A Thankful Journal

I don't have any pictures. I don't even have anything super new to say. But I felt like it was time for another blog post, so here goes...

I've been trying to keep up in my journal lately. My mom started a journal for me as soon as she found out she was pregnant. She updated it until I was old enough to help. At first I just drew pictures and she wrote captions. Then I started writing a few words. Then it was up to me to do it all by myself. She always encouraged me to write in my journal and even put it on my list of things to do each day. Somehow I still got really behind, but she'd always help me catch up.

Once I moved away from home, Mom wasn't there to encourage me to write in my journal every day, or even every week. For the first three or so months of college, I didn't write a word. Which makes me really sad because so much happened that I wish I had documented. I did try to go back and fill in blanks but...it's not the same. I realized then that I had to keep it up to date, or I would forget things.

Of course, that is easier said than done. My journal tends to have about two weeks worth of every day writing, then it starts to go every week or two with just one entry...and before you know it, I haven't written for months. Does anyone else have this problem???

It really is worth it for me to write in my journal regularly. I love going back over old journal entries, remembering things I'd forgotten about, laughing over things I thought, maybe shaking my head when I get to weeks worth of entries about some silly boy...

In a sense, I think my blog was my journal for a while. But there's one thing my journal has that my blog doesn't...a thankful list.

At the end of each journal entry I write a few things that I am thankful for that day. It's a good way for me to remember all the blessings and tender mercies in my life. Some days it's hard to think of more than one or two things I'm grateful for without being repetitive (9 times out of 10 Tyler is on that list), and other days I have a dozen or so things I could list. It's a good exercise for me though. Because, honestly, even on the most frustrating, horrible, depressing, overwhelming days...God is watching out for me and sending little blessings. And I'd be very ungrateful if I didn't recognize those and show gratitude.