Megan Byrd

Writer

Megan’s Blog

Share Four Somethings: June 2022

share four somethings

It’s officially summer! The kids have been out of school for three weeks and we have been busy. Our family went to Mexico with my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and nieces. It was so wonderful to get away from real life for over a week. The kids started at a camp the day after we got back, so the fun continues for them. They’ll be excited to have a long, lazy weekend for the 4th of July next weekend. Keep reading to read some specifics from the past month and share your own in the comments or by linking up at HeatherGerwing.com.

Something Loved

While we were in Mexico, I went scuba diving with my husband and father. It had been a few years and was nice to be under the water again. We saw some gorgeous fish and cool reefs. Some highlights: a nurse shark, a puffer fish, three lobsters, three green moray eels, and a large crab.

Something Gleaned

I’ve been reading through Live in Grace, Walk in Love, a devotional by Bob Goff. It’s a 365-day devotional and each day offers encouragement and a reminder that we are meant to offer the love and grace we receive from God to those around us. I’ve been noting favorite sentences and would like to share a few with you.

If it’s more important for you to be “right” than to be like Jesus, then it’s time to get back to the basics of your faith and your relationships.

We won’t be distracted by comparison if we’re captivated with purpose.

If it takes a little longer to achieve your goals, you’re doing things that last.

It’s easy to confuse a lot of activity with a purposeful life.

God never told us to compare our faith with another’s. Comparision is a punk. God told us ot be faithful to the path laid out before us and take your next step, not someone else’s.

What dazzles God are humble people who use the gifts they have and let God use them any way He decides. Don’t make following Jesus more complicated than He made it.

Something Saved

I was going through my phone to delete old photos, and I found this quote. I like to keep encouraging and motivational sayings in an easily accessible place for the days when I need some inspiration or a pick-me-up. As a people-pleaser, criticism can be hard to take, but, with the proper perspective, it doesn’t have to devastate me. I can determine whether it’s helpful or something about which I need not concern myself. The quote above reminded me of one by Theodore Roosevelt:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

If you have a quote that encourages you, please share it with me in the comments. I can always use more!

Something Achieved

If you read last month’s post, then you probably aren’t surprised what’s this month’s achieved. I finished and published my contemporary romance novella! It’s been exciting to see people downloading the book and so far the feedback I’ve received has been encouraging. Hopefully, it’ll spur me on toward publishing the first full-length book in the series. Below is the blurb of the novella. If it interests you, click the button below to receive a free copy!

Can love happen by accident?

Jeff Gaines has the ideal life. He surfs for a living and helps others learn to surf when he’s home in Huntington Beach, CA. The only thing that could make life better–a loving relationship. When a surfing accident lands him in the ER, he takes an immediate liking to his doctor, but she turns his date request down flat.

Dr. Lisa Taylor loves the fast-pace of the ER, providing care and support to people on their worst days. She’s open to love—to anyone except adrenaline junkies. It’s the reason she won’t even give Jeff a first date. With the help of one of the ER nurses, he gets his foot in the door. After several dating disasters, Jeff is ready to give up.

Can they overcome their fears and find love, or are the forces against them too great?

Accidentally Yours is a sweet contemporary romance that introduces readers to the City Love series (Book One coming Fall 2022).

Get your copy of Accidentally Yours here

If you’ve already read Accidentally Yours and enjoyed it, please consider leaving a rating or review over at Goodreads.

Share Four Somethings: May 2022

share four somethings

May has been a busy month full of ups and downs. My car battery died in carline one day and I had to get a jump from another parent. It died again when I was supposed to hang out with a friend, so I got it replaced and it has worked perfectly since. I got the house cleaned as a Mother’s Day present and then hosted five family members (and occasionally my in-laws) for a week and a half while we celebrated a variety of events including my daughter’s final musical theater performance in her after-school program. I showed off Asheville, taking family to the Biltmore, Mt. Mitchell, Craggy Gardens, downtown, Triple Falls, Hooker Falls, Looking Glass Falls, the Green River Cove Trail, Rainbow Falls, Southern Highland Craft Guild Folk Art Center, and River Arts District. The kids took their EOG tests, and we said goodbye to our cat of fifteen years, Maui. After all of that, I’m very much looking forward to the end of school and our family going on vacation next month. We all need it!

Now it’s time to get to the monthly prompts. Keep reading to see what else we packed into the month. You can read other’s Somethings or add your own over at HeatherGerwing.com.

Something Loved

There was so much to love about this month. I received two books signed by favorite authors (birthday gifts to myself). I turned 40 (!) with family in town and celebrated with sushi and a delicious strawberry cheesecake from 3 Eggs Cakery. I selected a picture from my favorite local artist Jeff Pittman as a birthday present and saw my daughter get baptized and join the church. A lot of great things happened this month.

What’s something you’ve loved about this month?

Something Gleaned

I’m trying to read books whose title starts with each letter of the alphabet. It’s one of my 2022 reading challenges. I had a few options for Z because there are several books about Zen. Ray Bradbury’s Zen in the Art of Writing was my choice. I knew nothing about him other than he wrote Fahrenheit 451. It turns out he’s written tons of essays and this book was a collection of them about creativity. It was educational and encouraging. Below, I will share a few quotes.

What is the greatest reward a writer can have? Isn’t it that day when someone rushes up to you, his face bursting with honesty, his eyes afire with admiration and cries, “That new story of yours was fine, really wonderful!” Then and only then is writing worthwhile.

Quantity gives experience. From experience alone can quality come.

How does one get lost? Through incorrect aims, as I have said. Through wanting literary fame too quickly. From wanting money too soon. If only we could remember, fame and money are gifts given us only after we have gifted the world with our best, our lonely, our individual truths.

Something Saved

This is a fun new category about something I’ve saved on my phone via screenshot. I use this feature all the time. This month I’m working on getting my novella out into the world and have been studying how other people have done it for best practices. I’ve taken photos of BookFunnel promotions (my chosen book distribution method), and e-book front and back matter formatting. Having the photos on my phone makes for easy reference. Hopefully, next month I can put “published novella” into Something Achieved.

Something Achieved

I struggled for a bit with this category. This month was unusual in that my routine was interrupted while we had visitors. Pleasantly interrupted, of course. However, I wanted to post on Instagram every day this month and have succeeded in that, thanks to a lot of planning and prep. I created content on Canva and then drafted and scheduled posts using Buffer so that I didn’t have to think about it while my family was in town. I did post some about our adventures, but that was bonus content.

What’s something you achieved this month?

Loving Well When It’s Difficult to Love

Love Within Reach devotional

 You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt. 5:43-48 NIV)

I don’t think I have any true enemies. Well, besides the common, unseen enemy of all children of God. There isn’t another human set on my demise. No one pushing obstacles into my path and speaking ill of me to others. At least, not that I know of. Nor am I trying to take down another person. So who is my enemy?

Is my enemy someone who has different opinions, political ideologies, or thoughts about God? Someone I find difficult to love? Society seems to want me to think that’s the case. Sometimes I’m swayed into thinking that perhaps such people deserve bad things, but I don’t actively wish for harm and suffering to befall others.

There have been people in my life who are difficult to love. People who have made snide comments, ignored my presence, or tried to make me feel small. I’ve known people who are essentially walking storm clouds, seeing everything in a negative light, and sharing their thoughts with full force. While they aren’t my enemies, they aren’t people I enjoy spending time with.

These are the people Jesus wants me to love and pray for, but it’s a struggle. Why should I pray for them to be blessed? Why do they deserve my time and attention?

Because I’m just like them, and God still offers me love, grace, and blessing.

I’m not perfect. Unkind words have left my lips many times. I’ve chosen selfishness over generosity and helping others. I have days when I’m stuck under a storm cloud and can’t find a silver lining.

They are me, and I am them.

There may be reasons someone I find it difficult to love is having a bad day, week, or year that I know nothing about. I don’t know the challenges of their work, the struggles they’re experiencing in other relationships, or the circumstances that have brought them suffering. I think God wants us to pray for those who are most difficult to love because it’s love that effects change.

When I’m loved, I feel like I can do anything. It spurs me to do better and be better. I want to repay the favor by showing love and compassion to others.

The problem is that while I’m always loved by God, I forget and don’t live like it. If I took to heart the knowledge that God loves me and is for me, then perhaps I would love others better, even those I find frustrating and challenging.

Read the rest over at The Glorious Table.