Do you keep a journal?

I am an intermittent journal keeper.  I go through periods where I write almost every day, and periods where I don’t write at all.

For a really long time.

I recently pulled out my journal after an almost 3 year hiatus.  The last day I journaled was August 15, 2012…just a week before Lucie was born.  I actually wrote about going to Mass later that day to celebrate the Assumption and I had just finished an Assumption Novena for “Peace regarding Lucie’s birth” and “Lucie’s godparents” (which had not been determined).   I wrote about my experience at that Mass on this blog, and the powerful way in which that first prayer was answered.  As for godparents, it must have been the prayers of that novena that led to the special relationship that I have developed with Lucie’s godmother since then.

And these were not the only gems I found when I read through my journal.

I also found a note from Siena’s godmother postmarked a year earlier than that, in August of 2011.  I was struggling to adjust to life in Utah and she sent me a quick note of encouragement that made me smile today when I read it.  I don’t keep every note that friends send me, but I do keep a lot of them and I tuck them away in places where they can surprise me later, when I’ve all but forgotten about them.

Here are some other tidbits from myself:

“I know what I want to change, but I also know enough to know that God may not change things the way I imagine them.”  September 26, 2010

On October 18, 2010 I lamented Kylee’s progress in potty training and copied the passage from Romans 5 that we used as a reading at Siena’s funeral.

“God give me the peace, patience, and grace for another Tuesday!”  October 26, 2010.  Tim’s first semester in grad school he was gone for over 12 hours each day and I was in a new place with questionable neighbors and a 4 month old, 2 year old, 4 year old, and 7 year old!

“I have a five year old again.  Caleb is such an old soul, in some ways five seems too young rather than too old.”  November 13, 2010

Later in November and December of 2010, I started writing about the early milestones in our conversion to the Catholic faith…I sounded like a giddy little school girl!

In 2011 I set a different prayer intention for each day of the week. What a good idea I had, I should refresh that plan!

February 10, 2011 I received a package in the mail from my friend Meredith filled with rosaries!  I wrote about snuggling with Caleb while we prayed the Glorious Mysteries.  “He was so sweet curled up in my lap with his fingers moving up and down the string.”

To offer to opposite of that in March of 2011 I wrote about working with Caleb to identify his “mad Caleb”.  I write, “Mad Caleb comes out most often when he has been doing the same thing for too long- avoid this situation for him whenever possible.”

April 9, 2011 listed the number one desire of my heart as to receive the Eucharist.  (It was almost 4 months until I finally did.)  I also made a note about continuing to pray for the Jones’ family (and for Logan to start sleeping better).

July 23, 2011 I received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time.  I commented that I wanted to make monthly confession a habit from the start and I can actually report that I have done a better job of that than I probably would have imagined at the time.

January 10, 2012 I accidentally labeled as 2010….apparently I thought the calendar turned back a year 🙂

August 10, 2012, “I found an almost perfect dragonfly on the ground today and I had to pick it up.  Our own St. Kenna is interceding for her baby sister.”

Even if you are not a journal keeping person, take a minute today and write down your prayer requests or an activity from today and leave it somewhere you will find it someday in the future.

Your future self thanks you.