It was difficult walking around with a cloudy sky in one’s heart and storms in one’s mind. The feeling of everything going on in the world was heavy, too heavy for any one person to carry.

That’s what Mama Ruth would say, Cassie thought to herself, pulling down a mug with one hand and pouring hot tea into it.

She settled in a comfortable chair and hugged the tea mug close to her, letting the warmth sink in through her palms. Such a tiny moment of pleasure. The thought of all the times Mama Ruth showered wisdom and love on her filled her heart with an even stronger, deeper warmth. The smiles, the tears shared, the kitchen table when Mama Ruth told her to throw those cares on God.

These things too held weight.

She breathed them in, like tying a balloon to her worries, then breathed them out and let them all go.