I have been a journal writer since I was about eight years old. The content and style has changed over the years, but I have always loved putting my thoughts to paper. One of my favorite things about journal writing though, is when I can review what I have written in the past (and some of it is hilarious)! If I hadn’t written it down, I would’ve never remembered what my 10-year-old self did or thought.
This summer, I had the chance to re-read some of my early
childhood journals with a sibling I was never that close to—because of the
nature of the journals, I was comfortable having someone else reading them with
me—as we read them together, I was able to retrieve memories, and then explain
the situations and my experiences to my sibling. It was a great bonding time
for both of us. Once we finished one, we had to move on to the next one because
we had such a great time together.
Journal writing helps me reflect on my growth from year to
year, sometimes day to day. There are times when putting my thoughts on paper
helps me think through hard situations until I come up with a solution. I have
grown closer to Christ through journal writing as I reflect on various aspects
of my life.
That's so great that keeping a journal all those years has not only helped you grow closer to Christ but also given you something special to share with your sibling! It's amazing how shared experiences can help relationships so much--and because of journals, we can preserve and remember those kinds of experiences.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your post on a personal level, because my wife does a similar exercise where she reads to me what she just penned in her journal, even though the authorial intent was strictly private. Sharing personal moments with others combined with writing it down for remembrance has a different effect than just recanting a story.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy reading my childhood journals. It helps me see how progression works. We live and we learn through the experiences that we live. It is amazing how the Lord works with us to become something we hadn't even imagined before. When we were younger we'd say things like, "when I grow up I want to be a doctor." We have an idea, but we really didn't know.
ReplyDelete