My son and I ordered a very nice journal for him this afternoon with some money he earned working with his dad. This particular journal is made by a company called Moleskine. I had never heard of them, but my boy had and was on fire to have one. Apparently, these journals were used by some very famous people (i.e. Hemingway, VanGogh). They are a bit pricey for doodle paper, so I resisted allowing him to spend his money at first. He made the argument that these journals are built to withstand a lot of abuse and can last a lifetime. He wants a place to put his thoughts where he can revisit them from time to time when he is older. As a mom who loves to write and loves to see her children express themselves in positive, creative ways, I relented. As a matter of fact, I ordered a journal for myself. If you have not yet taken the time to keep a journal, I'd love to convince you of its value.

Writing in a journal is like having a loving friend who is ready to listen whenever you want to share your thoughts. I have written in my journal in the grocery store check-out line and I've written in it at 3am. Try that with your husband...no matter HOW great he is!

Writing is a way to work through frustrations without causing any unnecessary upset with the people you love. Although I would never write anything that would cause me or anyone else embarrassment, I would rather work out some of my personal angst privately before I attempt having a mature conversation. I can't be the only woman who sometimes wants to rant about the injustice of her situation before she can be rational about seeking out a solution to the problem. When my situation is complicated by the actions of someone else, I would rather make my peace with my hurt feelings before I unload them on someone. That would be counterproductive.

Writing stimulates creativity. Sometimes when I can't sleep, I'll come up with a silly sentence and write it in my journal. If I let myself relax, I can often elaborate on that sentence for a few paragraphs. It clears my mind and often I can go back to sleep after writing for a few minutes.

You are your best historian. I have two baby books, one for each child. The firstborn's book has a few items in it, but my poor second born's book is pathetically blank. The idea of digging out that book everytime something happened was more than this mom could bear. I did, however, chronicle many milestones in my journals. Even better, I wrote down some of the funniest things that happened to us during those baby days! When I look at my journals from that time, I am reminded of events I had forgotten and enjoy reliving them all over again. I would have never written about such minute things in a baby book. For example, when my son was three he ran in the house one day breathless and completely lit up and told me, "Mommy! I just raced the wind....and I WON!" Or the day my daughter, at 4 years old, took her turn on stage after the other children sang songs like "I'm a Little Teapot." At the top of her lungs and with all the "hand commotions" (That's what she called them. Isn't that precious?!) she belted out, "OOOOOOKlahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain!" She sang the whole song to a crowd of confused kids and slack-jawed moms. What a hoot!

I am so glad I wrote those moments down in my journal.

My journaling has changed somewhat over the years. Now I write more about my desire to honor God with my life and what that should look like. I write down scriptures that bless me and explain how they bless me at that moment. I chronicle favorite quotes. I share my concerns about my children as they grow up and grapple with the reality that they will not always be living with me. Sometimes I write about my job and how I could do things better or question whether I am doing too much. Most of it seems mundane right now, but I have a feeling these, too, will be memories I treasure one day.

It is amazing to me how precious the smallest moments become when they are remembered through a journal. Each sentence is like a gift I give to myself. Give yourself that gift. You'll be glad you did.

I wrote this for my old blog last year.  I was surprised to see that I received fresh comments on it this morning and thought it was a timely topic for discussion here at Mychurch.  I pulled it from my archives to share here.  Sorry about the bold print.  I can't seem to change it.  I hope you can see past the forceful lettering to the essence of this entry. Thanks.