I apoligize that my blog is so scattered and disjointed. I think of it as a playground for my mind, a personal sounding board. So why do I share it with the world? Beats me!! Maybe I just like the format, or the files are easier to find online. Or, hey, I probably like the personal notoriety!
But maybe there are parts of the blog my friends could benefit from. If someone chooses to comment I may learn something. So here’s the real theme of this post of July 3, 2020: I want to encourage YOU to try journaling. You may be amazed at how much you will learn about yourself, about how strong you are. You may see your faith grow. You may conquer boredom or lonliness.
Looking back at my journal entries from 2017, the year my friend Steve died, I see how illuminating, how healing they are, even three years out. The tears may return, but they are healing tears, bringing me back to God.
A new journal is an opportunity. The sight of that little book, pages all neatly bound with its cover a pleasing color, seems to invite me. Writing can be hard work, as a dear friend observed once, so sometimes it’s easy to put it off. You may prefer to tap out your thoughts on a laptop or even on your mobile device. But many folks like the smooth rhythm of words penned on fresh paper. I’ve even heard it said that longhand writing is good for the brain.
The journal is your space. You get to shake hands with your younger self and reflect. There is a lot of noise out there and it can be hard to focus, that’s certainly true for me. But when I do make the effort, I’m amazed at what I discover and how much peace I receive.
I journal just about every day. It is a place to confide my hopes, dreams and fears. I also use it to note prayer requests and am encouraged when I go back and see how many of my prayers for others have been answered.
It holds all my notes of gratitude, whether just a sighting of an unusual bird, or overwhelming gratitude for surviving a deer/car encounter.
It is therapeutic and cathartic; it is tears and joy; it is, as Susie said in her blog, a look at the me that I am at any particular point in time.
You have always encouraged me. Thanks dear friend!
Awhile back I rediscovered a diary I kept during my school days. I was almost afraid to read it for fear it would be embarrassing, but I’m glad I did. It recorded a surprising event I had totally forgotten. Some day I’ll get around to reading all of it.