31 Days: Celebrating YOU!

Welcome to 31 Days: 
Celebrating You!

I begin this first post of our series by taking a long, slow deep breath and chanting our dear Nestor's Wisdom Statement in my head:

“It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful…It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful…Thank Goodness it doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful...”

This is the first time I’ve participated in a 31 Days series and I'm very excited about participating. I want to start off thanking The Nestor for starting up the 31 Days Series five years ago and also thank the wonderful posters who participated over the years and from whom I have derived much pleasure and benefit of their wisdom. You can click here for more information what 31 Days is all about..

I’m calling this series “Celebrating You!” because for the month of October I want for us to take time out each day to learn about and celebrate who we are. I really wanted to name this series was “Why YES, it is really is all about Me!” but I decided to try to keep it classy at least for my first time out. The essence of this thought, however, is what I want to impress upon you for this series. It really is all about you.  It really is. We’re going to talk about how, we’re going to talk about why and by the end of these 31 days, you’ll believe it too.

As this is the introductory post, I will introduce myself. 

My name is Cassandra. I am fifty-seven years old (yes, I said it out loud), a mother of three wonderful sons and the gram-gram of two wonderful grandsons and three lovely granddaughters. I currently live in the Great State of Texas (…and yes, you do have to say it that way. It’s a Texas thing…) where I reside in my grandmother’s 1920 historically registered home near downtown Dallas. My favorite color is red, my favorite season of the year is the fall and some of my favorite places in the whole wide world are bookstores. I am in love with bookstores and I can spend all day in one and frequently do. I am a Christian, (unapologetic and unashamed) and I currently serve in my church as the pastor of women. I love working with women. I think women are glorious creatures and I am so pleased to be one. We have are issues, yes, but…well…we’re women. That happens.

As you can tell I do try to keep things light but one the thing I am thoroughly convinced about is it really is all about you and we’re going to be Celebrating You! for the month of October.  Please stay with us and join in the conversation. We'd really love to get to know you.

Please take a moment to say 'Hi' and tell us a bit about yourself so we can begin Celebrating You! 

Light Comes

 Light Comes

Darkness is removed

A new day begins

I awoke early this morning already weary with so many things on my mind. I wanted to pull the covers over my head and hide from the day, but I knew from experience it wouldn't help. Instead I stumbled to my living room to watch the sun come up. I have always loved how the morning light spills into my living room and I need that moment today. As the dawn began to break and the sun came up this scripture came to mind:

And God saw the light, that it was good: 
and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. 
And the evening and the morning were the first day. - Genesis 1:4-5

I began to feel better. The light came, removing the darkness of my thoughts and the cares and confusion within it. I felt renewed, ready to go forward into the day. From the beginning of the world God had left me a word of encouragement. A word I needed this morning.

Light comes, darkness is removed, a new day begins.

May all your mornings be filled with light.

Five Minute Friday: Red

Joining with Five Minute Friday sponsored by Lisa-Jo Baker. On Friday, Lisa-Jo posts a one word prompt and for five minutes even we write what the prompt brings to mind. No rewrite, nor editing just letting the words flow. 

Today's Prompt: Red

Five Minute Friday

Red has always been my favorite color. It was the color of the various station wagons my family had when I was a child. Some had wood paneling on the side, some were decorated with chrome accents but they were all various shades of red. I believe they were the beginning of my love affair with red.

I remember taking three week long summer vacations in those red station wagons where we kids took turns sitting in the rear facing back seat, waving at on coming cars. I remember stretching out on sleeping bags spread out over the folded-down red leather rear seats on warm cool summer family nights at the drive in movies. There was nothing better in this kid's world than falling asleep before the second feature began in the those wood-paneled red cradles. Warm, precious memories of our family, together in the inside the color red.  

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Sunday Community: Autumn Rains

Rejoice in the Lord your God,
for he has given you 

the autumn rains
because he is faithful. 

(Joel 2:23)

The rains came last week.
After a long hot Texas summer I felt
revived, refreshed, renewed
and thankful.

~

Worshiping with Deidra Riggs and the Sunday Community and Barbie at The Weekend Brew.
Come join us.

Five Minute Friday: She

Joining with Five Minute Friday sponsored by Lisa-Jo Baker. On Friday, Lisa-Jo posts a one word prompt and for five minutes even we write what the prompt brings to mind. No rewrite, nor editing just letting the words flow. 

Today's Prompt: She 

5 Minute Friday

She has been on my mind a lot lately.  So many things are reminding me of her as I walk through my days. Even the weather does today as the  autumn rains come, washing the leaves from the trees. It's reminding me of my childhood where She still is vibrant and active. I remember how she would begin baking in the fall and how there were  sugar cookies baked in the shape of fall leaves. I can't remember the last time I baked cookies and I don't have a cookie cutter in the house.  She no longer bakes now  so I am going to have to pick up that mantle and do it for her.  On my list of errands this morning, I will be adding 'find a cookie cutter in the shape of a fall leaf'.

 Check out the Five Minute Friday community by clicking on the icon above.

 I Love You, Mom.

The Ladies Who Lunch Society

Enjoyed a very pleasant afternoon yesterday with my dear friend Lisa. I had called her mid-morning for a quick bit of information and she said, "Let's have lunch!" So we did.

Lisa  and I at Buca Di Beppo

Lisa and I met about five years ago when we were working at main office of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Dallas (BBBS) and became good friends.  I would sometimes work closer to home in one of the satellite offices near downtown (mostly used for interviewing BBBS candidates and for training) and Lisa was also in that office on Fridays. We started going out to lunch on these Fridays along with whoever else was in the office at the time. I once jokingly referred to us as "The Ladies Who Lunch" and the name stuck.

Ladies Who Lunch is a phrase often used to describe well-off, well-dressed women who meet for social luncheons, usually during the working week. Typically, the women involved are married and non-working. Normally the lunch is in a high-class restaurant, but could also take place in a department store during a shopping trip. The phrase "ladies who lunch" was introduced in the January 19, 1970 issue of New York magazine by the writer Merle Rubine. After originally introduced, it was sometimes used a disparaging term for bored society women who were judged to having too much money and too much time on their hands which they used to get into everybody else's personal business. That aint us.  We have to work for a living and if by some miracle we have a bit extra money we've generally used it up on lunch. :)

Although most of us have moved on from BBBS, we still get together from time to time for lunch and to hang out.  Sometimes it's planned in advance so more of us in the area can attend but sometimes, like yesterday, it is a spur-of -the moment instance. Lisa and I met up halfway between our homes at the Town East Mall in Mesquite (how convenient!) and roamed the mall a bit afterwards before I had to take off for a staff meeting at church.  It was a simple, fun and pleasant way to spend a few good hours with a friend. I had such a good time that I started a Facebook Group page called "The Ladies Who Lunch Society" with it's simple purpose being encouraging positive friendships and fellowship among women. This picture of me and Lisa will be the first post. 

 Visit the Facebook Page of "The Ladies Who Lunch Society".

You're probably already a member of 'The Ladies Who Lunch Society'. Tell us about who you've been having lunch with lately. Also tell us about your favorite places to meet. We're always looking for a few new places to have lunch.

She's doing it again...

Welcome! Thanks for stopping by!

Yep, I'm at it again, rearranging the layout of the blog. I've been gone a while but I'm determined to keep at this blogging thing 'till I get it right! It's been a busy couple of months and I'm excited about sharing it with you this fall and catching up on your activities.

New Posts will begin Monday September 30, 2013.  Looking forward to seeing you then!