Friday, July 3, 2009

My Journal

Ann has been writing a series of posts on Journaling. They are inspiring and beautifully written. They will make you want to run out and purchase a blank book and get writing.

I kept a Journal for years when my children were younger and still at home. I poured my heart onto the pages and a little stack of floral covered books grew on my closet shelf. One day, after reading through a few of the entries, I decided that I really didn't want anyone else to read them. Some of the things might be hurtful taken out of context; some things just really didn't need to be shared with anyone else.

So I sat on the floor and for several hours tore them all to bits. I had a couple of large garbage bags filled with the remnants of years of journaling when I was finished. I wasn't terribly sad. I knew it was right. They had served their purpose. They had given me a place to record and sort through the things we were walking through in those years.

I decided that from then on I would keep a more "generic" sort of Journal - nothing too deeply personal. It worked well for a while, but over time I found I couldn't really write about my daily life without my "heart" making its way onto the pages. When I begin to put words on paper, they seem to take on a life of their own. I have managed to install a little "editor" that makes sure I don't write anything about a person I wouldn't want them to read. Other than that, my Journal has once again become the place where I process my life.

This is my current Journal. I got the idea from Ann. It is my second sketch book that I have fashioned into my Journal. The first one was much smaller, and I found I wanted more space to paste pictures and write. So I bought a bigger one the second time around. I decorated the cover with pictures from my magazines.


This is the very first page.

I use my Journal to write lists of things I want to get done during the day, to record the noteworthy events and special occassions - like our trip to California. I saved bits and pieces to paste into the Journal as we traveled.



I also record my thoughts, quotations that are meaningful to me, prayer requests, and little conversations with the Lord. I also incorporate my gratitude list as I write and then mark them with a little heart so I can easily find them when I glance back.

Sometimes I have so many pretty pictures I just fill the pages with them.



I have also started a little Jounal that I use during my Quiet Time - to record what I hear the Lord speaking to me through His word and to write out my thoughts. There is something about the act of writing things out that settles and defines them.

My blog is also a Journal of sorts. The things I post lately are things that I want to remember - things that have touched me in some way. Often they are just simple little things, but I have found it is easy to lose the memory when we have so many other things bombarding our minds on a daily basis. I especially want to record the things the Lord is showing me. I am setting down markers along the way so I don't forget those things. I want to remember the blessings and the joys and the simple pleasures He so graciously pours into my life. I want to remind myself of His faithfulness so that when life gets difficult, as it inevitably does, I will be encouraged by the things He has done for me in the past. I also want to remember the answers to prayer. So when I write, I am really writing to myself because I always think I will never forget and then I do.

I love words....they hold such potential for good. I want to use them wisely.

Blessings,