No more retreating. No more surrendering crucial ground.
I’m done giving up on me. I fight for me now, with all that is within me. Life is much too short to do otherwise.
Don’t give up. Not just yet. Life will give up its bounty to us. We just have to keep fighting one day at a time. We just have to keep on keeping on. We have to just keep encouraging ourselves and others.
There’s too much in us for us to quit. We can. We have to.
Lift up your head. Turn on the light. Put one foot in front of the other. Let the past go. Embrace the future.
Draw your own line in the sand. Declare what you will and will not put up with. Live your life with intention. There are no victims here. We get to choose our actions, our emotions. Our behaviors every single day. Choose well.
asking for A Friend, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: Choose you. Choose your dreams. Choose to love. Choose to care. The world needs what only you have to provide. I love you.
Note: 😎😁. More men need to speak up on women’s behalf. Where yall at? We love and support yall. Support us back. Asking for ALL the ladies in the house.
We simply choose to make things harder than they need to because things don’t/won’t/didn’t do as we want them to all the time.
Life could give two hoots about what we want. Life is going to life. Life is going to work with those who work with it. Life is going to work against those who work against it.
Simple as that.
Life is not hard. Hard is hard. There IS a difference. Once you understand this, beloveds, life becomes quite simple…😎💯🥰🫶
Be encouraged. Stop making life so hard. It’s…hehe. You fill in the blank.
asking for A Friend, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: Have an amazing day. Be encouraged. Things will work out as they need to.
God spoke when I shut up whining, er, complaining, er, praying. 💯🤣
Nuff said. I sowwy, Father. Oops.
*Cassandra promises to stop all the carrying on and to carry on*
Geez, Cassandra…
Kinda hard to hear, beloveds when we are full of fear, doubt, despair, apathy, hopelessness, and all their friends.
This last year has been teaching me HOW to accept the fact that I am just one human soul trying her best to make it in the world. Simple as that.
I can understand now why I have not yet been able to find a job. The universe keeps standing in my way so I can face the fact that I am more than what I produce. I used to define myself on how hard I could run myself into the ground for everyone in the world.
I was raised to empty everything I had and to pour it into everything, into everyone, everywhere.
Don’t get me wrong. I love giving. I love extinct myself. It’s the overextending that gets us into trouble.
The world would have you believe you HAVE to continually be there for people twenty-four hours of every single day, or you just don’t count a matter. This is simply not true.
I am 56 years old. I have been working most of my life. I had work non-stop for most of that time.
Before the tornado last year, I have never taken an extended period of time off. I had been struggling for the last few years before that. I was tired. I was exhausted. I need to break so badly.
My spirit kept telling me. I needed at least a year off to rest. In fact, my heart had been asking me to take a year off to just rest, write, breathe, and see what life had to offer.
I told myself I couldn’t. I had to be there for everyone. Someone might need me in that time. I had bills to pay.
I used every excuse in the book. Yet, I was so tired. I began to resent being at work. I loved my job. I enjoyed the people I worked with. Still, I was tired, and I wanted to take a break.
The tornado decided things for me. I was torn. At times, I am still torn. Muscle memory tells me.I should be working myself into the ground still.
God tells me to rest. I fought with guilt for many months. Even now, I fight with a tad bit of guilt that I should be doing SOMETHING to help SOMEONE. To be doing SOMETHING for some reason or other.
Inadvertently, the tornado has given me the year off I have been craving for, for the last decade or so!
God knows I NEEDED this time to truly heal. I had never given myself permission to grieve mom’s loss in 2016.
I had never given myself permission to grieve the loss of having to uproot my life and move to a state I had never lived in when the job decided to close where I was working with 60 days notice! I had 60 days to find a job, find a car, move myself to one state while helping my sis move to another.
On top of THAT, I ended up losing more than 3,000 dollars after being scammed by a “friend” who had a truck and business who I paid, upfront, to move my things and move sis and her things.
None of that happened. The driver never showed up. I ended up having to lose EVERYTHING except what I could pack into the car I eventually found. I ended up giving most of my things away and leaving the rest on the literal curb for folk to pick up.
I had no choice. I had to be working in my new town in two months’ time. In the meantime, I still had to work.
In the meantime, we had to convince our mom to have her leg amputated, or she would be dead within the next few hours/data. Initially, she said no. So, I had to have a possible last call with mom. I didn’t pressure her. I supported her decision. I prepared to let her go. She had the surgery.
I moved. Alone. Mom made it til that Christmas morning, 2016. She died. I kept working. No break. I was tired. Sooooooooooo tired.
No time to grieve the loss of mom, my money, my things, my sense of self, my bearings. On top of this, I now had to support two households as it took sis and my income to survive.
Things worked themselves out but left me a tired, in need of a rest, worn out, devastated, secretly dying inside person who desperately needed TIMS off.
Toss in a few illnesses, some bad storms, a few terribly tough work situations, and you can image the mess that was me BEFORE the tornado.
Starting my blog, five years ago, was the beginning of healing for me. God told me to write after mom died. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t bear her loss. I can’t bear it now.
I say all that so you can understand I really did need a break….lol
I am finally resting. I am finally grieving all my losses. I’m finally giving myself permission to feel all the things I have not allowed myself to feel since 2016. It has been hard. It has been lonely. It has been difficult.
It has also been joyful. It has also been freeing. It has also been wonderful. It has been hopeful. It is been many things.
I understand why God has been silent. He knew I needed this time to hear from my own heart. He knew I needed this time to be still. He knew I needed this time to understand I am much more than what I have done in my jobs and for others.
I just stopped by to let someone know it’s OK to rest. It’s OK to give yourself permission to grieve a loss. It’s OK to understand that you don’t have to understand all the time.
I am also here to tell someone there is true healing and peace on the other side of grief and hard.
I’m sorry I went so deep for a bit there. My heart needed to let all of that go. Thank you for allowing me the freedom to do so here. I am free from all of that pain. Yes, I miss Mom terribly. Yes, those were some tough days. Still, they help bring out the best in me. They brought me to this blog. They brought me to you!
Life is worth living. Even when it’s hard. You will get through what you need to get through. Keep moving forward. Keep looking up. I love you. So does He
asking for A Friend, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: Whew, eh? Be encouraged. All things really will and do work together for good for those…
For the life of me, beloveds, I can NOT figure out how to do anything electronically. Yikes and Egads!
This is making figuring out HOW to get things started super aggravating. Not so much annoying. Just annoying having no idea how to find the things I have saved, download the things I have recorded, upload or export whatever in the fresh hell I need to export/upload/download ALREADY SO I CAN GET GOING ALREADY!!!!! OMG, CASSANDRA, ALREADY!!!!!
I have spent several satisfying hours trying to figure out the apparent indecipherable! Ack.
Trying, for ME, feels awfully good, beloveds. I gave everything to my job. Everything. I did NOT stop until I mastered things. Yet, for MY dreams, it didn’t take a whole lot to get me down and discouraged.
I can’t even say why. I have all the faith and belief, in the world, for the entirety of the world. For me, though, I guess getting kicked in the teeth a billion times will/can have you questioning if things are meant for YOU, know what I mean?
I stopped by to encourage folk to keep on trying. Even when things are:
Confusing.
Frustrating.
Maddening.
Whatever your ‘ing appears to be, today, keep on keeping on. Things WILL get easier. Things WILL get better. They will. Just make sure YOU become better, not bitter, because things are driving you up ten walls and back.
I forgot about all the things I had been fretting about…lol. This is just a nice reminder to keep the most import thing the most import thing!
Be good to you as you figure things out, okay? Who wants coffee??
asking for A Friend, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: Whew! Life sure is lifing, ain’t it? Hang in there.
I’m going to do my best to love this ghosting world.
Even when I don’t understand.
I CHOOSE to receive/accept God’s/Life’s The Universe silence when I NEED words the most.
Even when I don’t understand.
I BELIEVE all WILL come out in the wash.
Even when I don’t understand.
I’m going to keep moving FORWARD.
Even when I don’t understand.
Sometimes, beloveds, I just don’t understand.
I fussed at myself for not understanding.
I fussed at God for not being more easily understood.
I fussed at Life for not being more understanding.
The Universe understood but remained silent, notwithstanding…lol
Be good to yourself, beloveds, as you make your way through a life that seems to be going every which way without your knowledge or consent.
Things take time. I am learning that the process can be maddeningly slow! Give yourself the time it takes. How long is that? It takes as long as it takes. Yikes.
This morning, I started to get up to work. Then, I made coffee and turned off the laptop. I had promised myself the weekend off from striving. I need to keep my promises to rest. As do you.
I brought out my fancy crystal coffee cup. Whose up for a cup?
Rest. Cut yourself some slack. Start again. Rinse. Repeat. There is no defeat in accepting that we will just not understand everything ALL the time.
This is a truly challenging time, beloveds, if you are a lover of justice, peace among ALL men, unity and prosperity for ALL.
Rights are being stripped away. Long held beliefs that the disabled, the elderly, the young, the unhoused, the hungry, and all those in need were taken cared of.
No longer are those things held sacrosanct. Now, beloveds, liberty/justice/opportunities/care/regard/esteem seem to be for sale. But, only to the highest bidders. Only to those of the male persuasion. Only to the apparent CHOSEN race(s).
Hogwash and straight back to hell with all that nonsense/lies.
Beloveds, this world ain’t playing with any of us. We are ALL being challenged to be a light or to turn away from the hard darkness whilst ringing out hands in despair and defeat.
There is NOTHING new under the sun. History repeats itself. It does so now. Just because some governments are doing their level best to erase/rewrite/whitewash(pun intended) history, will not change all that has happened.
History is watching. It watches ALL of us. It notes EVERY action, every action.
History SEES every wrong done, every right that has been righted.
History NOTES who feeds the hungry, ignores the cries of the elderly/young.
History has selected each of us to be HERE, NOW, in THIS time. Wishing this were not so, that we were somewhere else will change nothing.
Still, beloveds, we were CHOSEN for this time. We were made to overcome it! We were given all the love, care, hope, perseverance, joy, strength, laughter, forbearance, fight, act right, and being aboutness to bring all of this foolishness to an end.
I just stopped by to tell you to be encouraged. Live. Love. Laugh. Make a difference where and when you can. Spread this message in as many places as you can. Share this piece. Share my blog. Help me reach more folk.
We were born for this. Life is worth living. Even the hard parts.
This too shall pass. Let me hear from you in the comments. Surely, I can not be the only person on 🌎 earth feeling this way?
asking for A Friend, Cassandra
#YourLifeMattersToMe
Note: We only get this one shot at life. Do NOT believe the lie that life is nothing but chaos. Chaos thrives in fear and from folk turning away when a need is there. I choose life. I choose love. I choose to lift my voice. I choose to open my arms. I choose to offer my shoulder to ALL who need one. I love you, world, even as you are acting the biggest fool. I pray for all. Be encouraged. This too SHALL pass.
And for EVERY person calling themselves Christians while rejoicing over the hurt/harm of others, shame on you. You are NOT His. Get some act right. Get a life. Reacquaint yourselves with Christ. He IS who yall said you would follow. Pick up His Word and read what He said to do for the meek, for the hungry and for the world.
Apologies, beloveds. I have had just about enough of watching TikTok videos with folk celebrating craven/awful behavior just because it is being done at the hands of and for the benefit of billionaires.
History IS watching. I plan on being on the right side of it. I love you.
Why Can't I Be Loud?! 