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
@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
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?
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
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
“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 …