Your dreams are out there. Adventure is out there. A new way of living is out there. That is, if you can summon the courage to get out there and live.
The only thing hopeless is your outlook. And that you can change any moment you choose!
This may seem strange for an encourager to admit to but before the tornado, I could encourage everyone in the world but me.
Why? Allow me the privilege of speaking freely, beloveds.
There has always been a part, a small part, albiet, that secretly believed I would NEVER be enough. All my life, I have been dismissed, by the world. Because, of my race. Because, of my gender. Because, of my faith. Because, of my joy.
Because. Because. Because….
Yea, I fought back against all those hurdles/stats/shenanigans. Still, after a while, even the best of us tend to take on water.
So, I secretly carried around a bit of ‘for everyone else but you’ juice everywhere I went. I used that juice liberally, early and often. SMH.
It was, is, and ever shall be, BECAUSE of the love of God, that I learned HOW and TO love me some me. Yall non-believers are just going to have to give me some room here…lol.
Now, NOW, now that my heart is full of love….ah, God, I just hafta give it all away!
Beloveds, all is NOT lost. We have all been lost. In stinking thinking. In set ways. In hard headedness. In all manner of foolishness.
Maybe, God left me ’round here to say these words to some. I have no idea. I have chosen to use these words, these days of mine, to love as many as I can. Call me silly, if you like. I love you too!….hahahahahahahahahahahahha
Be encouraged. My heart has been trying to tell the world something for days. I know not what she has been trying to say. If someone knows, please let a sista know.
I refuse to give in to you. I refuse to entertain you. I refuse to let you run my life.
I choose love. I choose joy. I choose peace. I choose laughter.
Hate, I hate to tell you this.
The light will drive you out. Love will win the day. You shall be defeated.
My heart breaks beloved, every time I see all of this hateful and divisive rhetoric that seems to be everywhere. It seems that hate has become envogue. It seems that people are proud to show their hate flag.
Not me. I choose love. I choose to love my fellow man. I pray for every heart. I pray for each and everyone of us.
I don’t think that people realize how truly short life is. If people knew this, I think they would be making different choices with their lives.
I came a step between losing my life when that tornado was outside my door. It is something I would never forget.
To this day, I asked God. I asked life. I asked the universe. Why was my life spared? I wonder if there are people that are more worthy than me. My heart grieves for young people who have been lost. I cry for those who have died, who have left husband and children behind.
I tell God it it’s just me. Who am I? What can my life do? What kind of an impact can I make?
He tells me just to try. He tells me to be myself. He tells me to get up every day and love my fellow man and leave the rest to Him. I do. I will. I’ll try.
I just stopped by to let you know that your life can make as much as an impact as you choose. Love someone. Starting with you.
asking for A Friend, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: I love you. For whatever that means or is worth to you, beloveds…
Note: You make more of an impact than you know. You are more than just a ripple on the pond. Your life is meant to be a tsunami. Your words, your thoughts, your heart. Your shoulder. Your hands, your heart were meant to change things.
Stop diminishing your worth. Stop limiting yourself. Get out there and make your mark. You’ll never know what you can do until you try.
In fact, you have not lost at all. Yes, lies may have taken a few things from you here lately. But you have not lost. You are not lost. You are exactly where you are meant to be.
I would wish that tornado on the worst enemy. It was the most terrifying experience of my life. Still, I am grateful for it.
That tornado caused me to fight for my life as I had never done before. I had to fight to stay positive. I had to drag my hope from the dregs of despair. I had to learn to reach out to family and friends. I had to learn how to ask for help. I had to learn so many things.
I had to learn to deal with my anger. I had to learn how to be honest with myself. I had to learn how to confront myself and shake myself out of the apathy I had been living with for years.
I hid myself in work. I ran myself in the ground. I told myself because I had to keep a roof over my head. There were so many things I wanted to try. I made excuses. I told myself there was work to be done. I told myself I had to be there for my family, my friends, my community, my work. I had to be there for everyone but me.
After a while. I began to feel as though I had run out of time. I told myself I was too old now. I told myself I didn’t have enough money. I told myself it would be too cumbersome to move about now.
Instead of seeing adventure, all I saw were obstacles. I thought about the traffic I didn’t want to get into. I told myself I didn’t want to go to unknown places because of my age and I was just too tired.
When a tornado comes calling, all bets are all. Believe me.
I savor every moment now. All of them. I don’t know how many moments I will have. I don’t say that to be morbid of it. I say that because a tornado came and knocked on my door. I shouldn’t be here right now.
I still wonder why I was left behind. Maybe it’s to tell you that your life is not lost. You are not lost.
I’ve reached a place where I’m not concerned about losing things. Not anymore. If I lose more things, that’s OK. Things can be replaced.
I can’t believe how hard I was clinching fear in my grasp. Now that fear has no place in my life. There’s so much more room for everything else. It feels good. I’m still getting used to it.
I’m going to ask you to do the brave thing and get 100 with yourself. What areas of your life is fear dominating you? If you’re not going in the directions you want to, why? I know this is a scary question. You’ll be glad you asked.
Thanksgiving will be soon. I have much to be thankful for. As do you.
Take care of your precious heart. There is only one you. You are precious. You are priceless.
thankful, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: Have an amazing rest of your day. You got this. You can do it. It’s time for you to tear off that negative tape you have playing in your head. It’s time you stop telling yourself the lies that the world has been trying to feed you. You could do so much more than you have ever given yourself credit for. Get out there and do those things. So what if you fail? Get up and try again. And again. As many times as you have to.
I just stopped by to encourage someone today. Your life is a miracle.
You have been doing your level best to keep yourself distracted. You feel as though your life has been a failure. It hasn’t. You have not.
Still, it’s time for you to become 100 with yourself. He has been listening to everyone but you. You feel as though they have more knowledge and experience than you. You feel they have more cache than you. You feel they have more networking than you. You feel as they have more resources than you.
You feel as though you don’t measure up. You feel as though you would never measure up. You want if you will ever be selected from the shelf of life.
Don’t worry about being selected. Just get out there and live. Just get out there and be you. There will be those who will love you. Still love yourself first, last and always. Be encouraged.
*Cassandra turned away from the mirror and went off to take her own advice*
loving me, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: Don’t wait to be loved, beloveds. Love yourself. You are worthy. You are worth it. You are more than worthwhile. You are a miracle. I just stopped by to tell you so. Every now and again, it’s good to know that we are loved. You are. You are!
The silence was loud today. It was jealous, in fact. It wanted me for itself.
The silence chastised me all day. It asked me why I was so silent. It asked me why I was not questioning things.
I’ve been craving the stillness. Life has been so loud the past two years. I wanted to bask in the quiet. I wanted to see what the quiet has to say to me. Too much is lost in the noise.
Yet the silence began to yell at me. It asked me to move. It challenges me to move forward.
The silence is loud today. I’m trying to listen. I’m trying to learn from it.
I just stopped by to encourage someone today. Starting with me. Life is what we make it. Still so much of us. Use the noise to keep us distracted from living a real, full and honest life.
We often feel lacking. We have often been made to feel as though we are lacking in something. In some form or fashion. I created this blog as a safe place to let people know that they were loved and not alone. I wanted people to know that it’s OK to be still in silent.
I spent my birthday in silence. It was really nice. I let my heart breathe. I let my soul stop moving about. I let my heart feel whatever it wanted to feel. In the stillness. In the silence. I’m gonna try to do that everyday for the rest of my life.
I wonder where life will take me. I’m gonna do my best to enjoy the journey every step of the way. I’m sitting here drinking my coffee and listening to the silence. She is loud today…
still, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: After the tornado, I was so angry at God for not letting me move forward and start working right away. I’m so glad he didn’t listen to me. I was so tired. I needed the rest. I have been working myself into the ground for decades. I was doing a disservice to myself.
If you are like me and working yourself into the ground, I urge you to stop. You only have one life to live. Living it so exhausted you can barely scrape yourself out of bed. It’s helping no one.
Perhaps you as well need to listen to the silence. What is yours saying to you? If no one has told you yet today, I love you and care about your life.
Why Can't I Be Loud?! 