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 …

How Do You Conquer a Season of Transition?

Beth Vogtacceptance, Beth K. Vogt, challenges, change, choices, family, In Others' Words, Life, perseverance, perspective, Quotes, Reality, stress 16 Comments

There’s a lot of change going on around me right now. My son and his wife are awaiting the arrival of their baby, which is due in early August. They’re also moving into a new home before then. Well, that’s the plan, anyway. We all know due dates are approximations, right? My middle daughter and her husband are moving back …

Being Strong Enough to Abandon the Idea that We are Less Than Anyone Else

Beth Vogtacceptance, Beth K. Vogt, bravery, challenges, choices, confidence, courage, Identity, In Others' Words, Life, perspective, Quotes, strength 24 Comments

  Most people don’t know I have a disability. Most days, I prefer it that way because I used to be afraid of how people would react. Today I decided to talk about it. About sixteen years ago, I was diagnosed with a hearing loss. I’d been frustrating my family with a lot of comments like “Huh?” and “What did …

Realizing the Consequences of Stress-Induced Choices

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, challenges, change, choices, crisis, emotions, In Others' Words, Life, perspective, Quotes, Reality, stress 15 Comments

@bethvogt I’ve been thinking about getting a puppy. This may come as a surprise to some of you have seen photos of our dog, Jo, in my Instagram feed or my Facebook page. This may also come as a bit of a surprise to Jo. Jo belongs to Christa, my youngest daughter, who’s heading off to college in seven weeks. …

Choosing to Make Room for Grace

Beth Vogtacceptance, Beth K. Vogt, challenges, childhood, choices, expectations, family, grace, In Others' Words, Life, perspective, Quotes, stress 8 Comments

@bethvogt   I was sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office yesterday. My youngest daughter had an appointment – not me. Once we get all of her “Oh, wait! We need to do this before you go to college” appointments checked off the list, I’ll worry about my stuff. Anyway, back to sitting in the waiting room. There …

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 …

Celebrating How Friendships Deepen Our Stories

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, Friendship, Fun, Giveaway, gratitude, Identity, In Others' Words, Life, perspective, Quotes, Relationships, story, trust 9 Comments

  Being Brave Enough to Say Yes to Each Other @bethvogt   I had a belated birthday party a few days ago. I gathered together a group of my special friends, who agreed to dress up and go out to dinner. My friend, Mary, even supplied me with a pink “Birthday Girl” sash, which ensured I was covered in glitter …

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. …

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 …

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, …