Journals

Without a diary, your travels will be "no better than a flight of birds through the air" leaving no trace. These were John Adams' words to his grandsons as they left for London to be with their parents after living with him for six years.

I am sure John Adams would have been a lot more sympathetic to my journal writing habits than my family and friends are :). Reactions to my journal hobby range from "I don't know how you ever get the time" to "You are going to have to be careful what you do with those when you die." One of the few positive comments I have received was "You are so good, I wish I could be like you". I am not sure why writing a diary qualifies me as being "good", but there you go!

I enjoyed reading snippets from Susan's early journals. I have only been keeping a journal with any regularity since late 2002, but I have 14 books so far. Each ranges is about 100 - 200 pages. I don't write every day, or any specified amount. Every book is undated, so I write in the date whenever I want to write. I have written less since I got this blog. I rarely spend more than 10 minutes a day on my journal.

I do sometimes wonder what I will do with all these books. I don't write them to be read, yet I wonder if they will be read someday. As far as I know, no one else in my family keeps a diary. Therefore, if anyone does ever read my diary I will be the only one giving representations of them. Due to this, I try not to write much about their shortcomings. However, I am sure that what I really think still comes out. I wish some of them would choose to represent things from their perspective, so mine would not be the only representation. I am aware that what is written down is often what is remembered and recounted, whether or not it is correct.

One of the greatest blessings of keeping a journal, in my experience, is how clearly I can see God working in my life. Over time, I can see how prayers have been answered, I cope better with what God has given me, and other providential works of God. Without my diary, I would forget most of these things. I hope that if anyone does ever read my journals, God's providential hand is what they will see.

Do any of you keep a journal presently, or have you done so in the past? If not, what are your thoughts on it? Waste of time? Wonderful? Come on, be honest!