One of Cassandra’s favorite places growing up was her Gramma’s kitchen. Light from the early morning sun made the kitchen glow with warmth. She had so many happy memories in that kitchen. Eating breakfast. Baking cookies. Long talks. Even her first kiss.
But her most favorite memory was the day that Gramma Devereaux taught her to pray and play every day. Cassandra had walked into the kitchen in a grumpy mood. She slouched in her seat with a frown crouched between her brows. She’d pour cereal and milk into her bowl, but had no desire to eat. Gramma had walked over to stand next to Cassandra.
Gramma asked if she wanted to know a secret. Cassandra just stared back at her trying to cling to her grumpiness. Gramma continued. She told Cassandra that she had the perfect recipe to kick Grumpella out of the house and out of her heart.
My Nana gave me this recipe when I was a young girl just like you. First ingredient: 1) Pray – each morning start your day by saying Hello to God. Before you even put your feet on the floor have a conversation with Him. And talk with Him all day long. 2) Play – no matter how busy you are take the time to do something fun every day. Swim, run, paint, dance, write, sing, play an instrument, just do something that brings a smile to your lips.
If you add those two ingredient to your life every day, grumpiness, sadness, loneliness, frustration, and anger will all be chased away. Plus they help you to remember to see life through the eyes of a child. Children find the joy in each day, now matter how small that moment of joy might be a child will rejoice in it. I’ve tried to do both of those things each day since my Nana told me the secret recipe as a child. And I can honestly say that my life has overflowed with joy and blesses. I still had some bad days, but even in the midst of them I was able to find joy in the littlest of things. Like a butterfly flying by, sloppy dog kisses, or a wildflower.
So, Pray and Play Every Day!
Cassandra never forgot that morning or that secret recipe. In fact, the whole premise for The Creative Community Center was built on those two ingredients. She wanted to bring joy to the people who came to Center and help them begin to look for the moments of joy in each day. Each class/workshop that was offered to the community was built on the pray and play foundation. It was Cassandra’s favorite recipe to share with others.
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FUN FACT: It was fun to build this room for the upcoming flashback storylines between Cassandra and her Gramma. The part that took the longest was getting the dishes stacked in the cabinets!
Until next time pray and play every day