New Beginnings: Just because things are hard, does NOT mean they have to be miserable.

These have been some hard days. I have made them much harder, at times, by my attitude towards what has happened.

I have pouted. I have sulked. I have given up. I have started over. Rinse. Repeat.

That said, I have been learning how to get up more quickly. I have been pouting less. I have been praying more.

Living through all of this hard, I have learned that our attitude really does determine our altitude. I have had many highs and many lows. The lows have come from not believing in myself and the gifts that God has given me. The highs have come when I have been standing 10 toes down on my FAITH.

I have learned a great lesson:

Just because things are hard, does NOT mean they have to be miserable! I can’t believe I spent so many years having a fit about what happened, instead of dealing with what happened. I added so much extra time going around. mountains. I didn’t have to because I was too busy whining and complaining about having to go through hard times.

Keep going through your hard time. The time will pass before you know it. Make sure that you come out the other side. Strong, successful and joyful. You will make it to the other side!

rooting for you,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Don’t waste another moment. Life is short. Life happens. Do what you can with what you have. Enjoy your day. Create as many moments as you can. We don’t know how many moments we have left.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

New Beginnings: BELIEVE in yourself.

When will you start believing in yourself? That’s what God asked me. Yikes.

I’m working on regaining confidence in myself. I don’t know why I have looked at my age and decided I can’t do things. I never used to do that. I’m fighting my way back to myself. Age is nothing but a number.

In the meantime, I’m doing the best I can. It’s all I can do. I hope it’s enough. I pray so.

In your meantime, beloveds, believe in yourself. There is more to you than you have allowed to show. Trust yourself. I let yourself explore all that is within you. You’ll be surprised by what you find. Let the world experience all that is you. We have been waiting for you.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Keep on believing. Life has great things in store for you. Go find out what those things are. You may be the key to my dreams being fulfilled. I may be the key to yours. In the meantime, let’s encourage one another and love one another, shall we?

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Repeat after me: I am RESILIENT!

Repeat after me:

I am RESILIENT!

Knowing this, beloveds, continue to stand!

Continue to show up!

EVERY day!

Never again allow your feelings, your circumstances, your whatever to stand in your way!

If you lose, be sure it was NOT because YOU gave up!

You don’t need a cheering section. Get out there and give it your all. You may lose all. So what?! The important thing is the TRY.

Try.

Try again.

Try some more.

Rinse.

Repeat.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: The world will jeer you, taunt you, and mock your try. So what?! You keep trying. You SHALL be rewarded. What shall your reward be? Tell me after you have won. Remember:

You are worthy.

You are worth it.

You are worthwhile.

Take things ONE step at a time. One day at a time. I cheer you on. πŸ“£

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

New Beginnings: Make it Day 1 again.

Day 1.

Again.

Ack. It seems like all I do nowadays is start over. I guess that’s a good thing. We can start over as many times in the day as we need to.

I made my Christmas chili. It had been many months since I made chili. Life has not been funny. I have not been in the mood for much. that have been fighting with myself to continue keeping on keeping on. I have not wanted to. I need to.

I did not want to fight with Christmas this year. I wanted to enjoy it. I told myself I would enjoy it. I told grief it was not welcome this year. I made a plan. I told myself I would get up early and get my Christmas chili made. I got up early. I made chili. I turned on music. I reached out to my siblings. I did the opposite of what grief wanted me to do.

I’m working on some pieces so I can enjoy the football games come the weekend. The competition has not been great. In fact, many of the games have been horrible. Mom and I would have spent countless hours lamenting over the awful football. I’m going to enjoy watching awful football with mom in my heart and on my mind.

Be encouraged. If you’re going to a hard time just now, that’s OK. Give yourself permission to process. I allowed myself a day or so just to stay in bed and feel sorry for myself. Then I got up and kept it moving. I have things to do. So do you.

Don’t let the heart keep these from being your best days. I have been watching and listening to old videos lately. I have enjoyed them. I’m getting back to enjoying just being. I’m taking my focus off of trying to find a job and just focusing on what I currently have in my life. Life is more than work.

Remember that you can always begin again. You can start Day 1, again. And again. As many times as needed.

Try not to give yourself a hard time, because you have to start over so many times. That’s what erasers are for. It’s not how many times you start. The most important thing is that you finish. You will finish. Be encouraged.

Keep doing what you know. Keep giving it all you’ve got. Don’t worry about the outcome. The outcome will take care of itself. The only thing you need to worry about is growing. Make sure you’re not growing bitter or disappointed. Disappointments will happen. Life is full of them. That’s OK. Just make sure you remain the positive person that you are.

I never knew that hard could be so damned hard and long could be so damned long! Yet I am still here. So are you.

If you have fallen down, get up again. Don’t judge yourself for having fallen. It happens to the best of us. It WILL happen to all of us, at some point or another.

This is our time as new beginnings. again. How many times will we have to start over again? Who knows? Who cares? Start over as many times as you need to.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I’m still getting over being mad about having to start over again at my age. Starting over sucks. I guess I should have said that a more tasteful manner. No matter what you do don’t give up. You have too much to accomplish for that.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

New Beginnings: Don’t allow the world to tell YOUR story.

Don’t allow the world to tell YOUR story.

Don’t allow your circumstances to tell YOUR story.

Don’t allow the enemy to tell YOUR story.

Don’t allow your family to tell YOUR story.

Don’t allow friends to tell YOUR story.

Don’t allow your job to tell YOUR story.

Beloveds, only YOU can tell YOUR story the way it was MEANT to be told. Only YOU have lived through your experiences. Only YOU have overcome the things in which you have overcome.

Don’t go the way of the world in being swayed by this, that and every other thing. Make up your own mind. Tell YOUR story. YOUR way. In YOUR words.

Beloveds, you do NOT need another’s permission to do and to be you. Enough of that!

You don’t need a significant other to be significant. You already are. You also do not need a significant other to tell you how to act, think or be. You are perfectly equipped to be about that life on your own.

I am currently listening to “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa. This song ALWAYS makes me feel like the indefatigable, invincible, courageous and spectacular person I am!!! YYYAYYAAAAAASSSSSS!

We spend entirely much too much time worrying about what others think about what we think about what we think about. This sentence doesn’t make sense. It makes about as much sense as worrying about what others think about what we think about!

I’ll stop by long enough to encourage you to tell your own story. Your story is unique to you. You can also kick folk out of your stories if you want to!

Life is short. Tell your story. All of it. Don’t be ashamed of your story. The things that have happened in your life has helped to shape you. Don’t waste a moment worrying about who may or may not read your story. Your audience will find you. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I have gathered so many stories living through this hard time. I am doing my best to share as many of them as I can to help as many people as I can. Life is short. Do you. Be you.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

πŸ₯‚ Cheers to us.

πŸ₯‚ Cheers to us, beloveds.

We have tried this year. We have given our all. We have loved. We have served. We have done our best to grow and have our voices heard.

No, we have not gotten all we have asked for. Still, we fight on. We continue to care. We continue to hope. We continue to move FORWARD.

It’s important, beloveds, to remember how far we have come. Be encouraged. Pat yourself on the back. You SHALL be rewarded for your try.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Get excited! Life is fixing to show out for you. Your dreams are closer than you know.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Heart β™₯ check Wednesday.

Good morning, beloveds. Just checking on your heart. How are YOU?

Today is Christmas. I’m doing my best not to be sad. I’m making chili and brownies for my Christmas supper…lol. Mom would think that funny.

How is your heart? Please be good to you. It’s too easy to treat ourselves poorly, thinking we don’t matter as much as we do.

Happy birthday, Jesus. I love You.😁πŸ₯°β™₯️

I have some chili to make. You are welcome to stop by for a bowl πŸ₯£.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: 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 being…YOU!

Love Train.

πŸš‰ Help me start a love train, beloveds!

Mom LOVED this song. I love it. A shout out to the world to love one another.

Help me love the world today. Tomorrow is Christmas. Jesus birthday πŸŽ‚.πŸ₯°β™₯️

I just wanted to take a minute to gather some folk to help me spread some love around. There I’d enough hate to last ten lifetimes!

Life is short. Find someone to love. Starting with you.

asking for A Friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I love you. So does He.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Whatcha Doin?

Good morning, beloveds. Me and good habits wandered by just to check on you:

How are you?

Have you worked on your dream?

Are you cutting yourself more slack?

Are you resting?

Have you laughed today?

Here, let me give you a bit of  laugh from my trusty bag of laughs…

Okay, you good now?

Be encouraged. Life is goof. Even when it’s hard.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Have an amazing today!

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

You are.

Be encouraged.

Just sending a bit of love your way, beloveds. Today is a tough one for me. Christmas Eve. I tread lightly through it now. I don’t know how my heart shall greet Christmas. If lucky, it will be just a day spent alone thinking nice thoughts of mom and other fam now gone.

Hopefully, Christmas will be just Christmas.

Anywho, I stopped by to send some care. This has been a long year. Be sure to rest up and look forward to the coming year.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Ah, mom. I miss you. I’m praying and thinking of all who are hurting from the loss of loved ones or those who are alone at this time of year. Lonely has been a tad lonely this week. Be encouraged.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!