Tag: encouragement

I want to LIVE.

Someone has been needing to hear these words. If it’s you, let me know please and thanks…

When I first had my stroke, I  did not want to live “that way “. Rather, I had absolutely  NO ide HOW to live “like that!

THAT seemed:

Distasteful.

Too blasted difficult.

Disastrous, and ever other D, F,LMNOP word in the dictionary.

Those first days, weeks, moments were bajillion seconds of nothing but fear, dread, panic and terror.

I was terrified of everything and everybody. I was certain God had surely abandoned me for not being immediately able to stand on my faith.

We can all talk a big game,  can’t we, when we have a full belly and a few pennies in the bank,  can’t we?

It’s a whole other thing when a stroke takes your words, your very last penny,  destroys your dignity, dims your eyesight, removes  your joy, laughs in your face, and makes it so you can’t even wipe your own behind.

Yep, beloveds, hit me up after being utterly devastated.

And, do NOT even talk to me about depression. ONLY someone who KNOWS what true depression looks, tastes and FEELS like. Whew!!

Only God, or someone who has clawed his/her/their way out of the abyss, can even begin to touch the breadth of that despair.

It took months to dig myself out of the grave depression left so tantalizingly for me. Tears truly were my meat, my sustenance for longer than I care to admit.

God was sooooooooo silent for sooooooo very long. I felt lost, I felt so alone. Ah  God, WHY did You leave me for so long!

God  mercifully, left me alone only long enough for me to resurrect my faith from the chokehold of fear, shame and guilt. I blamed myself.

God stayed with me. Through it all. ALL!

I just stopped by to encourage someone. Was it you? Or, you?

Be encouraged. You SHALL come forth as gold.

Pain is hollering at me. Have an amazing rest of your day. I love you and so does He

!

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note:🤗🙏🥰❤💃🏽

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Start in the middle, if you have to, but START!

When I first started my blog 6 plus years ago, I had NO idea:

What to say.

What to write.

How to say it.

IF I should say anything.

I wondered:

If anyone would be interested in what I had to say/share.

If God would be interested in what I had to say.

If I would be interested in what I had to say and share.

God told me to “just write “. So, I did. I think the first piece I wrote was about a fly  named ‘Percival’!

😁🤗😎🤣!

From that day, beloveds, til now, I have shared my heart, my hard, my stupid,  my mad, my joy, my faith and, every subject under the sun and heaven above!🤣

Here I am, beloveds, encouraging you to open your mouth, your, and your spirit so you can enjoy the joy of your own Percival.

We all have stories to share. Let me hear from you. I invite you to build your own dream. Let’s see how God, how Life, will open before us!Let’s go!!!

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Let’s go!!!

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

I went in search of my humor.

I went in search my humor. I found her underneath a bushel of pain. I replaced pain with joy. Then, added ten bushels, of joy. On top of joy, I added a billion dollops,  of thanksgivings. To top things off, I added a lifetime of Jesus’s love.

Ah, God.

Nuff said. I love me some You. Jesus, thanks for being My Bestie. Be much with me and my fellow man/woman/them.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Ah, beloveds, be well this day. Enjoy your day. Grab ahold to your humor. You’ll need it to wade through the hard work. Find reasons to crack yourself up.

NOTHING has  been funny the last few weeks. I keep telling myself that I am NOT alone. I remember that my steps are ordered. I am protected. I got this.  So do you.

Being a piece of watermelon cracks me up. Being a sista, I can’t tell you how many times, over the years, I have been referenced by chicken and watermelon. I don’t take offense. I say extra prayers for the folk who don’t care for someone who looks like me. I say this purposefully to make even angry folks smile. They need love the most.

Let’s endeavour to love one another. Be encouraged. 🤗❤🥰😁🙏

I’m so very thankful and grateful to be alive. Be encouraged and proud of how far you have come!

We got this. Enjoy every moment. Especially, the hardest ones. You build your crown 👑 during these times, among the hardest of days.

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Good morning.

Good morning.

loving me some you,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Have an amazing day!

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Cheers to you, beloveds.

Here’s to love. Here’s to hope. Here’s to the best of you for bringing out the best of me.

Ah, beloveds, you make want to:

Love harder.

Give more.

Laugh alway.

Rejoice evermore.

Pray, for all,without ceasing.

Cheers to you, beloveds. You bring out the best in me. I endeavour to:

Give my all.

Empty myself.

I promise to love you so long as I have breath. There is nothing I ask of. You owe me nothing. Take all that I have. You are welcome to the best of me.

Ah, beloveds,  you are:

Altogether, lovely.

Loved, outrageously.

Cherished, eternally.

God loves you. As, do I. Be encouraged. Be loved. Be confident. Be content. Be still.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note:😎👍🥰😁🙏

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Be gentle with yourself.

Ah, beloveds,  you much too hard on yourself.

Cut yourself some slack.

Give yourself some dap/credit!

You give your all.

On the daily. And, daily, you:

Give.

Love.

Try.

You give the best of yourself. EVERY day.  And, every day, you show yourself true those you love.

You are:

Far from  perfect.

Closer to who you hope to be.

Be gentle with yourself. Let Love/love in to love on you.

Ah, beloveds, you are deserving. You are! As, am I.

Be gentle with yourself…🥰❤🤗🙏

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: Have a beautiful Sunday!

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

I refuse.

I refuse.

I refuse to be:

Defined by a stroke. By a stroke or by luck, a stroke found it’s way to me. I didn’t ask. Still, it found me. Yet, I refuse to allow it to define who I am now. I refuse to let it define what I shall be.

I refuse to be:

Diminished by what happened TO me. I didn’t ask. Still, it came for me. Still, and, yet, I refuse to allow it take what I plan to be.

I refuse to be:

Beaten by what happened to me. I didn’t ask. Still, it came for me. Thay said, I refuse to let it take the best of me.

Beloveds, don’t you DARE allow anything or anyone define who you are, what you can do, or how your life turns out to be!

We can do  ALL things THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens me. AND, YOU, should you lean on and trust Him. I got you.  Even you non believers   ESPECIALLY you.

Be encouraged. We got this.  I love you and so does He!

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note:❤🥰🤗🙏

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Even then.

Even then.

Even when.

Even if.

We are loved.  Even when we can’t/won’t don’t. He does.

Even then.

Even then.

Even when we can’t/won’t/fear trusting Him. He loves.

Even then.

Even if we can’t/won’t/fear staying true.  He stays.

Even then.

Even then. Even when. Even if.

For God so loved the world…❤

loved by Him,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: We are loved. Ah, God. Thanks for Your Love. You mean the wide world to me. 🤗🥰❤

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

Focus on what you CAN do.

There are a million things I either can’t do, now, or may never do again. It’s hard acknowledging that.

I am working hard to focus 💪 on what I  CAN do. NOW. AT THIS time. HERE.

Now is all we have, eh.

It’s okay, beloveds, to cry over what has been lost. Yeah,  it hurts.  A lot.

Go ahead and grieve. Then, get up.

STOP focusing on what’s gone. The eggs 🥚 have already broken. Make an omelet and keep it moving!What are you holding back from yourself because you think you can’t do it?

Find a new way. Find YOUR way.

Being forced to limit how much I can do and say is building building me new vocabulary. I have to use autocorrect to my advantage. I choose the one hand keyboard option.  Who knew there was such a thing!

I am finding new ways to do things. MY way. So what if it takes an hour to put on a pair of 👖 pants. There are now days where I can’t. On those days, I give myself the permission to struggle!

Give yourself permission to struggle your way through the blessed thing. Whew!

Focus on what you CAN do. Leave the rest alone.

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: How long will you use your past mistakes as an excuse to not do the thing! Go…

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!

These lessons  learned.

Ah, beloveds, Life has been teaching me many  a lesson

Some, bitter. Some, bittersweet!!

I’m learning how to stand, ten toes down, on FAITH. I tell fear HA! THEN, I keep going.

Be encouraged,  beloveds,  oh, be ENCOURAGED!

What lessons are YOU learning.  I’m getting stronger. Today,  I walked almost 700 feet with my quad cane. It felt good to walk 🚶‍♀️ those exhausting steps! Whew!

I was proud of my try. Be proud of yourself.  You are doing your best.  Let that be enough. STOP judging yourself so harshly!

asking for A Friend,
Cassandra

#YourLifeMattersToMe

Note: I love you!❤️

One step.

One step.

One step.

You are loved.

You are NOT alone.

Keep on being…YOU!