I have always written, but never considered it journaling.  This is probably because I didn’t have the journal itself to write in, with just a few exceptions.  Recently, I found a journal I wrote in while living in California. It was in the 80’s and telephone calls were expensive.  We usually talked to our parents once a week on the phone.  So, my mom and I wrote to each other, at least weekly, if not more.  That was almost like a journal.

But at one point, we came up with an idea and I actually began to write in a journal describing our daily lives to give to mom.  Now that my mom has passed, I found the journal I had given to her.  It was so amazing, looking back at our lives then when our children were young and all the activities we were involved in at the time.  There were so many things I had forgotten.  There were wonderful details that brought me back to those happy, busy times.  It made me tired just thinking of all the activities we were involved in at church, school and in the community.

I was flabbergasted by all of it.  I didn’t remember how much we would do in just one week.  It brought back so many lovely memories.  What a gift it was to read about our lives then.  Happy memories are such a wonderful gift!  And I put in so much detail that it was almost like watching a movie in my mind.  

The only other times I have written in a daily journal was when we were on trips to Europe. There were many experiences to remember and the hospitality of our relatives when we visited them.  I have sat and read them and enjoyed the trips all over again as if for the first time.

It has brought back memories that have allowed my mind to relive the wonderful times all over again.  Maybe I should buy a new journal to leave behind to the next generations of our families. Then they will know more about us through the memories of our past.  It will be a written legacy to share and pass on to the next generation.