Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 57

In Others’ Words: Share a Quote

I’m not blogging about honesty today — I’m just being honest with you all.

The truth is, I’m exhausted. The kind of tired that deposits grit in your eyes and weighs down your steps and makes you stumble over your words, to the amusement of friends and family. Earlier today I was searching for a particular word and the only one I could think of close to the one I wanted was “umbrage.”

Umbrage. Not your normal, everyday word.

I’ll take my honesty one step further: I’m exhausted and I’m probably going to be at a certain functional level of tiredness for the foreseeable future. Why? Well, I’ve been diagnosed with a frozen right shoulder. Lovely ailment that, especially when I was told my shoulder had to “melt” in order to get better. I honestly thought the physical therapist and the surgeon were displaying a bit of (warped) medical humor at my expense … but no, that’s exactly the medical terminology for the progress of this condition. A person’s shoulder freezes … and then it needs to melt.

And for all the funny terminology, frozen shoulder is painful. And the condition also disrupts your sleep. I read the Mayo Clinic’s website about frozen shoulder and it listed lack of sleep as one of the consequences of frozen shoulder — but I already knew that. I kind of wander the house these nights — my husband calls me a “nomadic sleeper” — and then there are nights (like Monday night) that, well, I don’t sleep at all.

So now to the reason I am being so honest with you, my friends.

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a blog post. But exhaustion is winning out against my want to … and I decided to do something completely different! If this works — well, it’s a bit of brilliance fueled by exhaustion (which is exactly how this blog was born). If it fails … well, we’ll just chalk it up to exhaustion too, right?

The quote from Shakespeare is one of my favorite quotes: No legacy is so rich as honesty. As a matter of fact, it’s on the list of Top 20 Quotes that people receive when they subscribe to my blog.

Here’s my request today: Would you please share one of your favorite quotes with us? I’d love to hear some of your favorites and possibly highlight them on the blog in the future. Oh, and if you’d like to tell others about In Others’ Words, make sure to let them know they get a list of my Top 20 Favorite Quotes when they subscribe to my blog. 

In Your Words: What’s a favorite quote of yours? (Yes, I’m repeating the question on purpose! Please share one or two or more of your favorite quotes in the comments below — and share why you like the quote too!) 

In Others’ Words: Share a Quote #lifequotes
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Do you have a favorite quote? #lifequotes
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The legacy of honesty #lifequotes #honesty #Shakespeare
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In Others’ Words: Living Life Unwrapped

The Christmas season isn’t that far past — the time of giving and getting presents. Truth be told, I still have wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows waiting to be organized and put away until next year.

There’s something almost too lovely to touch about a present wrapped just so with coordinating paper and ribbons. But I’ll admit a partiality to the less than perfect gifts wrapped with just as much love, if not as much finesse. It doesn’t matter the size of the package — small, medium, or large — I know the giver was thinking of me as the wrapping was done.

And then there are the times I become wrapped up in myself. The me, myself, and I times … when my focus turns inward and stays there. How small I become at those times  when my vision goes no further than myself, when my concern stays firmly centered on what I need, what I want, even what I hope and pray for.

Small thinking. Small living. Small me.

May I live large … may we live large … offering ourselves to others in a way that allows the wrapping to be ripped off, the ribbons to be flung aside, and real life lived where we consider others more important than ourselves.

In Others’ Words: How do you live your life unwrapped — avoiding “small package” syndrome?

 

In Others’ Words: Living Life Unwrapped #lifequotes
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Are you avoiding “small package” syndrome? #lifequotes #inotherswords
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In Others’ Words: The Right of Refusal

 

There’s a lot of power in the word “Yes.”

And then there are times when “No” is the more powerful word — especially when you say No to someone else’s No.

My favorite kind of “I refused to take no for an answer”? When doing so allows you to become who you were meant to be. You defy the odds, ignoring the no-you-can’ts or the no-you-shouldn’ts or the no-you-won’ts because doing that one thing is who you are deep down inside your heart.

You have to do it, say it, be it — or deny yourself.

I’ve heard my share of “No’s” in my lifetime. I’ve had virtual, emotional, and actual doors slammed in my face. Each time, I’ve had to decide if the No was going to set the course of my life — or if I was going to refuse to take No for answer and find the way around it, over it, under it, through it.

Sometimes a No is just that — N-O. A shut door. And I have to trust God with that. But sometimes … sometimes, a No is a challenge forcing me to ask myself: How much do you want this, Beth? It’s not time to quit–not at all. It’s time to refuse that answer and stay the course and do what needs to be done to become the person God made me.

In Your Words: When did you refuse to take no for an answer? 

When did you refuse to take no for an answer? #lifequotes
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Freedom and Refusing To Take No For An Answer #lifequotes
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In Others’ Words: Do You Love Me?

 

Ah, the influence of others’ in our lives … the Voices of Authority, if you will.

In recent years I’ve been challenged again and again, asked “Who are the Voices of Authority in your life, Beth?”

And I’ve come to realize some of the voices that held sway over me had no right to do so.  Yes, they had power. Yes, I had even acquiesced to their opinions of me … but I’d chosen poorly when I allowed them to become Voices of Authority in my life.

I like Brené Brown’s approach to how she decided whose opinions of her matter. First, the list is short — she carries a “small sheet of paper in her wallet” with names on it. This is not a looooong list of people, a come-one, come-all approach. No, she’s discerning. Selective. Careful.

And people don’t get to decide to be on that list. No. Brown has established the two requirements — boundaries, if you will — for people’s opinions of her to matter to her: People must love her for her strengths and for her struggles. 

I like those standards. Voices of authority — the opinions that should matter about me — should be steeped in love. And the people on this short list should accept me for who I am, not demand that I be disingenous for the sake of their comfort or to meet their expectations of what is acceptable. I am allowed to be strong … and I am allowed to be imperfect.

I am allowed to be real … and I offer the same back to others.

In Your Words: If you had a list of names in your wallet of people whose opinions of you mattered, who would be on that list? And what would they need to do to be on that list?

Who are the Voices of Authority in Your Life? #lifequotes #BreneBrown
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In Others’ Words: Do You Love Me? #lifequotes #relationships #BreneBrown
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Collaborating: Embracing the wonderful and the scary

We’re five days into the new year.

Five days of living with my One Word: collaboration. Wondering what God is going to do in me – maybe even what he is going to do through me – as I embrace collaborating with him for the next twelve months.

I’m reading Finding Divine Inspiration by J. Scott McElroy, a gift from my writing friend and walking buddy, Mary. The word collaboration is woven through this book – appearing on every page, seemingly in every paragraph.

Another word keeps popping up too: obedience.

Hmmm. It’s funny how I’m eager to embark on the wild adventure of collaborating with God. And then … there’s that word obedience. And my heart stalls out. I find myself pausing –mentally, emotionally – and wondering: Well, now, wait a minute. Just what is God going to ask me to do?

Isn’t collaborating me and God doing stuff together? Writing together? A little heavenly give and take between me and my Creator?

I’m certain God smiled when I typed that last paragraph. Maybe he even chuckled as he shook his head and thought: Beth’s got a lot to learn about collaboration.

I do. And I want to learn, even as I realize there’s something wonderful … and scary about collaborating with God.

In Your Words: When has God asked something of you that was both wonderful and scary?

Collaborating: Embracing the wonderful and the scary #lifequotes
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Christmas Gifts: The Unexpected and Expectations (and an 8-author giveaway)

This is not a sentimental Christmas memory … and I do have my husband’s permission to share this story.

Once upon a Christmas time, my husband and I were newlyweds celebrating our very first Christmas together. Our tiny one-bedroom apartment was festive, thanks to the shiny silver aluminum Christmas tree — yes, silver — we’d decorated with a few ornaments we’d purchased. The tree was compliments of Rob’s parents, a holdover from the days when his stepfather sold them to stores up and down the east coast.

On Christmas morning, I was eager to see what romantic gift my husband had waiting for me under our tree. A bottle of perfume? A delicate necklace or a pair of earrings?

Um … no.

Leaning against the wall was a blue hiking backpack with a gift tag on it. (I should mention at this point that, despite marrying an Eagle scout, I had never gone backpacking in my life.) And yes, the “TO” on the gift tag was me and the “FROM” on the gift tag was my husband.

But wait … there’s more.

My husband, who  had a huge grin on his face, handed me two other packages wrapped oh-so-precisely in Christmas paper. At the time, he was an engineer — and he still wraps presents with military precision and right angles. In one package was a gray wool hat. In the other was … long red underwear.

You read that correctly: long red underwear. (My husband informed me the proper name is “union suit.”)

My visions of romantic Christmas presents disappeared in a puff of red wool.

I smiled. I thanked my husband.

To this day, I do not remember what I gave my husband for our first Christmas — and I don’t think he remembers either. We both remember how I cried in bed that night, sobbing out my disappointment about receiving long red underwear for a Christmas present.

My husband: But now we can go winter camping together!

Me: When did we ever discuss winter camping?

I share this memory because through the years, it has become a favorite Christmas memory for my husband and for me. We learned several things that first Christmas:

How unspoken expectations can trip people up (friends, family, married couples) at Christmas time and other times during the years
How gifts need to be received for what they are — gifts — not judged for what they are not
How laughter is often the first step to forgiveness

 

And just in case you’re wondering: I still have that … um … union suit my husband bought for me. And yes, while we have gone camping together, I’ve never gone winter camping. The red long johns only function as a reminder to accept any gift — knowing each present is given with love.

Christmas Giveaway from me and 7 author friends!

Now to share some Christmas fun with you! Some special writing friends and I decided to put together a Rafflecopter giveaway for our readers! This will be a fun blog tour that takes you to our blogs for Christmas memories and traditions. You can come back to this post for links to each post as they go live. And be sure to check out each one because many of us will have additional giveaways on our sites. You can also click on the prize graphic below to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway.

– 12/10 – Beth Vogt: A copy of Somebody Like You or A November Bride (winner’s choice); a $5 Starbucks card

– 12/12 – Cara Putman: A copy of Where Treetops Glisten; B&B Works lotion

– 12/14 – Kristy Cambron: A copy of The Butterfly and the Violin or A Sparrow in Terezin (winner’s choice); a $5 Starbucks card

– 12/16 – Katherine Reay: A copy of Lizzy & Jane or Dear Mr. Knightley (winner’s choice); a Lizzy & Jane tumbler

– 12/18 – Katie Ganshert: A copy of A Broken Kind of Beautiful; an audio copy of An October Bride

– 12/20 – Courtney Walsh: A copy of Paper Hearts; Christmas artwork

– 12/22 – Melissa Tagg: A copy of Here to Stay; an It’s a Wonderful Life DVD

– 12/ 24 – Sarah Ladd: A copy of A Lady at Willowgrove Hall; a Pride and Prejudice DVD

*Winner announced 12/26

Christmas gifts: The unexpected and expectations #gifts #lifelessons
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Christmas #giveaway from 8 authors #amreading #chrisfic
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In Others’ Words: The Divine Interruption of Christmas

I am not overly fond of interruptions.

Interruptions — be they people or events — stop my forward motion. They prevent me from achieving my goals. They waste my time.

Or so I think if I am not paying attention.

I’ve come to realize that interruptions may be the point of my day. Interruptions may be the more important thing … the priority … the better thing.

Think about it: Jesus was an interruption. 

I love how author Max Lucado wrote it: God tapped humanity on its collective shoulder, “Pardon me,” he said, and eternity interrupted time, divinity interrupted carnality, and heaven interrupted earth in the form of a baby. 

What a beautiful truth. What a transcendent interruption.

And how easy it is during the month of December to let so many, many things interfere with the miracle of God’s interruption. We don’t hear God’s whispered, “Pardon me” because we’re so busy doing things — buying presents and wrapping presents and baking goodies and decking the halls … fa la la la la la la la la!

We need to choose to be interrupted … to choose to stop … to listen for the moments when God says, “Pardon me” and then whispers a quiet “I love you” to us during the Christmas season.

In Your Words: When has God interrupted your life — and what have you learned through the interruption? How are you making time to hear God’s “Pardon me” during the busy holiday season?

Christmas: The divine interruption of God #lifequotes #Christmas
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Are you listening for God’s “Pardon me” during the holiday season? #lifequotes #Christmas
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I hope each of you has a wonderful Christmas. I am slowing life down for the rest of the month — even as I focus on another writing deadline. I’ll be back blogging in January 2015 and I look forward to see y’all next year!

A fun blog post:

The Treasures of Christmas: Part 1

Novel Crossing invited authors to share Christmas memories. I share one of mine in Part 1, along with authors Beth White, Tracy Higley, Kate Breslin, Dani Pettrey, Carla Laureano, Patricia Bradley, Tracy Groot, Mesu Andrews, and Richard Mabry. 

In Others’ Words: Do You Hear What I Hear?

One of my favorite things about the Christmas season is the music. I love all kinds of Christmas songs:

White Christmas
Carol of the Bells
Silent Night
Frosty the Snowman
Straight No Chaser’s take on the Twelve Days of Christmas
Pentatonix’s take on Mary Did You Know?
Amy Grant’s I Need a Silent Night

 

I could go on and on with my list of Christmas music.

But this season can be all hustle and bustle and hurry and scurry — it’s why I call it “the holidaze.” 

Sometimes I forget the importance of silence. I forget to listen to the quiet — and I don’t hear what’s hidden inside of the hush.

I’m going to make room for quiet this month — even if it’s early in the mornings when no one else is up. And Christmas morning, when I’m surrounded by family and crumpled wrapping paper, I’m going to stop … and listen. And embrace the love that’s in the room with me.

In Your Words: What unexpected things have you heard when you’ve taken time to stop and slow down and listen to much-needed quiet? How has listening to quiet refreshed you?

Do You Hear What I Hear? The value of quiet #lifequotes #Christmas
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What’s Hidden in the Hush? #lifequotes #Christmas
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Congratulations to the winners of my Rafflecopter contest to launch my

A November Bride e-novella!

Wendy Mastin is the winner of the $100 Williams-Sonoma gift card
Deanne Patterson is the winner of the $50 Amazon gift card
Rita Wray is the winner of the Audiobook or Ebook of ANB

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest! 

 

 

 

In Others’ Words: The More of Christmas

As the song says, “Christmas time is here … ”

And I find myself once again torn between the beauty and the sadness brought by this time of year.

There is so much beauty in Christmas:

The music — Everything from the childlike fun of “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” to the beauty of “Silent Night” and  “O, Come, O, Come Emmanuel”
The lights — Houses decorated with all sorts of Christmas lights, the glimpses of trees in the front windows
The food — Cookies. And more cookies. Family recipes that are only used this time of year because, well, that’s the tradition, right?
The gifts — Giving and receiving — and sharing with one another the gifts we’ve bought or made

 

And yet, even as I count these beauties of the season — knowing there are so many more — I must acknowledge the season can be woven through with sadness:

Illnesses may cast a shadow over the holiday cheer
Loss of loved ones through death … or divorce
Strained family relationships that result in arguments … or silence — and who’s to say which is worse?
Financial hardships that take all the fa-la-la-la fun out of the holiday shopping

 

And the question is: How do we balance the reality of both beauty and pain during the Christmas season? By ignoring the pain as we focus only on the beauty?

I don’t think so. There’s room for both in the holiday season. After all, that’s why God sent his Son into this world that first Christmas morning, right? Because God saw both the pain … and made a way for us to embrace beauty.

In Your Words: ” … Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit more.” What have you discovered to be the “more” of Christmas?  And how do you balance both the beauty and the sadness that can be woven through the Christmas season?

What have you discovered to be the “more” of #Christmas? #lifequotes
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Balancing both beauty and sadness during the #Christmas season #lifequotes
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Join me on Instagram during the month of December for “A Little Bit of Christmas” photo fun! 

In Others’ Words: Discipline and Celebration

Two words stand out to me in Henri Nouwen’s quote: discipline and gratitude.

Nouwen reminds us that gratitude is a discipline — that it takes effort to be thankful. And knowing how easily I can fall into counting my “lack of” rather than counting all the ways my life is filled to overflowing with so much more goodness than I ever expected … well, I have to agree with Nouwen. I must put forth effort — strive — to be grateful.

And then there’s that word celebration.

Do I take the time to celebrate? Birthdays, yes. Holidays, yes. Accomplishments, yes. But what about the intangible-eternal things worth celebrating? I am the recipient of a miraculous gift of love — one woven through and through with the words redeemed and reconciled. A gift that proclaims I am worth life … and … death … and life again.

This truth is worth celebrating every day of my life — it is a reason to have joy no matter what else is happening in my life.

In Your Words: What reasons do you have to celebrate with joy … to be grateful no matter what the circumstances of your life?

The Discipline and Celebration of #Gratitude #lifequotes
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I’m celebrating the release of my e-novella, A November Bride, with a Rafflecopter giveaway! Enter for a chance to win a $100 Williams-Sonoma gift card and much more!! Go here to enter or click on the book cover image!

Enter @bethvogt’s #Rafflecopter giveaway celebrating A November Bride! http://tinyurl.com/nzcba7j…
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See you next Monday — Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!