Category: Writing

Be encouraged.

Be encouraged.

Later today, will be hard. At least, I anticipate so. Am going to get back on the horse and attempt my chili. First pot since my dear friend passed away…*sigh*. Figure it’s time to get back on the horse and get back after it.

I wonder, if the smells will be satisfying, still. I wonder, if the anticipation will be as satisfying, still. I wonder, if the taste will be as satisfying, still. That, I don’t yet know. Yet, I shall make the damned chill, still.

STILL.

Life is a have to. A must. A we gotsa do it. We can’t allow a tough happening, an awful happening, an impossible happening, to happen to us in such a way that we no longer allow Life, or God, or ourselves to happen. We have to continue. beloveds, to keep on happening. No matter what. No matter why.

In times past, when going through tough times, I would wait until the time passed before writing about them. I went through the hell, gathered the nuggets, stored them up, dispensed them when said hell was well past.

Life is short. I think it important, needed, to share these nuggets, whilst in the midst of the hard, in the middle of the hell, in the center of ground zero. So, folks can see it is more than possible to be victorious in the midst of certain and inevitable defeat.

Ha!

Stand up, beloveds. Stand!

I know it’s hard. It is. Hard understands your frustration, your anger, your pissed offness that she is around. Hard understands, full well, you think it strange, think it not fair, that you have been selected for her visit this go around. Hard is only here, beloveds, for your good. In the end, you will thank her. She shall show YOU just how truly amazing you are. You don’t yet believe this. Secretly, won’t you admit, you have wondered if you have the fortitude, the got what it takes, to do and be what it takes.

You got this.

Be encouraged.

Take one step.

Then, another.

Then, another.

Until:

The chili, gets made.

The dishwasher, gets loaded.

The trash, gets taken out.

I have no idea how the chili will taste. Just know I will smile whilst making it. The smells will be a sweet savor of TRY being lifted to the heavens. In, triumph. In, hope. In, thanksgiving.

Whatever state you find yourself in, be okay with that state. Embrace who you are, right now. Not after some phantom goal is reached. Look at you and all you have accomplished! Be encouraged. You are exactly where you were meant to be, right now. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Take care of you, today, would you please and thanks?

Think I shall have a second cup. Who shall join me?

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Friday funny on a Thursday.

Took me a minute to get this…

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

Be sure to have a few laughs today. There are enough sadsacks out there.

Don’t waste today looking for or forward to tomorrow. Scrape every last crumb of joy from today. It’s all we go, but all we need. Today, contains everything we need to conquer it, LIVE in it, rejoice because of it.

You got this, beloveds. Let’s attack this day with the vengeance we know we got and can do.

Be about it!

being about it with you,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

You can.

You can.

You CAN!

‘Nuff said.

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Turn on the light.

Turn on the light.

You don’t HAVE to remain, in the dark.

Dark times come. Things happen. Yet, you can turn on the light of perspective, of joy, of hope, anytime and any where you please.

It’s up to YOU, beloveds. Let life do what it will. Then, turn on the light. BE a light. Be THE light.

You CAN.

You WILL.

Get a goin’. Folks NEED you. What you have. What you are. What only you can do/be.

Be about it.

being about it with you,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Stop being so hard on yourself.

Stop being so hard on yourself.

You do the best you can, to the best of your ability.

Let this be enough, beloveds.

YOU are enough. There is nothing you need to add to yourself, to make yourself acceptable in the eyes of God, of Life, of those who love you. Let folk in. Let them love you. Start with you.

It is enough!

Put down your dukes. Let life and others in.

It shall be worth it.

You, beloveds, are with it.

loving me some you,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Never stop trying.

Never stop trying.

Never.

Ever.

EVER!

No matter what happens.

Beloveds, it’s not about what happens to us. It’s about what we DO with what happens. Happenings WILL happen. What happens, to YOU, in you and for you, during those happenings happens to be up to you!

The situation, the happenstance will happen. How it leaves your attitude, your TRY, your effort, your whatever is completely in your hands. This is a good thing and not so good. Not so good as now you can’t blame the happenings for how things have turned out.

This world has lied to us all. Lied and told us we have to do this, have this, be this, yada yada, in order to be happy, to be satisfied, to be loved on and on.

I have learned, through these super hard times, it’s honestly not about the getting of things, the ending of hard things, the start of easier things. I have learned, life comes and happens. And, Life just so happens to care enough, for me, to want ME to be different, IN my circumstances, not simply because those supposedly hard circumstances were made easier to bear.

What the world won’t tell you, beloveds, is the ballgame is KNOWING that ALL you must do is to give your TRY. That’s it. Love, as best you can. Live, as best you can. Say, as best you can.

Love, God.

Love, Life.

Love, you.

Love, your family.

Love, your friends.

Love, your community.

Love, your neighbor.

All else, beloveds, truly will come out in the wash. It will. Trust.

I have been missing in action, from the bog, this past little while as I have been throwing haymakers and fighting ALL fear, discouragement, setbacks, tough times, hard days, difficult circumstances, recalcitrant folk.

I fight on!

Do the same, beloveds. Fight, on.

There is NO give up, within us.

There is NO give in, within us.

We CAN.

We WILL.

going with you STILL,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Hahahahahaha!: Don’t be afraid of the memories.

Hahahahahaha!

Just sitting, in the car, thinking of mom and making new memories, from remembering old ones.

Hahahahahaha!

Many, many moons ago, mom had come to visit me. One afternoon, we set out to run errands of some sort.

I left the apartment. Followed by one of my sisters and mom. Suddenly, a scream of pure terror came from mom. Her face, white as a ghost, her hands just a shaking.

Of course, this scared holy what the hell out of me.

Me: What is it?!!!!

Mind you, I was ready to do one of the following:

1. Start throwing objects and or haymaker at whatever or whomever had scared the bejeezus out of mom.

2. Push mom into the hedges to protect her from whatever the holy fresh hell just scared the bejeezus out of her and now me.

3. Heck if I knew. Mom had scared the holy crappers outta me😱

Mom: I locked the house key in the house!

In horror, I make preparations to go into full blown freak out mode.

WAIT A MINUTE!…*Cassandra slaps self upside the head realizing it’s her place and her place has one of those idiot proof locks that you MUST have the key to in order to lock the door thereby saving oneself from locking oneself out and thereby terrifying ones mother so she can’t in turn scare the fresh hell out of her daughter thereby saving all from momentary terrors and foolishness*

Hahahahahaha!

We laughed forever once we got over the fright. Now, I sit here, in my car, laughing with mom. I used to be afraid to face memories, of her. Now, I cherish them. I, seek them out.

Don’t be afraid to whip out your memories. They are of comfort when missing loved ones now gone. They are never gone, though, as they live on, in our hearts, in our memories.

Keep, building memories, with those who remain. One day, you will whip them out, and have a laugh.

Hahahahahaha!

Miss you, mom. Rest in peace.

laughing still,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Go to the store.

So, I am out of everything, foodwise. Bread, butter, jelly, eggs, milk, etc.

Don’t judge me. We just came from being under a deep freeze. Egads, felt like I was living in a freezer! Man, it has been cold.

I was down to chicken salad sandwiches, minus the bread.🤷‍♀️

The first three times I ate chicken salad I was satisfied. Yummy, I said. Had it for breakfast. Had it for lunch. Had it for a snack. Thought of upcoming dinner…

Fresh hell! Tired of chicken salad!!

Work was long. Took all day to get done! Temp was above freezing but now I was too tired from working ALL day. I didn’t FEEL like driving to the store.

Let alone, having to get out of a warm car and into a cold fresh hell it’s cold, night. Let alone, having to trudge up and down aisles keeping away from ALL humanity. Let alone, having to converse with the checker who appears to hate all mankind along with being a checker who has to check out mankind. Let alone, having to load groceries I didn’t feel like getting into the trunk attached to the car I didn’t feel like driving, in the first place. Let alone, having to unload groceries I didn’t feel like getting in the first place.

Whew! Given all of that, I gave/allotted myself four options, giving myself permission to select ANY of the four.

Whew! Thanks me.

Me: You may do the following:

  1. Go, to the store.
  2. Go, to the store.
  3. Go, to the store.
  4. Go, to the store.

I no longer give myself permission to skip out on doing what is needed and or necessary. I promised myself to do what is needed. Period. End of story.

What did I do?

Went to the store.

The End.

Moral of the story?

Do.

Say.

Live.

Love.

Move!

Go!

moving,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Just, move.

Move!

Now!

Don’t wait, until tomorrow.

Just, move.

Doesn’t matter, where.

Just, move.

Don’t need to know how.

Just, move.

Don’t have to wait, on others.

Just move.

Don’t need a pile of money.

Just, move.

Don’t gotsa wait, on me.

Just, move.

Move!

Now!

Not, then.

Just, move.

Don’t make no never mind.

Just, move.

Don’t worry about outcomes.

Just, move.

Don’t fret about what comes next.

Just, move.

Life is short, yet long enough to move.

Get, a goin.

Get, after it.

Move!

Just, move.

This world has been needing and waiting for you to…

Just, move.

moving with you,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

You are…

You are…

So much more than you give yourself credit for!

You are soooooooooooooooo much more than:

What, you do.

What, you have.

What, you give.

What, you say.

What, you don’t say.

What, you wear.

What, you don’t wear.

How old, you are.

How old, you are not.

How fast, you run.

How slow, you walk.

How much, you’ve won.

How many, you’ve lost.

How far, you have come.

How far, you have yet to go.

How much, you know.

How little, you know.

How different, you seem.

How similar, you appear.

How vast, your viewpoint.

How limited, your perspective.

You are…

So much more than you have given yourself credit for. Too often, we have judged ourselves, wrongly, based upon what others have thought, what we have allowed ourselves to think based upon what others have thought, what this one has said, what that one wrote.

Enough! Be done with that, beloveds!

You are:

Amazing.

Awesome.

Inspiring.

Delightful.

Insightful.

Precious.

Priceless.

Cherished.

Seen.

Heard.

But, mostly, beloveds, you are loved!

LOVED!

Love you some you, would you, please and thanks?

STOP blaming yourself for what you did, what you did not do, what you could have, should have, yada yada. STOP THAT!!

You have done your best, with the knowledge you had, at the time. Let this be enough. And, even if things didn’t go your way, then. You can change things, change you, now. Can’t go back. Can and need to move forward.

FORWARD!

LOOK UP!

Stop looking down, stop kicking your own hind end. Let it end, here, right now. Tell yourself you are DONE with judging yourself so harshly. And, you will do your utmost to extend the same to all else whether you think they ‘deserve’ it or not. We ALL cut up, at times. Say super dumb things. Do absolutely ridiculous things. Mostly, not on purpose. And, on the on purpose times, we need that grace the most as we kick hell out of ourselves for messing up.

You are…

You are!

Yes, YOU, beloveds.

Keep doing you.

This world needs YOU. Can’t do without you. You are crucial, needed, necessary.

You are….amazing.

amazed by you,

Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe