Choosing Not to be Afraid of the Dark

Beth Vogtanxiety, Beth K. Vogt, bravery, challenges, change, childhood, choices, courage, emotions, Faith, freedom, hope, Life, mental health, perseverance, perspective, Quotes 11 Comments

I was afraid of the dark when I was a child. Truth is, I was afraid of the dark when I was a 21-year-old newlywed. That was a bit of surprise to my husband. I had both real and imaginary reasons to be afraid of the dark.  Make believe monsters are scary enough. The real-life ones? Those are harder to …

Choosing Kindness Over Being Right When It Comes to Politics

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, challenges, choices, hope, kindness, Life, perspective, Quotes, Relationships, stress 8 Comments

@bethvogt People are talking about both of the who’s and all of the what ifs of the upcoming presidential election. I’m not going to be one of those people. Not here on this blog. Not on any social media platform. And very rarely with family and friends. There’s the oft-repeated saying, “Never talk about politics or religion in polite company.” …

A Thanksgiving Prayer

Beth Vogtautumn, Beth K. Vogt, choices, contentment, Faith, grace, gratitude, holidays, perseverance, prayer, Quotes, Thanksgiving 8 Comments

      O, heavenly Father: We thank thee for food and remember the hungry. We thank the for health and remember the sick. We thank the for friends an remember the friendless. We thank the for freedom and remember the enslaved. May these remembrances stir us to service, that thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen. …

How Do We Navigate Between Winning and Losing?

Beth VogtAuthors, awards, Beth K. Vogt, challenges, choices, competition, confidence, contentment, expectations, Identity, In Others' Words, perspective, Quotes, success, Writing 10 Comments

How Do You Use Awards to Define Yourself? @bethvogt The first award I ever won was for an elementary school spelling bee. I remember standing in a line with my classmates against the chalkboard. Waiting my turn as the teacher called out different words. Silently spelling my classmates words. Concentrating, letter by letter, as I spelled the word I was …

In Others’ Words: An Adventure in Forgiveness

Beth Vogtforgiveness, In Others' Words, Quotes 10 Comments

Sometimes the most profound truths require the least amount of words. “Life is an adventure in forgiveness.” Six words. Life-changing truth, wouldn’t you agree? Forgiveness is an adventure that leads us into the wide open spaces of freedom. Unforgiveness leads us to a dark dead end of anger and resentment and bitterness.  We have a choice: to forgive or not …

In Others’ Words: A Quote for July 4, 2018

Beth Vogt4th of July, In Others' Words, Quotes 7 Comments

I am proud to be an American. I am thankful to be an American. And on Wednesday, July 4, I will celebrate being an American. America is not perfect — but I don’t think it was ever set up to be so. This country was established on ideals such as courage and freedom and equality, but imperfect people founded this …

In Others’ Words: When Rain is Grace

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, perspective, Quotes 15 Comments

Several people in my family love rainy days … and I have to admit, I don’t. I don’t like driving in the rain when I can’t see the lines in the road. I don’t like having to be out and about in the rain when my shoes get wet. I don’t like what the rain does to my hair. Don’t …

In Others’ Words: Thinking about Freedom

Beth Vogtfreedom, In Others' Words, Quotes 6 Comments

As we celebrate the 4th of July today, I’m always thankful for the freedom we share as Americans. And I’m also thankful for those military men and women — past, present, and future — who defend our freedom.  [ctt template=”8″ link=”6tg74″ via=”yes” ]In Others\’ Words: Thinking about Freedom http://wp.me/p63waO-2mU #4thofjuly #quotes [/ctt]

In Others’ Words: The Right of Refusal

Beth VogtFaith, In Others' Words, Quotes 4 Comments

  There’s a lot of power in the word “Yes.” And then there are times when “No” is the more powerful word — especially when you say No to someone else’s No. My favorite kind of “I refused to take no for an answer”? When doing so allows you to become who you were meant to be. You defy the odds, …