The Comfortably Soaring Life of Cassia Sommersby
Cassia Albatross Sommersby’s life has never been ordinary. After living abroad and doing missions work her whole life, she moves to America and struggles to adjust to high school. Cassia must learn to embrace part of her name’s meaning as she takes relational risks and makes deeper discoveries about her own unique design. Will she fall, or will she learn to soar?
Endorsement:
“When I first met Kalli, I learned through a word of knowledge that this passionately creative soul was an art teacher at a Christian high school. Through years of friendship, I have watched and personally experienced her gifted heart and talent beyond her customary classroom. No matter who they are, she takes her student’s faith and prophetic insight and expands it to hear and see God’s love for themselves and others more clearly. Through her inspirational writing, many of all ages will discover the adventure of a powerful life in following Jesus. I believe the Holy Spirit empowers her crafted storytelling to perhaps unexpectedly lead many to truth and freedom in ways they are pleasantly surprised!”
—Kathleen O’Donnell Dew
Author of Divine Set-Ups: Coincidence or Destiny San Diego
Director and Life Coach of Safe Passage Heal
About the Author:
M.K.Hart grew up and went to college in Montana. While living abroad, she gained a desire to speak into the lives of the next generation that has continued to fuel her purpose. Teaching art classes to a wide genre of ages, creating her own art, and writing have all been the product of learning and settling into her own identity, the cultivation of listening for God’s voice, and the practice of following. These life lessons are the tools she weaves into her daily interactions. Today, she lives in San Diego, California and enjoys going for a good coffee, outdoor activities, and time with friends.
Excerpts from Chapter 20- Good Advice
Reliving the experience with her mentor, she literally squirmed in her chair. She withheld eye contact until the last possible second. Bless that woman. She just kept sipping her cappuccino.
“Cassia,” her mentor lovingly said. “I know I teased you about this, and I think maybe that’s what put the thought in your head and let it mature there. I’m sorry about that. If you like Kalin, it is okay. If you don’t, that is fine too. Don’t be so hard on yourself!”
Cassia shuffled her bracelets around on her wrist, still clearly annoyed. “How will I know if I like someone?”
“Cass, what is it that you always say about our unique design? If we are all uniquely different, then all we have is the voice of the Lord to lead us. Trust the difference in you. Trust that you hear God. If everything in your life has been its own unique experience, why would love not be that way too? Maybe you need to ask the Lord what signs to look for with your design so that right out of the gate, you trust and honor yourself? Maybe then you’ll be able to create a dictionary of experiences the same way you have for your spiritual experiences with the Holy Spirit. He knows you are a deep feeler, a creative, and you think in experiments. I know He will meet you in that.”
She smiled then and added, “And if He wants to tell you anything on this subject matter for the general population,” she said for herself and all the single ladies out there, “do report back,” and winked. “But Cassia, I don’t think you’d start an experiment if you weren’t in the least bit curious. Plus, remember that if Kalin does like you, and sees you warming to him, there is a response there that your actions will be accountable for.
They spent the rest of the hour talking about what had happened with Jill. Cassia realized she had insecurity growing in her heart, relationally. Cassia also realized that her actions did inspire responses and some of them had inspired insecurity back, especially in Jill’s case. That would also account for the confusion she saw in Kalin. Acceptance and rejection were the basics of relationships and how close those relationships got. Wasn’t that what she was trying to grow courage in?
For this, Cassia’s mentor was a little too much of a realist in her advice. “Cassia, that is life. Sometimes it is not always safe to bring all we are to the table relationally. We have to release a little of ourselves at a time, building trust. It cannot be given all at once. I do think you are wise in realizing it’s time for some of your friendships to grow a little closer. Look what you did with me! You called and asked me for help on a topic that is a little uncomfortable for you. I hope you have found me honoring your trust. I think of it as God being a curator of opportunities. I step out into a relationship, and He opens the doors and closes them, showing me in conversations who is trustworthy with my heart and who is not. I have learned the hard way that, for me at least, an open heart is what matters. Learning to not take o!ense at the closed doors where I was hoping for more has been vital.”
“Stewardship is the other part of my answer for how deep to go with someone. When I show someone the things that make me unique, do they honor me, or do they compare? I think we can have a relationship no matter what, but it can go only as far as both parties can carry it in a healthy manner, which tends to be on an uneven scale.”
Cassia knew her mentor was wise and valued this honest advice. After processing this conversation, what was clear was the reality that there would be limits to what she could share with Jill. Her friend needed a lot of love and attention, so their relationship wouldn’t be a shared load in some ways.
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