SEASON 4 IS ON THE WAY!

"...these loaves that I will share with you, were baked with love, and what I know so far. I'm a firm believer that we are what we eat, and I pray the bread I share here with you, will nourish and encourage you".

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

R.A.O.K.

Though we are approaching the end of the month of February, I want to share a little known holiday with you. Did you know that February 17th was Random Acts Of Kindness Day? I didn’t think so. So of course I thought I would bake it up and share it with you. Now even though the day has come and gone I’m thinking that any if not everyday could be a day in which R.A.O.K’s are preformed. Let me ask you this, have you ever been the beneficiary of a random act of kindness? I remember when I first heard the phrase, it was many, many years ago and I instantly knew that this was one small thing that could make a big difference and not just in the lives of the recipient, but in the world.You see it’s really simple, all you have to do is be kind to someone for absolutely no reason, no recognition, no payoff... just because.

Cool yeah, I thought so. I also thought I’d put it to the test. I was living in the San Francisco Bay area at that time, so for awhile whenever I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge I would not only pay my toll, but the toll of the car behind me. It only cost an additional $2.00 or $3.00 back then, I thought it a small price to pay to bless someone. The first time I did it I tried to peek through my rear view mirror to see the reaction of the person, but if you’ve ever been on the Golden Gate Bridge, you know that waiting around after your toll is paid is not advised.

The truth is it doesn’t really matter, how R.A.O.K’S are received. I’m thinking the important thing is that they are preformed. And I’ll tell you something else, even though I never knew how the recipient felt, it always without fail, made me feel better knowing that I acted on the opportunity to reach out and connect with someone in a loving way. How much would you pay for a feel good? Not that it is important to spend a dime to help someone. Often times simply making eye contact and offering a smile could brighten someone’s day. So then the more important question is how much could we create in the lives of others, not to mention our own if we choose to perform R.A.O.K’S?


Betty J. Eadie author of Embraced By The Light says “We see that we are not alone, that everything we do touches everybody else in some way, and that as we release our love to others, we each become the vessel God has chosen from the beginning.” So I say, on the chance that this is true, RA-OK! I suspect that when we choose to think of and do for some one else, we create a space in the world for love and healing on levels so deep that we could not even comprehend.
It has happened to me, there have been days where all I could do was move through my life and not hurt somebody, and then for no apparent reason some one would speak or smile or show kindness in some way (you see it doesn’t take much) and all of a sudden I was reminded that the world is supporting me and showing me love if I only I would receive it. I suspect that if we would just avail ourselves to the concept, we would find ourselves performing R.A.O.K’S with out even knowing it.

And how cool would that be? We would just go around blessing and being blessed.

Think about it, what is the thing you would like most like to hear? Say it to some one. What is some thing you would like to receive? Give it to someone. Is it help that you need? Help someone. How do you affect those you come in contact with? How could you?
So you see, This is what I know so far; We all have the ability to bless other with our thoughts and our actions and when we do, it creates a domino effect of good in the universe that tends to fall in our laps when we least expect it!
Try it and let me know how it makes you feel.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

The Love Loaf

There may be more songs written about LOVE than anything else.And rightfully so, for I’m sure we’d all agree that “what the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love”. After all there seems to be “A Time To Love” and a “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and let’s not forget about those times when we “Can’t Help Falling In Love” with “Dream Lovers” and “Love Will Find A Way” because “Love Don’t Cost A Thing”.

So “What Is This Thing Called Love?” And what is “The Power of Love?” well let’s see, “On The Wings of Love”, “Love has lifted us up where we belong“, and Love can make you do wrong and love’ll make you do right. Make you come home early, make you stay out all night. That being said “I’m Gonna make you love me” And “Because You Love Me”, “I Will Always Love You” And even though “I’m Still Loving You”, “I Want To Know What Love Is”. But “I Wish You Love”, “As Long As You Love Me”, “The Way You Love Me”

Ah love, we write them, we sing them, we live to them, we dance to them, we laugh to them, we cry to them, we work to them, we clean to them, we drive to them, we love to them.
By the way “My Love”, “I Just Called to Say I Love You” and that you’re “My One And Only Love” so “Only Your Love Will Do”, and of course that’s why “I’m saving All My Love For You”, because “I Love How You Love Me”, and “I Can Love You Like That”. Cause oh “Baby I Love Your Ways” With all this love going on, shouldn’t we be feeling better? shouldn’t we be happier?

Umm!
“Have I told You Lately That I Love You?”, “I Honestly Love You”, no really I do because I’m “Looking Through The Eyes of Love”. And well honestly, “I’m In The Mood For Love“, though rumor has it that “You Can’t Hurry Love” so if you “Love Me For A Reason”, we’ll have “An Everlasting Love”.You see “I Knew I Loved You”, I mean “I Think I love You”. Lord knows you got “The Best of My Love” and I do “Thank You For Loving Me”. I only wanted “To Love You More”, “After The Loving”, so tell me “Where Did Our Love Go?” Darling we had a real “Love Story”, “And I Love You So”. “I Love You Just The Way You Are”. But let me ask you this “How Deep Is Your Love?” I thought we had a “Forever Love” an “Endless Love” it was “The Greatest Love of All”, but it seems that, it was just another “Love T.K.O.”

So last night I sang “Another Sad Love Song” and now I’m bout “All Out of Love”. You told me about “When A Man Loves A Woman”. I became excited and I told you I was a “Woman In Love”, and that “When I Fall In Love” it will be forever, you are after all “The Man I Love” And even though “I Wanna Be Loved”I fear “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again”. It seems to me “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” and I know “I Cant Make You Love Me”, so “Bye Bye Love”! cause “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore”!

I saw a friend the other day, she was very happy, giddy, she was she was starting that “Love Thing” she was “Lost In Love”. You know how it is in the beginning, it’s always good, she was “Addicted To Love” but I told her girl, “Love Hurts”. Well that’s when she told me that she was experiencing “Love and Happiness” and what’s more she said “Our Love Is Here To Stay” And then I asked her “What’s Love Got To Do With It”?
This is what I know so far; EVERYTHING

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Know Thyself

As people we spend a fair amount of time attempting to figure things out, and in my opinion far too much time in others business. Books are written, classes taught, and conversations had about how to understand people, situations, and events. We are told to pay attention, to learn to discern, that we may be able to tell the difference between what’s up, and what’s not.

And I do admit that all of that is good advice, for I feel that anything which brings about more education, information, and awareness of things, well, it works for me. Still I suppose the greatest course we may ever take, and maybe the hardest thing for many of us to do is to know thyself. These words are of eternal significance. I suspect that no better advice has ever been given us. Advice, invitation, challenge or dare.For if we begins to explore this dictate it could lead to a profound understanding about all of creation, not to mention bringing us home to ourselves. Creating within us that space of love which we many of us spend our lives seeking. It makes unhappiness, fear, sadness, doubt, and all the negative emotions absolutely meaningless. The invitation to know thyself is a life long study, but one we’d do well to take up.

Let me share a story with you, many years ago, I received a phone call from a distraught girl friend. She was upset because some man she’d just met, had told her she wasn’t a good mother. "Wow, I said, I think you are a wonderful mother, and I’ve known you for 7 years, how long have you known this man"? She admitted that she had just met him. Yeah, I said, cause you haven’t even placed the “girl I just met somebody call”. Then I asked her if she felt, she was a good mother. She said yes. SO, then I’m wondering why, if your going to pay attention to what anyone says about your parenting skills, why not listen to me, versus this transient you just met. I mean who is he anyway? Girl he’s just passing through.

So let me ask you this; have you been thrown off your game by what someone else has said about you? It has happened to me a time or two, but you know what I say “know thyself ”, and remember the world is full of people. And people, especially the unhealthy ones are full of s…uggestions and opinions as to how you be you. But guess what; you got to know thyself, for yourself.

I've said before that the care and feeding of Cassandra is a full time job, and I’ll tell you something else, you can’t know me better than I know myself, and the same is true of you. We would do well to remember that it’s not about what anyone else may say about us or do to us. It’s about what we say to and of ourselves, and what we do. Knowing thyself is about learning to trust you, learning to know the sound of your own voice, learning to put voice to your thoughts, and thoughts to your actions, and learning to trust them. Knowing thyself is living from the inside out doing our truths.

As much as I think I know so far, I do not know about you. however I will share with you what I do know. How it lands on you, wether you hear it, use it, or ignore it- is on you. But I hope that you will consider this. You are the gift, you are the one entrusted to care for yourself, and I use the word entrusted because you are of great value. And you know what? You are capable, for no one could do you better than you. I suspect that out of all the things there is to know in this world, nothing else would bring about more satisfaction than knowing thyself.

The ALL NEW Cassandra McShepard.com!

The ALL NEW Cassandra McShepard.com!
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IN CELEBRATION!

IN CELEBRATION!
Cassandra takes center stage at The Marcus Center For The Performing Arts to sing the National Anthem, at the 2010 Birthday Celebration for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.