Beth K. Vogt's Blog, page 95
July 8, 2012
In Others’ Words: Rain
“Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.” ~Roger Miller (1936-1992), American singer & songwriter
My husband Rob and I went for a walk last night, which is one of our favorite things to do. Heavy grey clouds hung overhead. And as rain dotted our driveway, Rob ran back inside our house and grabbed our all-weather coats.
A little rain wasn’t going to stop that walk.
“After all, we prayed for this rain,” I reminded him.
And so we had, as we prayed through the days of the Waldo Canyon Fire. While it’s 98% contained, it’s still a fire. As Rich Harvey, the Incident Commander said, firefighters say a fire is out when the first snow falls.
We walked. Talked a little. Prayed a little more. And rain pattered down around us.
A sense of normalcy … and gratitude … and even a bit of romance wove through our time.
Normalcy, because we were back home for the second night after evacuating our home, walking our familiar route.
Gratitude, because … well, for the same reason. We were home. And also because I was holding my husband’s hand. And we could talk … or not.
Romance, because I remembered other walks where we were young and in love and walking in the rain. And now we’re … older … and still in love.
In Your Words: When was the last time you went for a walk in the rain?
July 5, 2012
In Others’ Words: Plans
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” ~John Lennon (1940-1980), English musician, singer & songwriter
If I told you what kind of life I’d planned for myself versus the life I’m living now …
Wait. Let me do just that.
Life I’d planned for myself: Single woman. Hotshot reporter for the Washington Post. Living in a fun apartment in the center of Washington, DC.
Life I’m living now: Married. Mom of four (and the fourth was my “quite a surprise caboose kiddo”). Proud owner of a journalism degree that gathered dust while I mastered motherhood. I had a lot to learn. I’ve lived on the East Coast. On the West Coast. In Turkey. On the Gulf Coast. And now, I live in the Rocky Mountains. Author of both nonfiction and (gasp!) fiction.
Those long-ago plans were tossed aside as I embraced what God brought my way. He must have laughed at the look of surprise on my face. If God keeps photo albums, the captions under my pictures are probably something like, “Got her again!” and “Stunned — but she’s gonna love this.”
In Your Words: How has life interrupted your plans?
July 3, 2012
In Others’ Words: America
Photo by Rob Vogt
“The cement of this union is the heart-blood of every American.” ~Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), third president of the United States
Celebrating America … and Americans.
Happy Birthday to us!
A friend sent this music video to me last week as an encouragement while my family waited out the Waldo Canyon Fire. It’s a perfect song for today!
July 1, 2012
In Others’ Words: Beauty in Unexpected Places
“I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.” ~Anne Frank (1929-1945), victim of the Holocaust
Many of you know that my family evacuated our home last Tuesday when the Waldo Canyon Fire erupted in the Foothills several miles from our neighborhood. We packed our cars with some precious family items — photos, a few treasured heirlooms, a cooler of food. One of the items I took with me is pictured above. A gift from my husband a children years ago, it hung on the wall in our dining room as a reminder.
A reminder of what?
Ah, therein lies the value of the carving.
There was a season in my life when I struggled with finding healing from past hurts … when finding hope was a moment to moment journey. I fought against doubt and despair — and my family, as much as they loved me, couldn’t fix things for me.
One Christmas, my husband and children — after much whispering and hiding away in the garage — presented me with a pillowcase-wrapped present, complete with a bow. When I opened it, I found a wood carving which was the exact replica of a necklace my husband had given me years earlier. He said the symbol — a heart with a cross in the middle — represented our marriage.
My smiling family surrounded me as my fingers traced the outline of the carving, tears blurring my vision. When I commented on how beautiful the gift was, my husband instructed me to turn it over.
When I did, I noticed all the scratches and dents and scrapes … and finally realized my husband had fashioned this beautiful carving from the top of an end table I’d thrown out weeks earlier.
“I wanted you to be reminded that God can bring beauty out of ugliness.”
My husband’s words that day touched something deep in my heart … the faintest glimmer of hope. Yes, God could bring beauty out of the ugliness I was experiencing. He would. And he did.
As my community recovers from the Waldo Canyon Fire, I know that beauty will be revealed from the ugliness of this fire. I’ve already glimpsed it in the caring of friends — even in the caring of strangers who have helped us.
In Others’ Words: When have you been able to see past the misery to the beauty?
June 28, 2012
In Others’ Words: Heart
“One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can’t utter.” ~James Earl Jones (1931-), actor
I call myself a wordsmith … and yet there are times I find myself at a loss for words.
This is one of those times.
On Tuesday I crammed a few belongings into my car and left my home as smoke and ash from the Waldo Canyon Fire swirled around me. Later that evening as I drove to a friend’s home, I looked west to the Foothills and saw homes burning.
No words — only a gasp. A “Dear God” escaping my lips.
Each day I’ve listened to hours of news, my journalism training prompting me to type updates on my Facebook page.
I’m stunned and saddened and amazed and thankful.
Friends and family are flooding my Facebook page with messages of concern, love, prayers, offers of help …
Again, no words. I’ve never appreciated the “Like” button more.
In Your Words: When have words failed you?
June 26, 2012
In Others’ Words: Trust
“Know that even in the midst of your worst circumstances, you can be still and calm and at peace … because God’s got you.” ~Source Unknown
A monster of a wildfire forced my family from our home yesterday.
I typed this blog sitting in one of my “adopted daughter’s”* living room, safe, but oh so aware that homes were burning down. That heroic firefighters battled an out of control Waldo Canyon Wildfire threatening my neighborhood.
I packed a few more possessions into my Subaru Forester — family photos, my husband’s wooden rocker from when he was a little boy, my son’s artwork, a clay armadillo my daughter made. Yep. A clay armadillo. I’ve always loved that quirky object d’art. I admit to a few tears as I walked out the door, after my daughter Amy and I shared a hug and reminded each other, “It’s stuff. It’s stuff.”
As I drove across town — well, the car crawled across town because traffic was horrendous — I repeated this verse: This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.
Crazy, I know.
But my word for the year is Trust … and I’m clinging to that word even now. So what can I be glad about (or thankful for) in the midst of fire and smoke and ash the possibility my house may burn down?
I am thankful for each and every person who has and is praying for me and my family — and I am thankful for each and every prayer.
I am thankful that my family is safe. Everyone safe and accounted for, including Twister, our 12-year-old dachshund.
I am thankful for the heroes — the firefighters battling this beast — considering others more important than themselves.
I am thankful for a sense of humor. Sometimes you just have to laugh, even in the midst of a crisis. It’s better than crying. Or screaming. Or stomping my foot.
I am thankful for every single person who offered us a place to stay. Who texted us. Who emailed. Who commented on my Facebook page. Talk about feeling loved.
I am thankful that I know that I know that I know that God has not abandoned me and my family. He hasn’t lost track of us. Nothing can separate us from him … and we’re gonna trust him through this.
I am thankful that my family is safe. Yes, I said this twice. But I am. I really am.
In Your Words: What are you thankful for today?
( Our family motto is “There’s always room for one more.” We have “adopted” a couple of our kids’ friends through the years.)
June 24, 2012
In Others’ Words: Safety
View from my porch on Saturday, June 23, 2012
“There is no security on this earth. Only opportunity.”
~ Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), American general
It’s been an interesting weekend.
The Waldo Canyon Fire, which erupted west of Colorado Springs, disrupted our lives.
Saturday night we went from voluntary evacuation status to mandatory evacuation status — and back again. Since then, we’ve been on alert. And yes, we’re still home.
We have suitcases stashed at my daughter and son-in-love’s apartment — as well as my can’t-be-replaced family photos. Each of the kids picked one or two treasured items. Other than that, so long as my people are safe, I’m fine.
My husband Rob and I went for our customary evening walk, only this time smoke tinged the air. We talked about safety … and how God’s definition of safety must be different from ours. Our friend “Wise Guy” was the first person to point this out: How God promises to keep us safe — and yet, bad things still happen. Does this mean God doesn’t keep his promise?
Nope.
As I said, I think we have different working definitions of safety. When God promises to deliver us from our fears (Psalm 34:4), that’s not some holy escape clause — certainly not if you take David’s life as an example.
Instead, I think Psalm 34:4 is reminder that God is with us during the scary times — and he helps us to not be afraid.
That’s a whole different kind of safety — trust replacing fear.
Only then can you see the opportunities waiting for you:
to keep trusting
to encourage others to trust
to help others in need
to see beauty in the midst of trials
to appreciate what you have
to see what’s valuable — and what’s not
In Your Words: What does security look like for you? What opportunities have you discovered in the less-than-safe-times?
June 21, 2012
In Others’ Words: Criticism
“Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.” ~Jack Handey (1949-),American humorist
So I posted this quote because it made me laugh out loud. Literally.
And then I read it to my daughter, Amy, and her fiancé, David, and they laughed out loud too.
Ditto for my husband.
I would love to give you a deeper reason for why I like this quote … but there it is: laughter.
In Your Words: What made you laugh this week?
I’m visiting with author Cathy West today over at her blog This is a Blog about Books. (I wish I was really visiting with Cathy because she lives in Bermuda!) Come on over and join us … and find why I used the word “peculiar” to describe myself.
June 19, 2012
In Others’ Words: When Not Writing is Writing
“What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when he’s staring out of the window.” ~ Burton Rascoe (1892-1957), American journalist & editor
My husband Rob would most likely change today’s quote just a tad so that it reads “What no husband of a writer can ever understand … ”
I’m a writer.
I write.
But sometimes the writing process is more about pondering than it is about producing words. And for me, “sometimes” is now.
It’s not that I haven’t written anything. If you were sitting here, I could pull up the Word document of a partial synopsis that screeches to a halt about 700 words in because, well, I don’t know what happens next. I could also show you the thoughts I’ve plotted out in The Book Buddy and Kiss and Tell: How to Write a Romance, both excellent work-texts for mapping out a romance novel — and both written by best-selling author Susan May Warren. And I could then show you the path I’ve worn out as I’ve paced from my office to my ‘fridge to my laundry room back to my office and repeat … repeat … repeat … all the while mulling over my story.
And yes, sometimes I stare out my office window. Good thing I moved my desk so that it doesn’t face the wall anymore.
What I have to remind myself when I have days like today and yesterday and the day before that is that writing is a process. I’m all about showing up each day ready to write — but that doesn’t guarantee that the story is ready to be written.
In Your Words: Readers, is what I described how you imagined the writing life? Writers, what do you do when work involves staring out the window?
June 18, 2012
In Others’ Words: Change
“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” ~ Winston Churchill (1874-1965), British statesman
So I’m mixing things up here at the blog again.
In months past, I’ve blogged Monday through Friday.
For a while, I scaled back to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Then I ramped it back up again to five days a week.
And now … well, I’ve decided to settle into a nice three days a week pace.
Why?
It just seems to work better for me.
This blog is still about quotes because I love how what others say makes me pause and think. And I especially appreciate it when y’all join the conversation. (Talking to myself — yeah, not too much fun.)
Because I am an inspirational romance writer, I’m considering dedicating Wednesdays to quotes that have to do with romance or writing … or some combination thereof.
And, as I’ve said before, I’d love for you to submit favorite quotes — or email me at beth@bethvogt.com if you’d like to be a guest blogger here at In Others’ Words.
In Your Words: Has anything prompted you to change up your routine? How did you go about making the decision to change direction?
