Category: Inspiration

Don’t worry about what they say.

I missed the playoff game.

Woke to see all kinds of folks calling the losing team a bunch of chokers and losers. SMH.

Folk will ALWAYS have something to say, beloveds.

Play YOUR game. YOUR way. You may lose. That’s okay. Don’t worry about those who relish over your apparent demise.

You gave your all. You tried. You left it all on the field. Let that be enough. The trophy is NOT the goal. Doing your best is the goal. Yes, you want to come out on top. Life is not like that. We lose more times than we win.

The trick is being just as humble during the downturn as we are with the win or the uptick.

The older I get, the less I need a cheering crowd behind me. I’m not even concerned about what place I end up in. First? Great. Last? Well, I tried.

No matter. Whatever. As long as I know I played the game with integrity and cared for my opponent, I can live with the outcome.

I’m sure the losing team is going to learn from mistakes made. If not, they may lose again. Then again, they may correct the mistakes and STILL lose the game. No one will be able to take away the knowledge that they gave all they had.

I have been feeling like such a failure the last month or so. I feel as though I should have gotten further by now. I tell myself all I can do is try. Still, my feels want to get all feely and downcast.

Then, I turn on some music and dance my way out of my feels. I don’t worry about what folks say. I don’t even worry about what I may say. I tell my doubts and fears to shut up and I keep it moving.

Do you and keep it moving. Folks are going to have something to say no matter what you do.

What does HE say?

Nuff said,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: We got this. We really do.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

What do you have to say to the world?

What do you have to say to the world, beloveds?

What do you WANT to say?

What are you afraid to say?

There are words, dreams, thoughts that only YOU, beloved, is meant to share with all of us.

YOU are needed.

This world is waiting for YOU.

Yea, I know, beloveds, you are waiting for whatever so you can say and be what you think the world is waiting for.

There is nothing you need to have before you can speak.

Open your mouth.

Open your heart.

Trust the gifts that have been placed within YOUR heart.

Value your heart.

Value YOU.

It’s not your fault, beloveds, that others were so hurt they have been unable to see the awesome heart called YOU.

What do you have to say to the world, beloveds?

Time grows short. It’s time, don’t you think, for you to lift up your voice and share all the depths and warmth and love and light your awesome heart contains?

Get on out there, beloveds. Raise your voice. It’s your time.

Your voice may be the last piece I need to complete my decades old dream. Ah, beloveds, it may.

Speak.

We are listening.

asking for A Friend,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Okay, um, you are supposed to be out there speaking. Get going….

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

What are you focusing on?

I had to bust out my blue screwdriver.

Yep, I had to do a nice concert to get me all fired up!

There is NOTHING more fantastic than peforming for an audience of one with my blue screwdriver.

When I am bellowing along with Cee Cee Winans, I forgot about all my troubles. I forget I was supposed to be afraid of my circumstances. I no longer remember I am supposed to be terrified of the unknown.

Naw, beloveds, when I have my blue screwdriver, ALL I can focus on is the joy spilling all over everything!

The instant I focus on the fact that I am NOT alone, joy bubbles get to running all over the place.

HHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!

Hard is not quite as hard with my trusty blue screwdriver in hand. In fact, hard gets to gettin’ down with me!

YYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!

I told 55 she had best get to getting after it with me instead of trying to scare me half to death.

Lately, I have been focusing on:

My age.

My age.

My age.

Bills.

Rinse.

Repeat.

I can do nothing about my age. I am doing my best to work through whatever this thing is about age aging me. Yikes.

This has been a glorious evening of writing, singing, praying, acting a fool in my undies and being thankful for all that I have. It sure can be easy, can’t it, to focus on what we don’t have or how hard like can be?

I am currently bellowing to ‘I Will Get There’ by Boys II Men.

‘I WILL GET THERE!!’

*mike drop*

You shall get there, beloveds.

As shall I.

hopeful,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Life is good. Even when it’s hard. Hold on. Stand fast. You are NOT alone. In case no one has told you yet today: I love you.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

We are loved. We are NOT alone.

Be encouraged, beloveds.

This will be my last piece, in real time, until the power comes back on. Could be a week they say. It’s raining and thundering again.

I have hour and a half on my laptop and 37 percent on the phone so charging it best as can.

Life can be rough. It’s tough now but God has me. He has us all. I must admit I thought my numbered days had run out. Am still here.

It comforts me KNOWING I am alone, yet not.

I am loved. So are you. Love someone. Starting with you.

STILL here,


Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Yikes, that was a hella terrifying tornado!!

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

When even hard says what the fresh hell?

Hard: What in the fresh hell is THIS?!

Me: I dunno. I was fixin’ to ask you the same thing!

Hard: Why do you think Life is coming at us soooooooooooo hard?

Me: I dunno. I was fixin’ to ask Life the same thing!

Me: Why are You being soooooooooooooooo hard on me and hard?

Life: He told me to.

Me: Who? What? Why? How?

Life: Great questions! Keep asking.

Me: K.

Good crimeny, beloveds. Hard has been sooooooooooooooo hard I hardly know what to do with it or me.

I fight on but golly gee willakers!

Whew!

Hang in there, beloveds. This time is NOT here to destroy us. Rather, this time is here to do many a thing. What those things are depends on our attitude and what we are willing to learn, or not, THROUGH all this blasted hardddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd!

I promised me that I REFUSE to give up. I don’t give two flying fiddlesticks what is going on. I don’t care who gives up on me. I don’t care who walks away from me. I could care less about anything other than standing fast and holding on.

Be encouraged, beloveds. Keep on fighting for you and your dreams. I know. I know I say this EVERY day. I shall continue to say this until I am holding my dreams in my cold dead hands…..lol.

In the meantime, beloveds, don’t feel as though you are being punished because hard is just so terribly hard, right now. You are being promoted. If you couldn’t be trusted with this hard, you wouldn’t be put through this hard. Nuff said.

Enjoy your day. ALL of it. Even the hard. Take a breath. Take a break. Listen to some music. Read a book. Call a friend. Make a friend. Make some awesome memories. Life is short.

Remember, beloveds, that you CAN and that you most certainly WILL!

doing things with you,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: You got this. As do I. In case no one has told you: I love you.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

God got me. No matter the storm.

Yall are reading a miracle, beloveds. As we speak I am typing these words by the light of my phone.

Why?

My city has just gone through an awful 🌪 tornado.

There are downed trees everywhere. I could hear the roar of the tornado 🌪 outside my door.

I hid in the bathroom and yelled at Jesus to spare my life and protect my car.

Trees are everywhere. All around my car and neighbors.

Folk are wandering around wondering how our apartments are still standing.

I came upon a neighbor, a stranger. I asked her if I could hug her. She said her name was Natalie or Natasha. I can’t remember.

I hugged a stranger as if hugging a long lost kin.

I sat in my car and did a few videos to encourage folk to be encouraged during the storms of life. I will post to Instagram soon.

I called a friend and told him he was talking to a miracle.

Daylight won’t come for me for another hour. The heat is stifling. I only have 26 percent on my power pack.

The smell of gas leaks are all over our counties.

Not sure when the power will be on. Which means I will not be able to work from home.

Ah, God. Thanks for sparing my life. My heart aches as I went through the storm alone. Yes, you were there but I had no Jesus with skin on.

I was told to ‘be calm’ and ‘plead the blood of Jesus’ instead of hollering ‘Jesus help me’ over and over. I yelled, on the phone, don’t tell me how to pray when there is a 96 mile an hour 🌪 tornado in my yard!!!!

Am listening to some praise music wondering how I can encourage you, beloveds, when I don’t know what I shall see come daylight.

It’s a good thing I have pieces already scheduled to keep folk uplifted through Monday. As yall find encouragement, hopefully, maybe one or two or three of yall will say some prayers for me and others in my town and surrounding towns as we assess and move forward.

I don’t know how to feel. I’m not sure what to do.

Shaken but not stirred.

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: 🌪😭❤️‍🩹😳😥

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Let’s be afraid together.

Me: I’m afraid.

Dreams: Of what?

Me: I’m afraid of letting you down. What if all of my ideas for us is stupid?

Dreams: To who?

Me: Everyone.

Dreams: What if everyone thinks your thoughts, your ideals, your dreams, meaning me, are stupid?

Me: So what if they do!? These are MY dreams. Many of my ideas ARE kinda stupid.

Dreams: 😆🥰. So how about we be afraid together?

Me: K.

I have been terribly hard on myself. I keep blaming myself for…*shrug*. Getting older, I guess. I don’t know why 55 has been such a tough go.

I NEVER used to consider growing older a problem. In fact, I rather enjoyed getting older. I enjoyed turning 50. Had a fabulous party for myself. I bebopped my way through 51, 52, 53, 54…???

????!!!!

55!!!!!!!!!!

55 came out the gates hollering and screaming for me to HURRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!

Don’t ask me what I was now supposed to be hurrying to do. Before 55 came calling, I was content with taking as long as it took to get to where God told me to get to getting to.

Now, I find 55 blasting megaphones in my ear to HURRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

I keep telling myself to chillax, relax and continue following the path God has for me. I have time, I tell myself. I have time. Still.

Time seems to be laughing at me. Time keeps reminding me I just don’t know how much of it I have left. God keeps telling me to STOP wasting my time wondering how much time I have. He says I don’t have the time to be wasting time worrying about time…lol.

Running out of time can seem frightful. That’s okay. Let’s be afraid together, beloveds, eh?

The bible says that God has NOT given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. I tell myself this on the daily. Whew!

Fear not, beloveds. And, when afraid, take your fear with you and do the thing that terrifies you the most.

Last night, I lay in bed wondering if I will ever get there. If I will ever see my dreams in full flight. I grew discouraged. Just a tad. Until, I remembered it’s not up to me. All I can do is all I am doing. I can live with that. I think.

In the meantime, I promised me I would be good to me. So, I am going to fix myself a nice meal of some concoction or other I will toss in my electric skillet. Come by and dine with me.

We got this. God has us all.

hopeful still,


Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: You CAN. You WILL. Be encouraged. Your discouragement is nothing but an appointment with upcoming greatness. Prepare to open the door to some amazing experiences. Love someone, beloveds. Starting with you.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

It’s important.

It’s important to rest.

It’s important to cease from labor.

It’s important to take a break.

It’s important to stop searching.

It’s important to refrain from movement.

It’s important.

Don’t fall for the lie you have to be doing something, thinking something, being something 24/7.

Rest is just as important as action.

Be sure to get in your me time.

If you are ‘too busy’ to be good to you, you are simply too busy!

I used to use the excuse I was ‘too tired’ when it came to getting in some ME time. I killed myself for everyone else. I chastised me for even THINKING of taking a break…*sigh*.

You don’t have anything to prove. Folk who truly care will already understand and champion your need to do you for a while.

Take care of YOU, beloveds, so you can continue to love them.

It’s important.

YOU are important!

You matter.

You do.

So do I.

Let’s go!!

Um, let’s go rest!🥰🤣🤣🔥

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: ❤️‍🩹♥️🤗

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

It’s NOT what you think.

Boo hoo.

Woe is me.

It’s ALL over.

Yep, that was me this morning. Lamenting because I just did not know how to make my finances do what I NEED FOR THEM TO DO DARNIT!!!!!!!!!!

Yea, I was acting a fool until my dreams rolled up and whispered in my ear.

Ah.

Aha!

dreaming again,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: If you must tell yourself a story, beloveds, be sure it’s a tale of fantastic feats and victory!

We lose ONLY as we tell ourselves we have lost. The goal is not the goal…hehe. The try is the 🏆 prize.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Count it all joy.

Uh oh, beloveds, I have my trusty blue screwdriver!🥰

“Count It All joy!”🎤🎶🎧

Be encouraged. Count It ALL joy. Enjoy the day. Am spending a delicious afternoon just enjoying the afternoon. 🥰

I said I was NOT going to write today. My heart couldn’t help spilling out on the page.🥰🎶🤣

Stop worrying about things you can do little to nothing about.

Ah, life.💪❤️‍🩹♥️

Life is good. Even when it’s hard. Stop focusing on the hard and enjoy your day. It’s the only one you have.

Have you worked on your dream today? If not, get outta here and get to working on your dream. If so, stop for a spell and have a cup of ☕ coffee and a 🎶 sing with me.🎤

counting ALL as joy,


Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: We got this.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!