The Power of Journaling

I’ve been journaling for many years. I remember the magic of reading The Diary of Anne Frank when I was a girl and though she was quite young, her devotion to capturing all the daily interactions and routines of her own family and the others hidden away with her have been emotionally compelling for all these years. We come to understand and feel the horror and fear that they experienced because of Anne’s diaries.

Anne Frank was the catalyst for my own dairy keeping. I began, in earnest, writing as a young adult. Anne addressed her entries to “Kitty”, whereas I just wrote: “Dear Diary.” But before too long, I named my dairy and did as Anne did, addressing her by name. Now, however, I just scribble the date at the top of the page.

In those early years, my entries were infrequent. I was raising young children and alone time was comprised of showering and toileting. Even those activities were seldom private. At that time, my journal entries were comprised of keeping pediatrician notes, calorie counts, addresses and phone numbers and recipes.

It wasn’t until about 15 years ago that I began recording the real stuff of my life. At first, the “real stuff” was all about my love life after my divorce. Reading back is a tad embarrassing. Just think, after I pass, my kids will get a glimpse into a part of their mom’s life they never knew existed. Poor babies, hehe!

Today my journals are filled with everything about my life. You’ll still find an occasional recipe, body weight and grocery list. I take notes from the Sunday talk at my church and scribble out poems. I’m never without my journal. If life happens, which it does every moment, I’m recording it. The entire lot of my life, inside me and outside me, lands in my journal. My fears. My gratitudes. My dreams, hopes and desires find their way into my sacred book.

And what a valuable tool it is when I’m going through “stuff”. If I’m having a series of very difficult days, I may journal MANY, MANY times throughout the day. During those times, the book becomes my dearest friend as I process and try to get to the bottom of things. And Source frequently speaks to me through my journal.

“Back in the day”, my journal was just a black and white composition book like we used in school. Now we can buy something simple or something elegant. There is an entire industry around journals. I like to choose a very special one, something that speaks to me, usually something to do with nature. I generally do not pay much attention to the price because to me my journal is priceless. After all, I’ll be using it for months and carrying it around with me everywhere. I usually go through a journal every 3-4 months.

Currently, I’m learning how to make hand-constructed books with super cool paper. These will be journals for me and gifts for others. Maybe I’ll be able to sell a few.

If you don’t already journal about your life, your ups and downs, your joys and triumphs and everything in between, I encourage you to give this satisfying and valuable tool a try. Remember there are no rules about how frequently you should write, no spelling or grammar rules.

Just put pen to paper and let your heart speak.