One of my favorite ways to end the day is to take a few minutes to write in my journal. Writing in my journal gives me an opportunity to reflect, to recognize things I am grateful for, and also to vent about frustrations or difficulties that I may be experiencing (such as collapsed lungs, stress at work, or having to watch Jar Jar Binks in Episode I).
When I write, I like to pretend that my future grandchildren will someday be reading my journal (let's call them Luke and Leia Dalton). Keeping them in mind helps me write with purpose, knowing that someday they may gain insight from my life that they can use in their own.
President Spencer W. Kimball encouraged the youth of the Church to write in their journals for this very reason. He said, "We urge our young people to begin today to write and keep records of all the important things in their own lives and also the lives of their antecedents in the event that their parents should fail to record all the important incidents in their own lives. Your own private journal should record the way you face up to challenges that beset you. Do not suppose life changes so much that your experiences will not be interesting to your posterity" (New Era Magazine, 1975).
In my primary class I encourage the kids to write in the journal every night, even if it is just a few sentences. I promise them that when they are an adult someday, they will get a kick out of reading their journal entries as a kid. With that in mind and in an effort to encourage you to write in your own journals, I would like to share a few of the journal entries from my past. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
#1: August 11, 1991: My very first journal entry
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| Guns, "purls", and baptisms all in one day! |
#2: Some other day in 1991: Only journal entry I have ever written with orange crayon
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| Playing ninja is always better with friends. |
#3: July 12, 1995: Super Nintendo, NBA Lockout, and Book of Mormon
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| It's scary that a journal entry from 1995 is quite similar to one that I wrote last week (I guess some things never change). |
#4: January 12, 1999: Teenage testimony of Jesus Christ
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| I feel the same way about Him now. I can never thank Him enough. |
#5: September 11, 2001: Saddest day in American history
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| Never forget. |
#6: November 6, 2011: www.mormonwookiee.com
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| Looking forward to many years to come. |
