I don't normally blog on the weekends, but it's April so Saturday blogging it is...
Day 10-J is for Journals
Did you keep a diary when you were a child? What about now? Do you journal? Have a blog?
I use my blog as a form of journaling, although I think all bloggers would agree not everything in your life is meant to be shared in a public forum. Hard as it is to believe there are many things going on in my life and in my head that don't make it on to the blog.
I do love this space though, and I love blogging. I love the connections I've made with people through my blog, the things I've learned, and the encouragement I've received. But I also have a journal.
Actually I have a whole stack of journals dating back to my earliest days of motherhood. I grabbed three off the pile and snapped a photo but there's more where they came from.
I don't write in a journal every day, and sometimes it's just a sentence or two, something I read that stayed with me, notes on a sermon or bible study I'm doing, maybe venting about something that I need to vent about but don't want to actually vent in person, and a lot of swirling thoughts and observations about life are all recorded on these pages.
There's a quote (attributed I think to Flannery O'Connor) that says something along the lines of, 'I don't know what I think until I read what I write', and that feels very true for me. Journaling helps me make sense of things that don't always make sense. I especially love reading back years later on what I've written, and seeing how something played out, or if I still feel the same way now as I did then.
I keep my journals, but do I keep them forever? I can't imagine throwing one away, but do I want my girls reading them someday? I'm honestly not sure. Would I want to read my mother's journals? I'd definitely be curious, but there's something about the idea that feels like invading her privacy on a pretty grand scale too.
So what say you? Would you pass them on to your children's children or burn them in the backyard firepit?
I have kept many personal journals throughout my life and have saved… none. My main reason for dumping them is as you noted: I wouldn’t want my daughters to see them. Nowadays, I use my blog for journaling and am careful what I share since I am not anonymous. Not everything has to be said directly, though I do agree with the quote…
ReplyDeleteI had a diary in my tween years and it is long gone. My blog is as close to having a journal as I get - and I don't put everything in my blog (even though sometimes is seems like TMI). My Bible has highlights and notes in the margins, but that isn't really journaling. Most of my books are Kindle books, but actual paper books will also have scribbles and highlights. It's what I do. If I found journals my mom wrote, I would probably read them - and then would wish I could talk with her about it. You know your girls. Ask them! xo
ReplyDeleteThere were some events in life I journaled that after the fact would not have been prudent to keep. :) Those were meant for the burn pile. Other learning experiences might be of benefit. No journals should be dropped off at Goodwill. Burn them instead, I say! :) Happy weekend to you.
ReplyDeleteI journal most days. I have destroyed some of my journals at times. Yes, they are very private, even though I often don't really write down EXACTLY how I am feeling about a matter. In recent years, my journals have included printed articles that apply to whatever I'm facing at the time (troublesome things). They are a strong indication of my desire to work through issues. But I'm not sure I want people to see all of that after I'm gone.
ReplyDeleteMy two cents...take a black sharpie to any entries that should not be read by anyone, then put the old journals in a box with a note that only your great granchildren can read them. The history that they find will be amazing to them, without any personal emotional involvement. I have read my grandfather's diaries...which were pretty much just a record of daily life (think 'shucked a wagonload of corn today') and it is amazing to see how life has changed.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking along similar lines...save them, but redacted : )
DeleteI started writing in a diary each day around I think 30yrs ago now it is a habit
ReplyDeleteI love the ladybug journal. I used to write but I don't anymore. That's an interesting quote.
ReplyDeleteI write in a journal every day.
ReplyDelete