Giving Each Other Room to Grow Up

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, change, childhood, choices, expectations, family, Life, perspective, Quotes, Relationships 8 Comments

  @bethvogt   Sometimes I think my now-adult children believe I didn’t want them to grow up. Yes, there are days I miss their toddler voices. The funny ways they mangled words and their odd preferences for a particular food or a stuffed animal or a certain pair of pajamas. I’ll even admit to saying, “Why you want to leave …

Choosing to Listen to Our Children

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, choices, family, goals, home, In Others' Words, Life, Love, perspective, Quotes, Relationships, Thoughts 10 Comments

@bethvogt   My husband and I spent the weekend in Minnesota visiting our youngest daughter at college. I took thousands of photos of Christa’s volleyball team during practice and the two matches the team played on Friday and Saturday. We took her off campus for “real food.” But my favorite part? The time at the Mall of America. Let me …

When It’s Wise to Take Responsibility for Our Anxiety

Beth Vogtanxiety, Beth K. Vogt, challenges, change, choices, emotions, family, In Others' Words, perspective, Quotes, stress 13 Comments

@bethvogt I’m sharing one of my less-than-stellar mom moments today. That’s always fun. Okay, so sharing the time I went a little “cuckoo mama” on one of my kiddos isn’t fun – but it is honest. My youngest daughter Christa headed to college in Minnesota a few months ago. We dropped her off early for volleyball tryouts on August 16, …

Being Intentional About the Home You Create for Your Family

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, family, home, Identity, In Others' Words, Life, Love, perspective, Quotes, Relationships 10 Comments

My son and daughter-in-love moved into their new house yesterday. Not to be overlooked at all, five days ago, Josh and Meagan had a little girl, Isabelle – their fourth child. And since then, they continued prepping for this anticipated move. Back to yesterday, when my husband and I brought dinner to them. The moving van parked in the driveway …

Discovering Unexpected Opportunities for Kindness

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, challenges, choices, crisis, family, gratitude, In Others' Words, kindness, Life, perspective, Quotes, Relationships, stress, When Life Doesn't Go According to Plan 9 Comments

Remembering to Value Others in Stressful Situations @ bethvogt Life veered off course last week. I need to stop being surprised when life doesn’t go according to plan. Better yet, I should write “Realize things will not go according to plan” at the top of my weekly To Do list. Humor helps, right? You know what else helps when life …

Fighting Against Family Favorites

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, childhood, choices, expectations, family, In Others' Words, Life, Love, perspective, Quotes, Relationships 12 Comments

Choosing to Love Our Children for Who They Are @bethvogt   Let’s talk about favorite things. The Kid starring Bruce Willis is one of my all-time favorite movies. Crème brûlée is my favorite dessert. Green is my favorite color.  Not neon green or lime green or olive green, but a rich forest green. L.M. Montgomery is one of my favorite authors. …

When You Meet a Family Crisis on a Street Corner

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, brokenness, challenges, choices, crisis, family, kindness, Life, perspective, Quotes, Reality, Relationships 17 Comments

Learning to Listen with Our Hearts @bethvogt   I went for a walk with my friend Mary yesterday morning. We’re long-time walking buddies, but this was our first opportunity in months to go walking together. You know how life gets busy and days go by and you keep thinking, “Maybe tomorrow there’ll be time to do (fill in the blank.)” …

Understanding Estrangement

Beth Vogtbrokenness, family, perspective, Quotes, Relationships 43 Comments

A Few Truths I’ve Learned Living with Brokenness                                                                                                            …

In Others’ Words: Ya Gotta Believe

Beth VogtIn Others' Words, Life, Quotes 6 Comments

I had a lot to learn when I became a mom. One way I learned was by watching other moms — seeing what they did, seeing if it worked for them, trying to figure out if it would work for me. Another way I learned was by reading books — lots and lots of books. I underlined, wrote do’s and …