Month: January 2026

For such a time as THIS, beloveds.

This IS your time.

THIS is your time.

This is YOUR time.

THIS IS YOUR TIME!!

*Cassandra turns from the mirror, wipes her eyes, and begins walking FORWARD, while looking UP*

trying to figure out HOW in THIS,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: For such a time as THIS, beloveds. This is your time. What are you doing with it?

No, it may not be fair, just now. Yes, you may have been left to tote all this hard, seemingly alone.

Still, this is the one life we get. I would love to spend the day annoyed at this stupid mountain that won’t move. I don’t have time.

So, I bend down and remove a pebble. In a few minutes, I shall gather enough gumption to snatch another.

Whatcha doing with your mountain?

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Don’t dread your day. You have NO idea what has been prepared for you.

 Don’t dread your day. You have NO idea what has been prepared for you.

Nuff said.
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Enjoy your day. You have no idea what is in store for you. Whatever may come, be sure to take joy with you. Include plenty of laughter and sunshine. Sprinkle your day with thanksgiving and gratitude. Rinse and repeat.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

It’s okay to go slow.

It’s okay to go slow.

Nuff said.
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I spent time cleaning, organizing, taking out the trash.

My vertigo forced me to stop frequently. In times past, I  would have been frustrated 😤 and dissatisfied with the slow pace and lack of visible results.

I know I did a lot. If someone came in and saw. Yikes.

Too often, beloveds, we allow shame and guilt to enter because of what we think others may think of our efforts:

Lazy!

Is that ALL you have done?

Is that ALL you have saved?

Is THAT what you are wearing?

You work THERE?

You work for the man?

You live there?

You want to live where?

You don’t have THIS?

Are you REALLY satisfied with THAT?

You LIKE to hang out with THEM/HIM/HER/THEY/THOSE?

Add the requisite amount of explanation points, and you get my point.

It’s high time, beloveds, we tell all those voices, those lies, to shut up, to kick rocks, to keep it moving.

Take your time. Go as slow as you need to. Rest, when you need to. Stop when YOU are done.

Who cares what others think? Especially, those who are not even trying themselves! Let them sit on the sidelines and judge that which they know not. We got much too much to do, eh?

We have waste so much too much time worrying about what others think about what we are doing with our lives. This is our lives. This is our truth. This is our time to do with as we please. Be encourage.

Tell should to shut up!

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Tiptoeing around grief.

Shhhhh!

Quiet, beloveds!

I’m trying to tiptoe around this grief. I find it hiding, in plain sight. Everywhere. Dammit, it’s everwhere!

In music.

In sleep.

In quiet times.

I find it, hidden amongst movie trailers.

It’s in every book I try to read.

SHHHHHHEEEEEEEEUUOOOOTT!

It dogs my dreams. It brings me coffee, the instant my eyes open. Heckamiah.

HOW am I supposed to live THIS way?

Oddly, amazingly, I still find things to smile about.

I enjoyed the playoff games. I enjoyed the mid game naps.

I have enjoyed quiet cups of coffee. I have enjoyed reruns of “The Good Wife”.

I have even found myself wondering what this year holds for me.

I just stopped by to encourage someone. Starting with me.

I HAD to get out of bed. I HAD to.

I HAD to turn on some praise music. I HAD to.

I HAD to turn the phone back on. I HAD to.

Be encouraged. We really DO have to keep moving FORWARD. Especially when things are especially hard.

Why? Because, we can end up allowing the darkness to swallow us whole. We ain’t got time for that, beloveds. We got thangs to do.

My big bro annoyed me telling me to get up and move. He was right.

Get up, beloveds! Move!…*sigh*.

No getting around it, these hard days have been and are the hardest yet. It’s okay to say ow.

OW!!

Still, promise yourself you will NOT:

Allow despair to run your show.

Give in to hopelessness.

Allow pity to enter for even a moment.

Give yourself room to feel. Process your feels. Then, put your feels to work loving and living and hoping and giving and as many positive ings and things that you can.

Use this time to grow. Don’t let weeds of anger or apathy or dismay to grow in your faith garden.

You got this. As do I. Just doesn’t feel like it. We just don’t know what to do with ourselves just now. That’s okay.

Be encouraged. I love me some you.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I miss her, yall.😥🤗❤

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Love yourself. 🍇🧀

My heart was tired. It needed the rest. It needed to be loved. By me.

I gave my heart the rest it needed.

I ordered some cheese and grapes. I don’t know why, but eating cheese and grapes makes me feel special. It makes me feel pampered. I pampered myself. I loved myself.

We need to love ourselves more. We need to stop waiting for others to love us and love ourselves.

I just stopped to offer someone some grapes and cheese with me. Love yourself today.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Life is shorter than any of us knows or understands.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Grief is mad at me. 🤷🏿‍♀️

Grief is mad at me. I had to take it to work.

I HAD to. I got bills to pay. Grief wanted to wallow, wanted to stay in bed.

Real talk, beloveds, I wanted to indulge grief. For a time, I did. I didn’t boil my eggs. I didn’t make my morning coffee. I didn’t have my early morning quiet time.

I allowed grief to stay in bed. Grief shoulda told me the grumps would wake up with me!😳🤨

I told grief we were going to work. We were going to stay ALL day. We were going to figure it out. Some kind of way.

Grief was mad. Grief wanted to hide from life. I wanted to hide. I couldn’t. I can’t.

I HAVE to keep being about being about it. Some kind of way.

I was smart enough to reach out for support. I was smart enough to CHOOSE to encourage others. Doing so comforted me. Okay, it didn’t. But, still.🤷🏿‍♀️😎

Yea, beloveds, I started the day. I drug grief to work with me. I told grief to shut it.

Grief, in it’s wisdom, got mad at me. Knowing I NEEDED to grieve. Grief told Grace. Grace told Love. Love (ABBA), swept me up into His Arms. He whispered something to my heart. I don’t know what He said.

My heart asked me to trust her. I did. My heart walked me over to Grief. They negotiated a bit of space for me to grieve. Love stood close by. Grace stood outside the door. Jesus quietly took my hand and promised to guard my tears.

I was no longer mad at Grief. I appreciate the space to let my heart do as it needs to. Fresh hell.

I just stopped by to encourage someone. Starting with me.

I promise, beloveds, not to fill my year with loss. I do look forward to 2026. I am hopeful. Okay, not quite yet but I get closer to joy every day.

I’m back to making my coffee. I’m back to getting out of bed and spending my me time of coffee and yakking with mom and now sis.

I’m even back to sharing me with fam and friends. Before, I was giving folk the sanitized version so they wouldn’t worry.

It was because of y’all’s honesty, here, that gave me the courage and permission to be 100 with everyone. Even with me. Especially, with me.

My coffee is getting cold. Would enjoy some company…

hanging in there,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Life is worth living. Even when it’s hard.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

I think I can. I can, I think. 🤔

I think I can.

I can…

I think.

I think I’ll try.

I’ll try…

I think.

I think…

Ah.

Aha!

Keep thinking, beloveds.

Keep trying. Keep working on this puzzle called life.

Yea, I know. It can be aggravating. Currently, it IS aggravating. I have been eating tons of humble pie.

I keep tumbling down a mountain I thought I could scale gracefully. Ha!

Graceful has been laughing in my face. Grace, however, continues to help me up and send me on my way.

I find myself determined. I find myself thinking of new ways to try.

Ah.

Aha!

Keep going, beloveds. We got this. I think…lol.

still trying,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Keep moving FORWARD. Keep looking UP.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

What to do when life gives you a crap sandwich.

What to do when life gives you a crap sandwich.

When you find out, lemme know beloveds.

waiting for answers,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Am currently making chicken salad out of…*sigh*

Actually, I’m having a cup of coffee and watching the game with sis and mom.

I’m glad I reached out to my job and let them know I needed time to breathe. I have read all the advice and care here and acted.

I took off my cape. I asked for support. I made sure NOT to blow up my relationships as I work my way through this grief.

I just stopped by to encourage someone. Starting with me.

Do NOT use grief or loss or anger or hard times or bills or circumstances to give you permission to be harmful to yourself or others. You don’t deserve that. The folk in your life don’t deserve that.

I am in my too annoyed to use commas phase. It’s my one luxury today. Apologies. My mad want to take away something because of what was taken from me. Fresh heckamiah.

Be encouraged. This, too, shall pass. See? I got some comma act right…hehe.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Don’t trip. Stop overloading your circuit breakers!😳

Life has been lifing.

Hard.

Unrelenting.

Enough to make one want to take off and:

Hide.

Run.

Hide AND run.

Keep on living. Keep on lifing WITH life. Make the most of things. Make the best of the rest of it.

We got to, beloveds. We got thangs to do.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Beloveds, I honestly don’t know what thangs I am supposed to be doing, just now. My body is fighting with me. My finances are cracking up. Sleep is constantly running from me.

Still, I fight on. Okay, I stagger on. Just barely. Holy Toledo, God. What in the fresh hoohah do I DO with me now? Asking for a friend.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

It’s okay.

It’s okay to say stop.

It’s okay to say ow.

It’s okay to say you can’t.

It’s okay to say you can’t take another step.

It’s okay to cry.

This morning, I did all of these things. I said ow. I said “uncle”. I phoned a friend(my big bros). I reached out to work and let them know grief was louder than my try.

I’m on an LOA for 10 days. Long enough to get some sleep. ALL I have wanted to do, for the past few weeks, is to simply sleep for a few days. Just to catch my breath.

My heart told me to. My spirit told me to. My wallet said to forget about sleep and push through. My body overrode everything and everyone and stubbornly refused to take another step without rest.

I just stopped by to encourage someone to keep on reaching out. Don’t give up. Understand that hard can truly be hard and you are NOT a failure for being human.

I feel like a huge failure today. Sis would think I was being a big baby. She would have encouraged me to BE a big baby and rest. I don’t know how to without her. Crapola!

I just placed an order of grapes and cheese and going to spend the afternoon missing my twin and being okay with missing her.

We got this. Kinda. Sorta. I think…lol.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I appreciate all the care folk have shown these weeks. Doing my best to encourage and uplift best I can with a busted heart. Be encouraged. Joy IS coming for us. Until then, we are NOT alone in our darkness.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!