You deserved better.

I hate that churches now tie God’s Prosperity to how much we give, serve, do. God loves and will do simply because He loves us and said He would. Period. End of story.

I have let God off the hook.

I have also let folk off the hook. No one owes me anything. I appreciate what folks choose to send my way. If not, I love them because I love. Period. End of story.

I am also learning not to judge Life and The Universe by outcomes. Just because things don’t turn out like I think they should, does NOT mean I am on the wrong track.

We rarely see the big picture. We are too busy fussing over the close ups!….hahahahahaha!

I’m also trying not to judge ME, beloveds, based upon my outcomes. I can be a tough crowd. I am trying not be such a tough critic. Ow, Cassandra! Back up off yourself!

I am trying to be good to me. No matter the outcome. You do the same, beloveds. You owe yourself better.

asking for A Friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I have been beating myself up something terrible the past few days because of a lack of results. I sowwy, Cassandra. I am trying to do better. SMH. Be encouraged. Stop giving yourself such a hard time. Things are as they should be. Asking for A Friend.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on beingโ€ฆYOU!

God gave me a ๐Ÿ‹ lemon meringue pie. ๐Ÿฅง

I have been angry with God lately. I keep yelling, er, telling Him I need ๐Ÿ’ต money, but He keeps giving me other things instead.

It turns out that EVERY time He has done this, it has been the very thing I have NEEDED but not what I have asked for.

Thank God.

Thanks, God.

Ah, God.โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿฉนโค๏ธ

The other week, when I had secretly given up, I told God I no longer believed in ‘friends’. Not for me, anyway. Turns out, you find out who your current crop of friends are NOT when tough times truly roll in.

After one more hurtache, er, heartache, I told God no!

I was done. I was no longer waiting foolishly, expectantly, hopefully for a friend to stop by and BE a friend.

That very day, someone I had not heard from I’m forever, reached out via email.

Ha, I told God. He can have His Cosmic Joke! I was NOT going to open my heart.

I opened my heart and let care in.

Beloveds, life is short. Don’t shortsight or shortside your life by closing yourself off when God does not come through HOW you think He should.

Do NOT turn away the care of a long lost friend orย  loved one. Don’t make the returner jump through hoops to earn your attention. Let their return be enough.

I keep praying for funds so my needs can be met. God keeps meeting my needs by giving me everything but ๐Ÿ’ฐ money.

Ah.

Aha!

I desire money, IN THE ๐Ÿฆ, in order for me to control my shelter, my safety, and my bearings. Money can never do that.

Ah, God. You are Wise. Help me to trust when the road is long, step and unknown.

Be encouraged, beloveds.

asking for A Friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: ๐Ÿฅง โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿฉนโค๏ธ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿฅฐ

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on beingโ€ฆYOU!

I am not strong: Life is an equal opportunity beatdown artist.

Life: ๐ŸฅŠ ๐ŸฅŠ!

Me: ๐Ÿคก๐Ÿ˜ฑ๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ‹โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿฉน๐Ÿค—๐Ÿ˜ณ

Life: ๐ŸฅŠ ๐ŸฅŠ!

Me: Geeez.

Life: ๐ŸฅŠ ๐ŸฅŠ!

Me: โ˜•๏ธ๐Ÿฉ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ‹โ€โ™€๏ธ๐ŸฅŠ๐ŸฅŠ๐Ÿ‘ฃโค๏ธโ€๐Ÿฉนโค๏ธโ˜•๏ธ๐Ÿ“–๐Ÿค๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ™๐ŸŽ‚

Life: Ow. I sowwy.

Don’t take it personal, beloveds. Life is an equal opportunity beatdown artist. Life doesn’t care how much you have, how old you are, how hard you work or try.

Life just does life. Period. We learn to roll with it, deal with it, LIVE within it, laugh in it, love in it, fight alongside it and fifty million other things.

I don’t know why life is not fair. You would think it should be. It’s not.

Life does not always or often, feels like, honor our dreams or our try.

God does. The Universe will. All we can do is to keep on keeping on. Life is not playing with me. I am NOT playing with life either!๐ŸฅŠ๐Ÿ‹โ€โ™€๏ธ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ‘ฃ

I don’t know, beloveds. Perhaps God is allowing all this hard just so I can keep encouraging you and me.

I do know that I am going to keep using all this hard, all this what in the fresh hell is it now, along with all the unfair to keep uplifting others and myself.

This is all great faith practice. Anyone can claim faith when things are going well. The only way fait can be tested is for faith to be tested. Ow!

Be encouraged.

Keep going.

Keep growing.

Don’t allow the hard to steal your joy, your hope or your laughter.

asking for A Friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Be encouraged. Ah, God. We tired of these stupid ๐Ÿ‹!!

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on beingโ€ฆYOU!

Real talk: Don’t lay down on your ๐Ÿ˜ก mad.

I am ๐Ÿ˜ก mad.

Livid.

Angry.

Life is being super mean and lifery and I can either complain about it and give up or understand life just is NOT fair and keep it moving.

Angry, I snorted, fussed, fumed and pouted myself out of bed.

I made a cup of โ˜• coffee.

I’m drinking said coffee and telling anger it has ten more minutes and then it is going to get the hell outta here as I have thangs to do and plan on having a fantastic tomorrow.

Why?

Because life is just too blasted short to remain angry over things we can do absolutely nothing about.

It hurts when life is being hurtful and we are unable to move from the spot The Universe has cleverly boxed us into.

Remain where you are, beloveds. Be angry, if needed. But be encouraged, have a cup of coffee โ˜• and keep it moving. You got thangs to do.

I promised myself a few years ago that I would be sure to encourage others when I am being fought the most.

Why?

Because I need encouragement the most at those times and know how much it hurts to be ghosted, seemingly, by The Universe when life is just NOT being fair.

Hang in there.

asking for A Friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I have eight more minutes of mad time. Who wants to indulge with me and help me hurl more ๐Ÿ‹ at The Universe?๐Ÿ˜กโค๏ธโ€๐Ÿฉนโค๏ธ

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on beingโ€ฆYOU!

I am torn.

I am torn.

My heart wants to reach out and encourage folk to be encouraged.

Was handed a ๐Ÿฅฃ of ๐Ÿ‹ this morning and am angry ๐Ÿ˜ก enough, STILL, to want to say “F- you!” to the damned Universe and I don’t like swearing.

๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ˜ก!

Be encouraged, beloveds. Am just too angry/dismayed/disappointed to say more.

The Bible says be angry but sin not. So as NOT to sin, I am going to shut it and head to ๐Ÿ› early.

I am angry. I will have to rinse and repeat tomorrow the today I did NOT want to have to do.

๐Ÿคฌ!

Keep going, beloveds. Even when you are angry enough to chew nails and pelt ๐Ÿ‹ at The Universe.

asking for A Friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Someone enter some nice encouragement here for the rest of us. Asking for me.๐Ÿคฌ๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ˜ญ๐Ÿ˜ณ๐Ÿคฏ๐Ÿ’”๐Ÿ˜ฅโค๏ธโ€๐Ÿฉนโค๏ธ

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on beingโ€ฆYOU!