Megan Byrd

Writer

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Share Four Somethings: May 2020

It’s been the month of Megan, what with containing both Mother’s Day and my birthday. My family always does a wonderful job of making me feel special. This month we couldn’t really go out and celebrate, but we still were able to enjoy the days. Below are some highlights that I’d like to share with you. If this is your first time to my blog and you’d like to read my previous Share Four Somethings, click the appropriate link: January, February, March, April. To read other’s May highlights, check out the link-up over at HeatherGerwing.com.

Something Loved

By now, you’ve probably figured out that I’m a big reader. There’s nearly always at least one book in progress, often more than one. For instance, as I’m typing this there are currently six books in process. Two are devotionals which means I won’t be finished with them until December, but the rest are regular reads. All of this lead up is to say how much I love my kindle. I upgraded to a paperwhite a few years ago and love the backlit screen. My husband got me a beautiful case that I still love. I like that it’s small, can easily be slipped into my purse, and has multiple books for me to choose from depending on my mood. It’s especially great for travel when I don’t want to weigh down my suitcase with TBRs (to-be-reads). If you’re someone who always enjoys having a book with them, but for some reason don’t already have an e-reader, I highly recommend the Kindle Paperwhite. You can even highlight, bookmark, take notes, and email them to yourself!

Something Read

The title of the book intrigued me and it was also recommended by Jen Hatmaker so I decided to check out You’re a Miracle (and a Pain in the Ass) by Mike McHargue. I haven’t listened to either of his podcasts but I’m sure they’re interesting and thought-provoking. In the book, Mike talks about his issues and the things he learned about our bodies, brains, and emotions that helped him (and can help us) to grow, change, and develop healthier habits for coping with various stresses. I thought about reactions that I’ve had to certain stressors and what might be behind the oversized responses. I’m not the best at expressing and dealing with my emotions, but the book persuaded me of the benefits of allowing myself to feel them rather than trying to hide or stuff them.

Something Treasured

Since we started schooling at home, I decided that the kids and I would read a book I bought and thought we’d all enjoy. It was Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and we all thoroughly enjoyed it that the kids asked to read the next one in the series. We managed to find books two and three as e-books from the library. When we were through with those, I picked another unread book from our shelves, The Penderwicks, and we zoomed through it and the next three. We are currently on the fifth and final book of the series (thankfully they’ve been available as e-books from our library). I don’t know if we’ll keep this up indefinitely, but I’m thoroughly enjoying this literary journey with my kids.

Something Ahead

The biggest thing I’m anticipating in the near future is the end of school! My kids’ last day is June 3rd and I may be more ready for school to be over than they are. Yes, school has provided some structure to our days, but I’ll enjoy not having to supervise my first grader or turn over my room and computer for Zoom calls. Our days may not feel much different physically, but I think my mental load will be lighter.

I’m also participating in an Instagram photo challenge with some friends in June. The goal is to post a photo every day based on the theme. Follow along with me @mbyrd24.

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Another unusual month of life. And a very book-heavy themed post. I’m glad that I can still find some things to celebrate. What was something good from your May experience? Do you have something to look forward to in June or are you in limbo for making plans like most others? Do you have any book recommendations for elementary-aged kids that adults would also enjoy?

Share Four Somethings: February 2020

We have already arrived at the fourth Saturday of the month. It really sneaks up on you when the first falls on a Saturday. Even though we’ve only had three weeks of the month, I still have plenty to share about my February thus far. So without further ado, here are my four somethings!

Something Loved

This month’s item is a bit more tangible than last month’s yoga calendar, but it may be harder to find. I enjoy perusing thrift and consignment stores because it’s a bit like a treasure hunt. You never know what you’ll find and sometimes it may be a delightful thing you never realized you were missing. This was the case for me when I found a delightful pencil pouch that can be clipped into a three-ring binder. I have been editing the novel I wrote and had a boring clear but functional pouch. When I saw this cheerful one at the store priced for one dollar, I couldn’t pass it up. Every time I open my binder to work, it makes me smile.

Something Read

This month, one of the books I finished was Fredrik Backman’s My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. I have loved most of Backman’s books and this one was no exception. He has such a wonderful way of storytelling that draws you in and helps you to find positive qualities in nearly every imperfect character. In this book, seven-year-old Elsa is sent on a quest by her grandmother to deliver letters to various people. As Elsa faces fears and struggles with the grief she feels from her grandmother’s death, she learns more about her grandmother and the people living around her. She finds that the fairy tales her grandmother used to tell her in the Land-of-Almost-Awake are not as made up as she believed. I loved the reminder that most people are not what they may seem to be at first glance.

If you’re interested in seeing what other books I’ve read in February (ten so far), visit my Instagram page @meganbyrdreads.

Something Treasured

Last month I asked my internet friends if anyone would like to receive a note from me this year. I received a few responses and began composing messages to family, friends, and acquaintances. A few years ago, I wrote a letter to everyone in my address book to see what would happen. The return rate for letters was about 10%. I am definitely curious to see if anyone writes back this year. I was quite thrilled when a letter showed up in my mailbox this month. It was a response from my aunt who has loved and supported me well all of my life. This month she is my something treasured.

Something Ahead

This coming Wednesday (February 26th) is Ash Wednesday, which means the start of Lent (40 days of fasting plus 6 Sundays before Easter). Most years I have either given something up or added something to my life to help me focus on Jesus and prepare for the coming of Easter and his death and resurrection. Our whole family has participated the last couple of years. I am excited for this year’s season to begin but am still not sure what my fast will be. If you participate in Lent, I’m interested to know what you will be doing this year. Also, if you know of any good Lenten devotionals, please pass that info along!

I have one other exciting something ahead. One of my Atlanta friends is coming to visit me next month! I don’t know everything we’re going to do, but a visit to the Biltmore and dinner at one of my favorite restaurants are already on the docket.

Those are my Four Somethings for February. If you missed last month, read about them here. If you want to read others’ lists of Somethings, visit www.HeatherGerwing.com.

Share Four Somethings: September 2019

It’s the fourth Saturday of the month which means it’s time to share a few of my favorite things from the past month. We are now fully into a routine of school, work, and weekends. We did a little more exploring of our area – hiking, visiting the apple festival and the mountain fair, and trying to get to know new friends. Below are four specific highlights from September.

Something Loved

My husband bought an outdoor stove for our family to use as a firepit. We tested it out one Friday on our back patio. We decided to have an outdoor movie night with s’mores. We watched Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. It was a little warm for a fire but we all had a great time and will probably have more outdoor movie nights when the weather cools down.

Something Said

The kids were talking to their grandparents over Facetime and my daughter was messing around with the picture. She changed the video to black and white. One of the kids commented that it looked like they were in an old-timey movie. Their grandfather said, “Do something old then.” Kaitlyn grabbed both sides of her waist, bent over a bit, and said, “Ooooooh, my back hurts!” We all started laughing. Kids are hilarious!

Something Learned

I was fortunate to read an advanced copy of Sarah Bessey’s new book Miracles and Other Reasonable Things (out October 8th). I liked her previous two books and was interested to see what she would talk about in this one. It talks candidly about her car accident and the struggle to find physical healing and learn a new normal. The book covers her spiritual wrestling with believing God to be able to work a miracle but not necessarily expecting one. It’s a very good book for people struggling with disappointment and living in the middle between what life is and what they want it to be. A footnote gave me a random bit of information that delighted me and is now firmly stuck in my brain for life. A group of zebras is called a dazzle.

Photo by sutirta budiman on Unsplash

Something Read

I read Latasha Morisson’s book Be the Bridge: Pursuing God’s Heart for Racial Reconciliation (out October 15th). It’s a wonderful resource for anyone who wants to learn more about what racial reconciliation means, why it’s important, and the steps to becoming a bridge-builder. It has thought-provoking questions that encourage the reader to consider their own experiences and biases and determine the next step they can take in their own lives.

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Those are my four somethings for September. I hope you enjoyed them. I would love to hear your highlights from the month! Post them below or feel free to add your own post over at HeatherGerwing.com!

Share Four Somethings: July 2019

July has been a really weird month for me. We returned from a month in Boise and then spent the first two weeks packing things we’d need while we were homeless, trying to squeeze in as much Atlanta fun as we could, saying goodbye to friends, and then heading up to North Carolina. the next two weeks were spent with our family apart most of the time. Adam started his new job and had to be in Asheville weekdays. I joined him some to learn the area and then we spent weekends with the kids and in-laws until we closed on our house two days ago. So a very irregular month. But I’m wrapping it up with some consistency that is the monthly Share Four Somethings where I talk about something loved, something said, something learned, and something read. Enjoy!

Something Loved

I loved getting to spend time with some of my favorite people our last two weeks in Atlanta. I hated the reason behind it but we all ignored that and did our best to enjoy the experiences and visit some of our favorite places. We went to Six Flags with friends, dinners at homes and restaurants, and pool playdates. I’m so grateful for all of the connections we made in our 13 years in Georgia.

Something Said

While traversing the four-and-a-half hours to my in-laws’ house in NC the day after our house was packed up I needed something to help pass the time. The kids were watching movies in the back. The cat was situated between them voicing her displeasure at being forced to endure a long drive in a crate. I remembered that I was behind on episodes of my favorite podcast (Woven) so I used the drive to catch myself up. The quote below came from episode 57 which interviewed a favorite author of mine, Courtney Ellis, about her most recent book Almost Holy Mama. The quote itself is from Woven co-hosts Rebecca Cochran and Rebecca Peet, respectively.

I think we have this misconception that if we complain or acknowledge that [parenting] is hard that we’re not grateful…Those things can both be true at the same time…I think culturally, too, it’s like sort of this thing where ‘Some people can’t have babies’ and then we’re not honest about our struggles because we think people are going to judge us or think that we’re not grateful.

We tend to rank suffering. Someone can hear this and be like, ‘Well, I’m not suffering. I didn’t sleep at all last night and I haven’t slept in like three months but I’m not suffering because I didn’t lose a baby or my parents didn’t just die or I’m not going through cancer treatments or whatever.’ And yes, there are more intense seasons of suffering than others but parenting is hard and I think it’s hard for people to say they’re suffering in parenting because it seems like they’re not grateful.

Something Learned

I spent part of my time in Asheville exploring the local bookstores (of course). I found a few really good ones. I also found some I won’t be returning to due to poor selection in my preferred genres. The coolest bookstore I visited was Battery Park Book Exchange in the downtown area. It has different sections and levels with seats and tables where you’re surrounded by books you can purchase (though they discourage reading something you haven’t bought). They even have a cafe and bar if you want something to eat or drink while reading, visiting, or waiting for the live music (on weekends) to start.

I saw this in a bookstore bathroom in Asheville.

Something Read

I’ve read eight books thus far in July, seven of them fiction. I’m usually more balanced but it’s summer and even I like to take a mental break on occasion. If you would like a more regular update of what I read along with reviews, please visit my Instagram page that’s just for books.

The nonfiction book I read was Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott. I usually enjoy her thoughts on various subjects. While I didn’t love it like I did Bird by Bird, I did enjoy learning about her faith journey and took away a few nuggets that I’ll share below.

Traveling mercies: love the journey, God is with you, come home safe and sound.

Again and again I tell God I need help, and God says, “Well, isn’t that fabulous? Because I need help too. So you go get that old woman over there some water, and I’ll figure out what we’re going to do about your stuff.”

Courage is fear that has said its prayers.

Those are my four somethings for July. I hope you enjoyed them. I would love to hear your highlights from the month! Post them below or feel free to add your own post over at HeatherGerwing.com!

Share Four Somethings: June 2019

It’s summer vacation for my kids. We flew out to Idaho the first of June and will be here for nearly the entire month so this month’s edition of S4S involves our experience out west with family.

Something Loved

There are so many things that could go in this category. It’s always wonderful to see my brother, sister-in-law, nieces, parents, and whatever other extended family comes to visit while we’re here (this year it’s two aunts and an uncle). We catch up, play cards, and enjoy the Boise weather and activities. I’m glad the kids get to spend quality time with my side of the family. What I think I loved most was the adventurous attitude of my daughter. We went to Quinn’s Pond twice for some water fun and each time she wanted to test her skills with the available watercraft. It made me proud to see her out there kayaking and paddle boarding by herself. I hope she continues to explore her abilities and believe she can do anything.

Something Said

My life has kingdom significance. My story is a subject in the bigger story God is weaving. What I do with my life, from cradle to grave and no matter how mundane and ordinary, carries kingdom significance, a point made repeatedly in the Bible where so-called “little” people operating behind the scenes regularly advance God’s kingdom…God calls every image bearer to take their part in advancing his kingdom wherever he stations them.

This was a quote from a blog post written by Carolyn Custis James found in a book I was reading this month. I was encouraged to be reminded that I don’t have to do big, public things for my work to be considered significant. I can only be known by my small circle of friends and family and it won’t mean my acts of love and service aren’t meaningful or impactful. It also reminded me that I have no idea what these small acts of great love will yield.

Something Learned

We found out in May that my husband had been offered a new position in his company. He accepted it and we’re moving to Asheville, NC. This means, of course, that we have to sell our current house and find a new place to live. We listed our house the day we headed west for vacation, thinking it’d be easiest to have showings while no one’s there. This being a company move with relocation, we’ve been learning the ins and outs of what that means. I also consulted my cousin whose husband is Air Force for her wisdom on packing and organizing with movers. While we’ve moved before, we haven’t moved out of state together or with kids so there is a lot of information and experience we don’t have. Hopefully, after this move, we’ll feel more knowledgeable and prepared for potential future moves.

Something Read

I have a goal of reading four fiction and four nonfiction books while out here in Boise. That’s one of each per week. I hit my fiction goal already but am behind on my nonfiction. I didn’t plan for a house-hunting weekend in Asheville when I made my original goal. I still have a week left so it could still happen. One book I really enjoyed is The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms. It was an Amazon First Reads pick for May which I chose because of the cover (books and a book reference). It’s about a private-school librarian who’s been raising her two kids on her own for three years since her husband left for a work trip to Hong Kong and chose not to come back. Her husband suddenly appears back in town and wants to try to re-initiate a relationship with their kids, asking for a week with them which stretches into all summer. Amy goes to a librarian conference in NYC for the week but then decides to spend all summer there. It’s more interesting and complicated but I don’t want to ruin the book in case you read it. I found it an enjoyable and relatable story (in that I am also a mom who loves books and rarely spends time away from the kids). It’s a good summer read.

Those are my four somethings from June. Feel free to share your own in the comments or link up at HeatherGerwing.com.

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Share Four Somethings: May 2019

Anyone who has children knows how crazy the month of May can be (perhaps it’s June if your kids are in school that long). I usually get my favorites sorted out by the middle of the month but this time I have just barely remembered that the fourth Saturday is upon me. Regardless of the busyness, there was still plenty of joy experienced. May also found us with our first experience of a kid getting stitches, but thankfully it wasn’t any worse. Without further ado, here are some of the May highlights!

Something Loved

May is essentially the month of Megan. It’s both Mother’s Day and my birthday. I like to try to do something out of the ordinary for at least one of those events. This year I succeeded for both. On Mother’s Day our family visited Portal Pinball, a new video game arcade containing classic arcade games (Donkey Kong, TMNT, Asteroid, Super Mario Bros, etc) and pinball machines. We all had a blast trying out many of the machines.

For my birthday I went with a friend to the Tell Me More tour with Jen Hatmaker and Kelly Corrigan. I have seen Jen speak multiple times and always enjoy her humor and encouragement. I have read a few of Kelly’s books and was interested to hear her speak. She was hilarious! My friend and I had a blast listening to them for a couple of hours.

Something Said

“I was at a store the other day that I don’t normally shop at. I tried on these sandals. I’m always an 8 1/2, sometimes a 9. So I tried on an 8 1/2 it was too small, a 9 was too small, a 9 1/2 was too small. Finally, a 10 fit me. I was like, ‘That’s super weird. What a weird sandal.’ But if that had been a pair of pants I would have been calling people in tears.”

If you’ve been reading my Four Somethings for any length of time then you know that I thoroughly enjoy the podcast Woven. They recently released a bonus episode about body image and I think it’s a must-listen-to, especially as we enter swimsuit season. It was very encouraging and offered a refreshing perspective.

Something Learned

I volunteer at my kids’ school for various functions. This month I signed up to help out at the Scholastic Book Fair. What’s not to love about spending time around books and potentially seeing your kids and their friends as they cultivate their literary tastes. I signed up to work an afternoon with a friend which made the experience even more enjoyable. I learned during my time at the school that book fair volunteers receive a discount on their own purchases. More books for less?! Yes, please!!! Don’t be surprised to see me as a volunteer at every book fair in the future.

Something Read

This month’s book highlight is a book about books and reading. It’s called I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life and it’s by Anne Bogel, aka Modern Mrs. Darcy. She is a wonderful resource for people searching for their next great read. In this book, she shares her experiences as a reader and about books that mark our hearts through the years. Some of the essays are silly and humorous, some are serious and thought-provoking, all are relatable. This book lover thoroughly enjoyed her thoughts and the book itself is very pleasing to the eye. If you love books, you will probably enjoy this book about the reading life.

Those are my Four Somethings for May. I’d love to hear yours. Comment on the post or link up with your own at HeatherGerwing.com.

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