@bethvogt Sometimes our well-thought-out plans don’t work. Frustrating, isn’t it? Last year wasn’t a great writing year for me. Too many disruptions meant very little creative writing. I spent some time evaluating what I needed to ensure I had a more productive year in 2021. Solid blocks of time. Dedicated space. No interruptions. Then I made my plan. It wasn’t …
Grandmotherly Advice as You Start College — A Conversation with My Daughter and Her Mimaw
Guest Post by Christa Vogt Last weekend, my husband and I visited his 100-year-old mother. Our youngest daughter, Christa, came along to visit her “Mimaw,” since she leaves for college this week. When we arrived at the skilled nursing facility where Rob’s mom has been staying for the past two months (too long of a story for this blog post), …
In Others’ Words: Start Writing, No Matter What
I’m in a “not writing” phase at the moment. Except the moment has stretched over a number of days. And, while I’m not on a hard deadline, I do have things to write. I have written blog posts … my In Others’ Words posts and other blog commitments. But that’s one type of writing, as opposed to working on fiction …
In Others’ Words: Too Great a Burden
Love is a choice. I’ve heard that phrase so many times that it can slip past me like a will-o’-the-wisp. I nod my head in a “yes, that’s true” kind of fashion … but I don’t acknowledge the truth of the words. The challenge inherent in them. Sometimes you must choose to love … and in doing so, you …
In Others’ Words: Small Things
“Be faithful in the small things, because it is in them that your strength lies.” ~Mother Teresa, founder of Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta Such a simple quote. All of fifteen words. And then, the question: What are the small things? If you’re going to be faithful, if these things are your strength … what are these oh-so-vital small things? …
In Others’ Words: Improvement or Enjoyment?
“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” ~E. B. White, American writer And there you have it: Life choice distilled down into one 20-word sentence. Is your life other-focused or you-focused? Or is it a constant arrival at the …