A heavy brown haze has hung over my hometown of Colorado Springs for several weeks now, often completely obscuring the view of Pikes Peak. Smoke has blown in from the wildfires in western states, particularly the Dixie Fire, which is now the largest single fire in California history. The weather app on my phone includes an air quality alert, just …
Being Brave Enough to Choose to Trust (and a Giveaway)
@bethvogt The Best We’ve Been, the third book in my Thatcher Sisters series, is a story about what happens when you lose control of your life. The book releases today, during the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. A time when it seems as if each one of us — no matter where we live, no matter our occupation or vocation, or where we …
Celebrating How Friendships Deepen Our Stories
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 …
In Others’ Words: Live Out Loud
Whatever an artist creates, it is an echo of their life. When a reader turns the pages of one of my novels, if she listens closely, she’ll hear whispers of my life escaping from between the lines. Yes, I’ve plotted fictional characters facing obstacles that I placed in a specific order leading to “the end” of my design. But often, …
In Others’ Words: Seeing the Invisible
Growing up can limit our vision. When we’re young, we imagine just about anything is possible. And what is imagination but seeing with our mind’s eye? We see the faraway lands in fairy tales … we envision all sorts of creatures and quests … and yes, we even see how our lives would be different, given the chance. But then …
In Others’ Words: Leap of Faith
“Mom! Don’t take his picture!” I was walking around Breckenridge, CO with my husband and 16-year-old daughter. I had one camera and my daughter had another as we captured images of the town. But my daughter whispered “Don’t!” when I stopped to photograph the painter standing near a bridge, intent on the hanging basket of multicolored flowers. How could I …
In Others’ Words: Heart Sutures
Andrew Budek-Schmeisser is anything but a stranger to this blog. He’s often the one to get the conversation going in the comments. I count him a treasured friend — this, despite the fact that we’ve yet to meet face to face. That’s the wonderful thing about friendships: they are not limited by geographical boundaries. His poetic and profound words “Life …
In Others’ Words: Taking Two with Erma Bombeck
Today would have been Erma Bombeck’s 90th birthday. I’ve always enjoyed her humorous — and truthful — view of life. So, I’m celebrating this wonderful writer today by posting not one, but two of her quotes. I’m keeping today’s post brief, after spending the past four days in Phoenix, cheering my youngest daughter’s volleyball team on while they competed at …
In Others’ Words: Courageous Boundaries
Your perspective of a boundary is determined by which side you’re on: the inside or the outside. And it goes without saying — but I’m saying it anyway — that your view of a boundary is also determined by whether you built the boundary (inside) or someone else did (outside). Oftentimes we think boundaries are constructed out of fear. We build …
In Others’ Words: Playing It Safe
For too long I believed failure was only negative — something to be avoided at all costs. Now I’m more accepting of failure. It may take me down for awhile, but it doesn’t defeat me or define me. Don’t get me wrong: I like success just as much as anyone else. Bring it on! But I know to achieve success, …
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