August 15, 2026

Beloveds,

I hurt.

That’s it.

That’s the post.

Well…almost. 😢💔

Some days I can find the lesson quickly. I can dig around in the mess 💩, pull out some wisdom, throw in a few Cassandra emojis 😵‍💫🤣🥰, find something to be grateful for, and say:

NEXT! 😎💃🏽

But today?

I hurt. 🤕

My heart hurts. 💔
My body hurts.
My feelings hurt.
Some of what I thought my life would look like hurts.

And I don’t want to rush past that just so I can sound strong.

Because maybe somebody reading this needs permission to stop performing strength too.

😭 You can cry.

💔 You can grieve.

😠 You can be angry about what happened.

😵‍💫 You can admit that you don’t understand any of it.

🙏🏽 You can believe God AND still tell Him, “Lord, this hurts.”

Those things can exist in the same heart.

Faith does not require me to pretend pain doesn’t hurt.

Hope does not require me to smile every minute.

Strength does not mean I never collapse into tears.

Sometimes strength sounds like:

“God, I don’t know what to do with this pain, so I’m giving it to You while I cry.” 😭🙏🏽❤️

And for those who don’t share my faith, maybe your words are simply:

“This hurts. I don’t have to solve my whole life tonight. I only have to care for myself through this moment.” ❤️🫂

💡 THE HOW OF LOVE

We’ve been talking about learning HOW to love, and here’s one we sometimes forget:

Love doesn’t always fix. Sometimes love sits.

Sit with somebody without demanding that they cheer up.

Listen without immediately giving advice.

Let somebody say, “I hurt,” without answering, “But look on the bright side.”

And please—learn to give that same kindness to yourself. 💞

You don’t have to turn every tear into a testimony before the tear has even dried.

Sometimes you just need to cry the doggone tear. 😭😅

📖 FOR MY FELLOW BELIEVERS

Psalm 34:18 KJV

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.”

That scripture doesn’t tell me God only comes near after I get myself together.

It tells me He’s near here.

In the heartbreak.

In the confusion.

In the ugly cry. 😭

In the “Jesus, I cannot do this today.”

Here too. ❤️🙏🏽

❤️ TODAY’S LOVE CHALLENGE

Find somebody who is hurting.

Maybe it’s someone else.

Maybe it’s you.

Don’t lecture them.

Don’t rush them.

Don’t tell them how they should feel.

Give them one beautiful gift:

Permission to be exactly where they are while reminding them they don’t have to stay there forever. 🫂💞

🏆 AND YES—THERE IS STILL A VICTORY

I hurt.

And I’m still here.

😭 Still crying.

🙏🏽 Still praying.

❤️ Still loving.

💔 Still carrying a heart that feels broken.

🌱 Still becoming whoever I’m going to be on the other side of all this.

I don’t know exactly who she is yet.

God apparently isn’t telling. 🤐👀😅

But tomorrow doesn’t require me to know.

Tonight, I can hurt.

Tomorrow, I’ll take another step.

One step. One step. One step. 👣❤️

And if tomorrow’s step is tiny?

Tiny still counts. 💯

So if you’re hurting too, come sit beside me for a minute.

No pretending.

No judgment.

No inspirational gymnastics. 🤸🏽‍♀️😵‍💫🤣

Just people reminding people:

Your pain matters.
Your tears matter.
Your story isn’t finished.
And neither is mine. ❤️

We will learn together how to love through the hurting—not by denying pain, but by refusing to let pain have the final word.

Asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: One step. One step. One step. You are loved. You are NOT alone. Keep on being…YOU! ❤️🥰💞🙏🏽