What Helps Us Clean Out Our Mental Junk Drawers?

Beth Vogtacceptance, anxiety, brokenness, challenges, change, choices, crisis, emotions, encouragement, expectations, Faith, family, Fear, Friendship, grace, grief, hope, Life, listen, Love, mental health, perseverance, perspective, Reality, Relationships, Scripture, stress, suffering 12 Comments

  My friend Mary and I went for an early morning walk the other day. During our weekly walks, we take turns talking about life in an honest, here’s-what’s-going-on-with-me kind of way. Mary invited me to go first, so after discussing my latest ups and downs, I yielded the, um, sidewalk to Mary. As we neared the end of our …

Friendships are Risky Business

Beth Vogtacceptance, encouragement, Friendship, gratitude, hope, kindness, Life, Love, perspective, Quotes, Relationships, trust 15 Comments

@bethvogt   My friend Scoti called me after I’d posted my blog “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” last week. The one where I confessed to losing a wrestling match with my thoughts for 48 hours. And how connecting with a friend and focusing on the Truth helped me win the victory. Scoti: Are you okay? I’m worried about you. Me …

Choosing to Ignore Others’ Negativity About You

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, challenges, choices, confidence, emotions, family, Friendship, Identity, Life, mental health, perspective, Quotes, Relationships 8 Comments

Have you ever been treated like someone’s personal fly paper? Not sure what I’m talking about? I can explain. Last week, my daughter, Christa, who is back at college, texted and said one of her friends wanted to “chat.” Anybody else see an instant red flag when a friend says, “Can we chat?” but gives no hint as to what …

How Do We Choose Love and Grace Over Being Right?

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, challenges, change, choices, expectations, forgiveness, Friendship, grace, Love, perspective, Quotes, Relationships 15 Comments

Sometimes I just like being right. And that’s when I usually end up saying the wrong thing. Yes, I’m telling you this because I “righted” myself into the wrong corner a few days ago. I didn’t realize how my conversation with my friend Gianna had veered into unexpected territory until she said, “You’re angry with me, aren’t you?” I stopped …

In Others’ Words: Listening to the Silence

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

How often do we think listening to someone is all about hearing what they said?  Consider for a moment those conversations when the unspoken words were the most important part of of the dialogue. You’re talking or you’re listening — communicating — but the most important words that need to be said by you or the other person go unspoken. Maybe if the other person …

In Others’ Words: Conversations

Beth VogtLife, Quotes, Reality 24 Comments

“Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of a witness.” ~ Margaret Millar, American-Canadian mystery-suspense writer Do I ever come across like that out-of-proportion-mostly-a-mouth woman pictured above? Oh, how I hope not. Do I participate in conversations with friends and family? Or do I act like some sort of running off at the mouth comedian positioned front and …