Once upon a time there was a young girl who was whisked away to a land far away and she didn't find the time to get her blog post done ahead of time as she had planned. Now she is scrambling to put something together as her thoughts swirl around like the ocean waves in the picture above. 'Bad little blogger, shame on you!' she thought. But this gray-haired lady, who was only young at heart, realized the grace and mercy of the One for whom she wrote and the extended grace from those she wrote with, would cover this transgression, and she was grateful.
While thinking about the subject of journaling, I realized my thoughts had been very linear. I supposed a true journal was done daily, with discipline and was a bundle of random thoughts and feelings to be worked through or day to day activities, more like a diary. With this in mind, I thought I was a true failure. I would start and stop and was very tentative to write my inner most struggles for fear that upon my passing my family or friends would read the words meant only for my eyes and be hurt or take them the wrong way. I have burned and tossed pages that fit into this category.
But then I realized journaling comes in many forms and I am not doing so badly, though there is massive room for improvement. I do have a daily journal that I rarely miss writing in and this is my prayer journal. Every day, in addition to other prayers, I pray for 3 specific people and write those prayers down on paper. I have just started my 16th prayer journal, so I guess I am not doing as poorly as I thought. I don't keep them when they are full, but I have kept track of how many I have filled for my own knowledge.
When on a holiday, I always keep a written record of our day-to-day activities, knowing I will not retain all the details of the journey and will have to go back and take a look. It's kind of amazing how you forget the wonder of things experienced when you are back in the world of daily life. I think of the Israelites in the desert, guided by God every day, heading to the promised land, walking through the Red Sea on dry land, having escaped the tyranny they experienced in Egypt and then decide they want to go back. We are not unlike them in so many ways.
Pulling open file drawers, I found many notebooks and scraps of paper that could be collected and correlated into a journal. These little bits and bobs are my 'organized chaos journals.' They are closely linked to my 'fits and starts' journals that I write in one day and then not again for months. Then there are my 'restaurant napkin' journals. Thoughts that come when a notebook isn't available.
Beside my living room chair, I have a 5-year sentence journal that I love. Each day you write a few lines about the happenings of the day and on that same page are sentences for that day for previous years. It's helpful to look back. My husband keeps a similar journal for one year and we have often looked back in them to find out what occurred on various days of a given year.
When my husband and I have suffered some illness, it has been necessary to keep a journal of meds or drains or other things relating to recovery and often a record of our food and liquid intake. I don't like these journals so much, but they are super helpful to map recovery and to give accurate information to the health care team.
Upon reflection there are oodles of methods and forms for journals, and I guess I am doing ok with a few of them. Thanks for spending a few minutes to read about my journal journey. I have certainly enjoyed, and hope to continue to enjoy, reading about yours. God bless.
Hello Sharon! I normally check for a post early in the morning and don't come back to the blog, but I needed to look for something and voila!, here's your post. Thanks for writing and posting. Like you, I keep a detailed travel journey because it's the only way to remember all the things we did and saw. I started one during the early days of the pandemic, too, when all was unknown. Your journal journey is one that suits you perfectly, and that's the way it should be. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your encouraging comments, Lorrie. Blessings back to you.
DeleteSharon, your journal journey is quite the trip. :) Even if your " thoughts swirl around like the ocean waves," you write a good and thoughtful post for us. Swirl away, my friend! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks very much, Alan. I will keep swirling along.
DeleteThanks, Sharon, for your honesty in sharing your journaling experences. Your prayer journal is a valuable resource--I love the idea! I really related to your statement, "Pulling open file drawers, I found many notebooks and scraps of paper that could be collected and correlated into a journal." I, too, have written notes on scraps of paper, on restaurant serviettes, and in my "to do" lists. Orgnizing them into specific journals this winter has helped tremendously to keep my thoughts together.
ReplyDeleteThinking a little more organization would be an asset. Thanks for your inspiring words, Sandi!
DeleteWell, if you can create such a delightful post in that short space of time, I tip my hat off to you, Sharon. It was a most enjoyable read. I was drawn to your line: "Pulling open file drawers, I found many notebooks and scraps of paper that could be collected and correlated into a journal." That was me a long time ago, before I started journaling in earnest. And that was when I realized I needed/wanted all my bits and pieces collected into something more permanent and less easily lost. I have a post coming up later in the month so I'll share more about my own journaling experience then. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brenda, for your kind comments. I look forward to reading your post!
DeleteTwo of the journals you talk about have got my attention, Sharon. First, the prayer journal, "Everyday, in addition to other prayers, I pray for three specific people and write these prayers down on paper." I like the fact that you choose "three specific people". Often when I'm praying for others I have trouble focusing. I find my mind jumping around on too many people and I can't concentrate on each one the way I should. I think I should choose, as you do, a small number of people each day and pray specifically for them.
ReplyDeleteAnd then there's this journal, "A five year sentence journal that I love. Each day you write a few lines about the happenings of the day and on that same page are sentences for that day for previous years. It's helpful to look back." I like the idea of this one very much. How interesting it would be to read as the years go by.
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DeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts, Sandra. I used to be totally overwhelmed with a burden of prayer as there are so many needs. The Lord broke it down for me and it has been much better. He has many warriors and I don’t need to pray for the whole world, just those he puts on my heart.
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