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.