It’s Not Too Early to be Thinking About 2022

Beth Vogtchange, choices, Christmas, encouragement, expectations, Faith, goals, hope, Life, listen, New Year, One Word, perseverance, perspective, prayer, Quotes 8 Comments

@bethvogt A lot of people are counting down the days until Christmas. There are 73 days until December 25, my friends. But did you know there are 80 days until the start of 2022? If those 80 days race by like the other 285, then January 1, 2022 will show up on our calendars before we’re ready. I’ll admit I’ve …

Doing the Hard Work of Reconciliation

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, challenges, change, choices, family, forgiveness, Life, perspective, Quotes, Relationships, trust 8 Comments

@bethvogt My youngest daughter, Christa and I had an argument two weeks ago. Arguing is unusual for us. It’s unusual for me to argue with any of my adult children. That said, a rather intense verbal wrangling occurred, with both of us saying, “You wanna’ go?” at some point. It sounds better when an almost 20-year-old says it. Christa here. …

Three Things to Consider as You Graduate from High School

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, challenges, change, choices, confidence, dreams, In Others' Words, Life, perspective, quote about life, Quotes, success 8 Comments

Graduate — and Keep Dreaming @bethvogt My youngest daughter graduates from high school on Friday. Christa is my caboose kiddo. She was born 12 ½ years after my husband Rob and I were finished having children, when her older siblings were 17, 14 and 12. Her arrival was one of those unexpected blessings of life that initially make you think, …

Who’s to Blame for Bullying?

Beth Vogtbullying, challenges, change, choices, family, forgiveness, freedom, hope, In Others' Words, Life, perspective, Quotes, Relationships, suffering 6 Comments

Reality, Forgiveness, and an Apology by @bethvogt Bullying is a hot topic these days. It gets talked about in schools and covered in the media. Experts discuss both cause and prevention – admitting that solutions to bullying are not simple.  About 1 in 3 U.S. students experience bullying. Yeah, that statistic bothers me … but I grieved when my daughter …

In Others’ Words: The Importance of Protecting Our Dreams

Beth Vogtdreams, In Others' Words, Quotes 11 Comments

Confronting Our Doubts @BethVogt   We all chase after dreams. During our childhood, the simplest of questions may spark a dream: What do you want to be when you grow up? Pause for a moment and let’s remember that oh-so-much-younger us. The one who didn’t hesitate to believe we could become a ballerina. Or an astronaut. Or a dolphin trainer. …

In Others’ Words: Planning and Planting for Shade in Years to Come

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, perspective, Quotes 11 Comments

How often do we think about how our actions today will affect someone else in the future? I can get so caught up in the here and now — crossing off all the things on my To Do list that I accomplished — that the future encompasses only a few days from now, and not much further. Oh, sure, I’m …

In Others’ Words: Three Kinds of Trouble

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, perspective, quote about life 4 Comments

There are good quotes and there are meaningful quotes … and then there are quotes that hit you right in the solar plexus, forcing you to pay attention. Today’s quote by H.G. Wells hit me hard: “Some people bear three kinds of trouble — the ones they’ve had, the ones they have, and the ones they expect to have.”  Wells …

In Others’ Words: Progress

Beth VogtLife, Quotes, Reality 34 Comments

“The fatal metaphor of progress, which means leaving things behind us, has utterly obscured the real idea of growth — which means leaving things inside us.” G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936), English writer I came across this stop-me-in-my-tracks quote as I read author Ann Voskamp’s A Holy Experience blog. I was reminded of it today as my husband measured the pencil …