spiritual

Clean Your Mirror

| A Musing Writer

Mirror_Blog

Quick Welcome Back from Hiatus

Hello everyone!

Well the summer is coming to a close, and that means that my summer hiatus is also concluding. It has been an interesting summer with the United States still in its abnormal state. Nonetheless, I am happy to have been able to relax for a few months.

Since I last wrote, I was a fresh graduate. Two months later, I am still a pretty new graduate, but I think I have had some time to just rest and think about what I want my life to look like now that school is over. Rest is so important for everyone, including writers like me. On my Instagram a few weeks ago (@amusingwriter), I explained a little bit about why the hiatus is necessary. I also participated in a photo challenge, so feel free to check that out!

The first reason is writers’ block. I know many writers who make lists during their period of inspiration to look back on when they hit the dreaded period of no inspiration, but unfortunately, I have yet to put this into practice.

The second reason is that I want to be able to ensure that what I write on this blog is inspired by prayer. Truly, prayer is what should drive us to do the things we do. Can we do things without prayer? Technically, yes. But the things we do that don’t come from prayer tend to stray towards a road of sin.

With that long introduction, I come to the topic I want to write on today: mirrors. Continue reading →

Patience in the Fire

| A Musing Writer
Holy Spirit
An Autumn Sunset. Taken by me on my way home from work one evening. October 2017.

A Reflection on Pentecost Sunday

I was in Third Grade, and my teacher was a lady who hated the word “stuff.” She said that there was always a better word to replace it with, and that was why we should learn and memorize our vocabulary.

A little later on in life, in sixth grade, I had a Reading teacher who would explain to us why cursing was bad. It wasn’t your typical “it’s taking the name of the Lord in vain,” although that was emphasized. She said that whenever you curse, there was always a better way to express yourself, and that cursing actually limits your vocabulary because you tend to stick to what is comfortable, and when you are comfortable cursing, it becomes a part of  your speech that is difficult to remove as you grow older.

Continue reading →

Head Above Water

| A Musing Writer

Clearing the Fog

don't let me drown
The Verazzano Bridge. Wednesday, May 27, 2020. Photo taken by my sister, Annie Vogel.

Dearest readers,

It has been quite some time since my last blog post, so I’m sorry about that! Once classes moved online, I was really overwhelmed and was adjusting to quarantine life. Since school has ended, I kind of have just been decompressing. But alas, I have a pretty intense experience to share with you all! And buckle in, it’s a long one this time (to be expected, since I must make-up for lack of content somehow!)

Today, my family and I were driving back to New York from Washington D.C. after moving my sister out of her dorm room. It was a hot, humid, and sunny day today, and we were outside for about an hour doing a photo shoot for her graduation. It was a relatively enjoyable day, save the humidity, but it’s D.C. … what should I expect.

Continue reading →

Stop Playing Tug-of-War With God: A Lesson on Surrender

| A Musing Writer

Hello everyone!

Surrender-A Musing Writer
Self-timed photo from Nov 2018. Me and my doggy, who I lost almost a year ago

As per usual, I am issuing an apology regarding the irregularity of my posts. It’s funny because I was speaking with a classmate and a professor this morning about how terrible I have been at posting regularly on this blog (even though I have to post regularly on my academic blog). And here I am, a few hours later, revved up with inspiration and insight! God is amazing.

So, today, I tried playing tug-of-war with God. And yes, I know you are probably retorting something like, “Well, I’m sure THAT’S going to go well.” And you would honestly be justified in the judgement.

Continue reading →

Forever

| A Musing Writer

To those who have been hurt

Forever - Blog Post.png
March 2018. Marseilles, France.

Hello everyone!

Well, it certainly has been a while, hasn’t it, my friends? Schoolwork weighed me down quite a bit this semester, and to be honest, I haven’t had much inspiration to write. My life has been going swimmingly, if you were wondering.

Today, I wanted to reflect on the idea of “Forever.” Right now, I am in the midst of finals (so yes, I am procrastinating just by writing this), and I am listening to music while studying. I came across the song “Forever,” by Lewis Capaldi. It is a heart-wrenching song addressed to a former lover. It struck home when I first heard it, and that was before I saw my friend’s post. I would suggest taking a listen before you read the rest of the post (although, it isn’t necessary in order to understand the message).

Continue reading →