JOURNAL KEEPING
Journals are your own scriptures that you write for your descendants, just as the Bible or Book of Mormon is a record of the men who wrote those books in their time. We would know very little about the great prophets without their writings that have come down to us throughout the years. In fact, there are many missing writings by prophets mentioned in the scriptures that we no longer have written record extant.
If you want to keep a really meaningful journal, write with prayer and insight.
You say, "I'm no prophet, what the heck, my own kids may never read this stuff I'm writing, so should I still keep a journal?" Yes. There is a psychological benefit to keeping a journal. Well, maybe there are several benefits, the least of which is simply to watch your own thinking progress over the years.
SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT TO WRITE
I've read some journals by others that are simply a "what I did today" kind of listing and found that I really don't care that you ate for breakfast every day, etc. what I concluded from reading this type of journal was that the person who wrote them simply reflected their own personality... to me they were boring and not very creative. If I was their great great grandchild perhaps I would laugh at what they chose to eat or what new invention at the time had flopped since they wrote. I read a journal kept by a mid-wife in the early 1800's and found it fascinating, wanted more detail and was amazed at how sensitive she was to her client's needs and mourned with her over the deaths that she could not prevent.
Who are you writing for?
Some twenty years ago, I had an epiphany about journal writing after reading a book by Julia Cameron entitled, "The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity." This book was designed to 'unblock' writers, musicians and artists, so that they could get back into their creating works of art. Cameron presented the concept of Morning Pages.
Here is a description that I found about Morning Pages:
"Morning pages are three pages of writing (long hand) anything that comes to your head. Julia Cameron suggests that you make Morning Pages a practice that you keep every day while you are working through The Artist's Way, and hopefully, beyond. When I first read about Morning Pages, my first thoughts were...Everyday? 3 pages? Only by hand? She's GOT to be kidding! What will I write about?
The point to Morning Pages isn't to write incredible, novel-quality prose. The writing you do in your Morning Pages may not even be suitable for a letter to a friend! It's the little bits and pieces that run around in your head out of control. The words may not even piece together into full sentences. What you write doesn't have to make sense to any person on the face of the planet -- or even to yourself a few days later."
I began Morning Pages (these are definitely not journal entries) as part of this creativity process back in 1993, but they evolved into much, much more as I integrated what I learned into my concept of what a journal should be. I found that I had created a habit that was a really good one. I had set a regular time each day to to write so I kept it up. During this process I started each session in my journal with a prayer, and soon I discovered that even though I was a visual artist (college degree in painting and drawing) that I began to write beyond what were my capabilities at the time (so I thought.) I perceived this new ability as writing under inspiration or via the Holy Ghost. To this day, I marvel at some of the things I wrote. Let me say here that my every day entries are usually not inspirational. I've noticed, given the perspective of time, there are bursts of insight here and there but that's all.
Last year was particularly a good year for inspired writing and I credit that to my basing my goals on this verse for the year:
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| 2011 Journal Quote on Front Cover and Theme from Patriarchal Blessing |
Selecting a Format
For those who are beginning to write in a journal I have some suggestions about the format you choose. When I first began, I was seduced by the beautiful matching bound journals that I saw in the LDS bookstore. I bought four of them thinking that was a good start. WRONG. I was scared to write in them. One reason was the ink was sooooo permanent and pencil rubbed off onto the next page. Some years later, I even went back, embarrassed over something I'd written, that I used a razor blade to cut out those pages.
Another thing I discovered about myself was that I loved keeping a travel journal, so I would buy a cute little artsy journal to carry with me on a trip. The problem then was how to incorporate all these various size pages into a continuum of what was, "My Journal."
That is how I settled on the three ring binder/notebook format. I use the pockets front and back for clippings I collect that interest me, use plastic page protectors for other art and photos, AND it is of sufficient size so that I can write as long or as short an entry as I wish. I can start on a new page and keep an entry on it's own page or section, or I can continue dating entries day by day on the same page. I in fact use both of these in any given year. Since I use standard college ruled notepaper, a few pages are easily folded into quarters to accompany me on a trip. No longer do I have to repunch tiny pages to fit into my journal when I get home.
I absolutely love writing long hand, but if you dread the thought of writing long hand, use the computer. I know that I can type much faster than I can write. I can get more down typing. Store your journal pages on the computer but remember to back up regularly to a CD/DVD. This format can be fun because you can add photos and video clips.
As Latter-Day Saints we've been given some suggestions as to what we should include in our journals:
You and your travels
Love of Family
Interest in our Surroundings
Diligence in performing daily tasks
Faith during trials
Testimony
Understanding of the Gospel
Glimpses into the lives of others
Affairs of the Church
Brief history of your life, parentage, birth
When you were baptized and by whom
All of your official acts – callings
God’s dealing with you
Blessings given to you, written and preserved
Power and blessings of God made manifest in your preservation from danger
Fulfillment of prophesies and revelations of God
Our modern day prophets didn’t know they would be prophets, but they were obedient in keeping their journals. When a book about their lives was to be written, there was a rich source of materials for the biographer to draw upon. You might ask yourself, “What would you like to know about your ancestor’ lives? What does this suggest about what you could write in your own journal?
Begin your quest to know what the Lord expects of you in this life by reading and studying your patriarchal blessing and keep an eternal record by writing insights in your journal.
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