Today … Tomorrow … Every Day … Let’s Focus on Hope

Beth Vogtchallenges, choices, confidence, encouragement, Faith, hope, Life, perseverance, perspective, Quotes, strength 6 Comments

@bethvogt My friend Jeanne and I have May birthdays. We’ve developed a funny tradition around our birthdays: we never celebrate them with each other during our birthday month. Don’t get me wrong – we’ve tried many, many times to celebrate during May. We make plans to meet for breakfast or lunch or dinner. Inevitably, our plans get pushed back again …

Choosing to Own Our Days

Beth Vogtacceptance, age, change, childhood, choices, confidence, contentment, expectations, gratitude, hope, Life, perspective, Quotes, time, trust 9 Comments

  I wake up several times each night. I know I’m not alone in this repeated I’m-asleep-now-I’m-awake middle of the night routine. The first thing I do when I wake up is glance at the alarm clock on my bedside table. It’s an illuminated model with oversize red digital numbers I purchased several years ago for my mother-in-law who battled …

Leaning Into Grace As Life Goes On

Beth Vogtacceptance, challenges, change, choices, expectations, Faith, family, grace, health, hope, Life, perseverance, perspective, Quotes, sports, stress 10 Comments

@bethvogt My youngest daughter Christa is having ankle surgery today. Surgery and rehabbing her ankle were not part of her original plan for the summer. I talked about how her Plan A fell apart in my blog post “Why Can We Be Hopeful When Our Plans Fall Apart?” Christa got through the last weeks of her spring semester at Bethel …

Choosing to Embrace a Season of Waiting

Beth Vogtacceptance, challenges, choices, contentment, expectations, Life, perspective, Quotes, time 6 Comments

Life often seems so much about doing, doesn’t it?  We make our To Do lists, either before we go to bed at night or first thing in the morning. Maybe you like S.M.A.R.T. goals or a bullet planner or a yellow legal pad to organize all that you have to accomplish. Then there are the seasons of waiting. Waiting for …

Choosing to Appreciate Now

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, choices, contentment, creativity, gratitude, Life, perspective, Quotes 9 Comments

@bethvogt I’ve had a wind chime hanging in my office for years. I know, I know – wind chimes belong outside, not inside. I found this wind chime at a craft show, fascinated by the crafter’s display. Two copper tubes, along with a thin piece of agate, are suspended from a piece of burnt wood retrieved from one of Colorado’s …

How Do We Find Hope When Our Life Doesn’t Go According to Our Plan?

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, challenges, change, COVID-19, dreams, expectations, Faith, hope, Life, perseverance, perspective, Quotes 8 Comments

Has your life ever not gone according to your plans? Some of you are thinking, “Really, Beth? You’re asking me that?” Life rarely goes according to our plans. We all experienced the upheaval of the COVID pandemic in 2020, and we’re still affected by it just over a year later. The life we plan for ourselves gets derailed by all …

7 Quotes to Challenge Your Perspective on Life, Love, and Relationships (and a Giveaway)

Beth VogtAuthors, Beth K. Vogt, emotions, expectations, Faith, family, forgiveness, Friendship, hope, kindness, Life, Love, perspective, Quotes, Relationships, Romance, trust 8 Comments

@bethvogt   As I considered possible topics for today’s blog post, I decided to indulge my love of quotes and create graphics for you to enjoy. You’ll find quotes from some of my favorite authors, including two of my writing mentors — waving at you, Rachel Hauck and Susan May Warren. What are some of your favorite quotes about life, …

Choosing to Wait for Hope When Grief Wrecks Our Hearts

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, brokenness, challenges, choices, COVID-19, expectations, Faith, grief, hope, Life, perseverance, perspective, prayer, Quotes, suffering 18 Comments

For all our hopes this new year would be better than the previous 12 months, the first 27 days of 2021 are disappointing. Such an understatement, right? I texted with a good friend several days ago. Normal “how’s it going” stuff. And then a little while later these words appeared on my phone screen: got some really bad news. A …

Forget New Year’s Resolutions and Choose One Word to Focus on in 2021

Beth VogtBeth K. Vogt, change, choices, Faith, family, Friendship, goals, grace, hope, Life, New Year, One Word, perspective, Quotes, Relationships, Scripture 12 Comments

I abandoned the tradition of New Year’s resolutions 15 years ago. Instead, I select One Word to focus on. I always look forward to sharing my annual One Word with family and friends, as well as finding out what One Words others select for the coming year. For only the second time in all these years, I’m repeating a One …

Choosing to be Honest About Depression

Beth Vogtanxiety, Beth K. Vogt, brokenness, challenges, choices, emotions, health, hope, Life, perseverance, perspective, Quotes 29 Comments

@bethvogt   A few weeks ago, I applied for long term health insurance. After all the ups and downs we’ve had with my mother-in-law’s care, my husband, Rob, and I want to do as much as we can to ease things in the future for our adult children. Last week, the company denied my application. Okay then. Then the real …