Category: Inspiration

Because of them: Face your fear(s).

Face your fear(s).

Don’t get down on yourself, because of them.

Don’t berate yourself, because of them.

Don’t dismiss yourself, because of them.

Because of them, beloveds, you SHALL overcome and grow and thrive.

Because of them, beloveds, you will learn much about you and the world around you.

Because of them, beloveds, the diamond within, without and all around you, SHALL be revealed.

BECAUSE of them.

Be encouraged.

overcoming with you,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I have been learning much. BECAUSE of my fears. I am asking myself a lot of whys. I am cutting myself a lot of slack. I am giving myself extra love. BECAUSE of my fears. I am talking about them, acknowledging them. I am giving them to God and sharing with Him how they make me feel.

I told myself, just today, in fact, I would NOT allow myself to give up on me because I was tired. Or, because I was afraid. Or, because I don’t know how to make my dreams come true. Ack!!

The more I try, and fail, the more I want to try. I am enjoying my days. Even the hard parts of it.

Keep going, beloveds. You will be okay. Sometimes, we just need someone to tell us everything will be okay.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU.

You are enough.

I just don’t feel enough today.

Why my pieces are late. I almost did not write today.

I write to keep my promise to myself. I’m doing my best to keep my promise to me.

I wonder today if my efforts will lead anywhere or be of any comfort. Doesn’t feel like it today.

Ah, beloveds, I soooooooooooo desperately want to allow my feels to run this day. I want to run from today.

I’m tired.

My try just does NOT feel as though it will EVER be enough.

Crap.

So, I wrote. Tired. I try. Tired. I’m tired of running away from the fact I am 55 and still chasing down my dreams.

Yet, I am enough.

I am.

Enough.

As are you.

You are enough.

YOU are enough.

You ARE enough.

You are ENOUGH.

YOU ARE ENOUGH!

Enough already, fear/doubt!

We have had enough of you!

believing in me,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Get excited, beloveds. Disappointment ONLY visits those who are worthy. Disappointment ONLY shows her face to those who simply REFUSE to give up. Be encouraged.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU

God knows I’m tired.

I’m tired.

God knows.

God knows I’m tired.

Tired of:

The fight.

Period.

Why must life be so haaaaaaard!

Ack.

I fight on.

Why?

Because I am tired of running away when things are tooooooooooooooo hard.

I’m tired of believing for everyone’s dreams but my own.

I’m tired of comfort eating my way through grief and loss.

I’m tired of seeing my life through the limiting gaze and perspective of others.

I’m tired of pretending I’m NOT tired.

I think I shall rest today so I can continue to fight for my heart and my dreams.

tired,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: It’s okay to be tired. Rest. Get back in the game. You only lose when you give up. We got thangs to do.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU

I told the boogeyman to shut up.

The boogeyman has been loud lately. Scaring me half to death about:

Bills.

My age.

Bills.

My age.

Bills.

Shut up!

*Cassandra tells fear to shut up and keeps it moving.*

keeping it moving,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Tell fear to kick 🥊 rocks. Keep going…

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being… YOU

Ewww: I told God yech!

Twin and I were arguing.

Er, talking intelligently about coffee creamer. She likes hazelnut.

Ew, yech AND gross.

Forever and a day I have been drinking plain old plain Coffeemate. No thrills. No extra. Just extra boring. I am in a boring sort of mind, coffee wise.

Why I let her talk me into getting some Frech Vanilla is beeyyyyyooonnnd me. Dumbness, I suppose.

Long story short…smh.

I buy said French Vanilla.

I drink aforementioned French Vanilla. Smh.

Ew, yech AND gross!

A nice lesson and following your own mind.

Lately god has been asking me to do things that have been ew and yech. What do I do?

I do the Thing and tell Him ew and yech.

We are not always going to like the things we are asked to do. So what?

It’s important to be true to yourself and be honest. If you don’t feel like doing something don’t do it. If you don’t feel like trying something don’t try it.

If God asked you to do something for Him, such as forgiving your neighbor when you would rather tell him to go move to Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood…lol.

Or, take the high road…

Or, share the lemon squares…

It’s perfectly okay to be honest to say ew and yech. God understands. He sees the bigger picture. You will eventually.

I don’t enjoy the hardness of my job at the moment. I enjoy my job through the current hard. Eventually, the hard will be routine.

Until then, I go to work and say ew.😳🤣

Life is short. Enjoy it when Life and God tosses a bit of ew and yech into your life. It’s called eating your vegetables. 🤣

eating my vegetables,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Okay, beloveds, do NOT tell sis but the French Vanilla was fantastic when I added a bitmore water to my coffee. Sometimes, we have to be willing to experiment and try things a new way.

In case somebody told you today. I love you. You are loved, and you are not alone.

The Universe told me to get it together.

Sooooooooo.

I have a confession to make to you, beloveds.

I used you to get out of trouble.

Okay, so I used you, or you, as an excuse, to try to get ME out of trouble.

My bad.

Scuze me.

What had happened was…

I noticed I had picked up a bit of extra weight.

Hmmm.

Then, I noticed I was writing more pieces, about eating, or fixing fixings to fixin to eat, or eating while thinking of pieces to write about fixing to eat. Or…

You get the point.

N-E-Waze, I was all set to argue with myself AND The Universe to convince us both I was doing a service as in I was providing uplifting pieces which would aid folk in NOT doing the things I have currently been doing.

I know. I know!

My bad.

I TRIED, unsuccessfully, to argue with The Universe that Life was being especially hard on me.

Life said ‘so what?’ and told me to keep it moving.

God told me not to blame Him and He kept it moving.

Leaving me, alas, to throw yall underneath aforementioned bus and proclaim I was providing encouragement to and for you.

I was hiding in plain sight. Comfort eating. Finding NO comfort there. I am finding no comfort anywhere. It will be this way until Christmas passes.

Sshhhhhhoooooooot.

The Universe told me to get it together. To stop hiding. To stop doing things that do not serve me because I am missing mom.

I am doing my best to get it together. I don’t feel like writing today. I am writing. I did not feel like getting out of bed to prepare a proper meal. I prepared and ate a proper meal.

I did not want to reach out to family and friends. I reached out. I did not want to get put of bed and turn on the lights. I got out of bed and turned on the lights.

I chose to live. With intentions. There are no victims here. Life is good. Even as it is hard.

Keep your act right acting right. Don’t allow your feels to run your life. Your feels will run you right into the nearest ditch when your heart is in need or in pain.

It’s okay to need comfort. We just need to be sure we are finding comfort in things and folk who support and love us. Starting with us.

Be encouraged. Take comfort in the knowledge that all will be okay. We shall be okay. Keep going.

going with you,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Fear not. Be not dismayed…

My why is no longer my reason why.

I used to want to see my name in lights.

I used to want to see a book, written by me, in a book store.

Prominently placed, of course.

Why?

I could say, then, I didn’t know why. I just knew I had this yearning, this burning, to see MY name, in a place of prominence.

If you ask me NOW, I would probably tell you I needed to be:

Seen.

Heard.

Validated.

Then, yes, ONLY then, could/would/should I be…

Loved.

Ah, love!

It’s what we all seek, eh, beloveds?

EVERYTHING we say and do is to garner love. We seek it, zealously. We guard it, jealously. We hoard it, greedily. With most of us loving it, gingerly, guiltily, foolishly thinking and believing we are not worthy of IT. Of love.

Ah, beloveds, fools that we are. We are worthy of love simply because we ARE.

It took me decades to learn how to receive love. It took decades of God chasing me down to show me His Love. For me. I didn’t believe Him. I dared not believe Him. How could He love a goof like me?!

Yet, He did. Still does.

Now, I find my why is no longer my reason why.

Now, my reason for being is…

Being!

Ah.

Aha!

Now, I write, to encourage others to find their why.

Why?

Because, beloveds, you have always been my true reason why. I encourage. It’s what I do. It’s not the whole of me.

I am many things. As are you. The trick is understanding we are more than what we do. We are more than what we have. We are more than what we give.

I write to encourage as many folk as I can for as long as I can in as many ways I can muster and think of. Simple as that.

I no longer have to. I choose to.

Life is short. Don’t waste your life trying to earn validation. Keep doing what you love. Keep loving yourself. Keep pursuing your why.

Why?

Your why may lead me to my dream. To yours. To many. To one. To..?

We shall never know unless we keep going, eh?

I don’t know if I am making sense to you. I don’t know if I am making sense at all. I don’t know…*shrug*.

Keep on being you. You are loved and you are not alone.

being my why,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: It’s easy to wonder if our words are falling to the ground unheard. Keep sharing. Keep trying. Keep believing. In you. Asking for A Friend.

8:30!: I asked The Universe.

8:30!

Who plays a football 🏈 game at 8:30, on a Sunday morning?!

I was tired.

I wanted to watch the game.

8:30!?

Who wants to watch a football 🏈 game at 8:30, on a Sunday morning?!

I was tired. I wanted to watch the game. I pouted. I pondered. It had been a long week. I had been sick, all week. I was feeling better. Finally.

I decided.

To sleep in.

I fell.

Asleep.

Secretly, I pouted. I wanted to watch the game, I whispered to my heart.

Morning woke me. Chastised me, for not asking, for what I wanted.

I was annoyed. I had wanted to watch the game.

The sun was mocking me, 😉 winking, through the curtain, saying I should have asked, for what I wanted.

I wish I would have asked night to have day wake me, with enough time to watch the game.

Phooey!

In mid pout, I felt a gentle tap, on my shoulder.

I looked over…

8:30! Yaaaaayayayayayayayayaya!!

The Universe woke me!

Yipppeeeeee…lol.

Okay, so I know this is a silly thing to have gotten all excited about. Yet, it does not take much to get me fired up. I really was disappointed I had forgotten to set the alarm.

Moral of the story:

Ask for what you need/want. Who knows? The Universe may wake you as well.

satisfied,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Life is short. Ask for what you need and want from life. You won’t receive what you don’t ask for.

Remember alway:

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU

I still believe.

I still believe.

Still.

I will.

Believe.

I believe, I will.

I believe.

I will.

Still.

Still, I believe that I will.

I must.

Why?

Someone has to.

Someone must.

I believe that someone has to be me.

I believe that someone must be me.

*Cassandra embraces a world that won’t believe. She chooses. She believes. Still.*

believing still,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: NEVER let your light be extinguished. Keep on believing. We have to. We must. Will you?

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being… YOU

Act your age: 25 and counting.

“Act your age.”

Really?

What, pray tell, is THAT age?

I turned 55, on November 3rd. In my heart, I am 25. I have been, and ever shall be, 25 and counting, for the rest of my days.

Why?

Because it is MY age. MY life. MY choice.

I have been seeing TikToks lately, admonishing ‘older folk’ to:

Dress this way.

Don’t dress that way.

Don’t dye your hair.

Dye your hair.

Go there.

Do NOT go there.

Leave your husband/family and DO you….smh.

Now, beloveds, I do NOT, for the life of me, understand where this trend seems to be that it’s okay to blow up one’s life simply because the TikTok/social media masses are doing so.

Don’t yall know, by now, that most of these folk are running game on you to get all up in your wallets?…smh.

I have also seen where folks are ‘seeing the light’ after having trashed their lives, for clicks, clickbait and dollars. Only to understand, FINALLY, how short life is. Now they are trying to reverse engineer their choices and profit NOW on ‘doing the right thing’. Apparently, there is a new dollar stream in ‘acting right after acting a complete and utter fool until one gets too old to do so’.

How about we all act right because it IS right to do right?

Okay, speech over.

I guess I am trying to encourage folk to just BE.

Who YOU are.

Not who the world tells you that you ought or have to be.

Do because you wish to do.

As for me and my house, I feel like eating tater tots and fruit snacks. They make me feel like a kid again. They make me smile. I think I shall allow myself to BE a kid again. For the night. Tomorrow? I shall put on my big girl pants and do the day.

Act your age. Whatever the age YOU choose…lol. Life is short. Enjoy your moments. ALL of them.

Be encouraged. I keep saying that because I need to hear it. These have been some discouraging days. So what? I embrace the hard. I am growing. Though, I would rather spend these days hiding under a mountain of comforters!

Take care of your heart. Love on you for me, would you please? Asking for A Friend.

here as best as I can,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: In case no one has told you today:

I love you.

You CAN.

You WILL.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU.