Dear Journal...

Your house is burning down. Your family is safe and you now have 60 seconds to grab one thing. Do you know what you would run for? Think about it for a minute. Is it your ipod? Your cell phone? Your camera? Maybe its a scrapbook. Or an heirloom necklace from your grandmother. Is it the new jacket you just bought yesterday? Or the framed picture you had taken of your entire family last year? In this critical moment of your life, do you know what possession would be most essential to your continuing existence? I do. My journals. I'd definitely grab my journals.

In an article in the August 1996 Liahona magazine, Jeffrey S. McClellan said this:

"A journal isn’t just for people in the future; it also has value now, for you. Your journal can be one of your best friends. When there’s no one else you can talk to, you can tell it to your journal. Share with your journal all your joys, hopes, and successes. But also share with it your frustrations, problems, and failures. Writing about your problems can help you come up with solutions as you think through them. As you express your thoughts in writing, your journal can also help you make difficult decisions, get rid of anger, think clearly when you’re confused, and understand yourself better" (I strongly encourage you to read the entire article here, its amazing).

I am a dedicated journal keeper. At the close of each and every day I sit down with my journal, and it becomes my very best friend as I pour out the swirling thoughts and feelings from my day into words. While I don't ever actually begin with "dear journal..." that book knows me better than anyone else. It contains all my thoughts, feelings, emotions, experiences, desires, and goals. It knows my challenges, my trials and struggles. It knows my joy in times of accomplishment and confidence. It knows all there is to know about me. Its part of who I am.

I haven't always been this way. I remember growing up my mom would encourage me to write in a journal, and occasionally I would, usually on a sunday afternoon after church. But it always ended up being something silly that when I went back and read it i'd be embarrassed and i'd rip it out and throw it away so no one else could ever read it. How I regret doing that now! Who cares what boy I thought was cute and wanted to talk to?! I wish I still had those words I wrote as a little girl. As I hit my preteen years, I was pretty good about writing off and on about what was going on in my life. I would give an update at least a few times a month. This habit continued throughout my junior high and high school years. Then, I hit my senior year of high school and suddenly I was writing consistently every week. And then when I went to BYU I discovered I loved to write in my journal. It felt good to be able to record the happenings of my life. Then suddenly, I was writing every day. It became a solid habit, and I didn't feel like my day was complete until I had made an entry. Now, writing in my journal is my therapy. I almost can't even sleep at night until i've emptied my brain into it. Isn't that funny? Some entries are 4 lines, others are a good solid 8-10 pages. Sometimes its juicy, sometimes its a very dry run-through of what I did that day. Sometimes its about my family, sometimes its about my friends or the boys that make me smile and feel special.

Later in that same article by Brother McClellan, he said this:

"Often it is easier to write if you feel you are writing to someone. Choose an audience, and write as if you were talking to or writing a letter to that person. Your audience could be an imaginary friend, a real friend, your children or grandchildren, or a future historian. Write as you talk; be casual. Don’t worry about trying to impress anyone. Be yourself."

I write to the future me. I write to my future husband and children and grandchildren. I write to whoever's eyes may get to look at these pages someday. I write to whoever has gotten their hands on my life history, and I tell my story. Anyone who reads my journals will know me as I am right now. I hope they like what I have to say and maybe they can even learn something from it.

You want a quick tour? I'll give ya one :) So far, there are 6 of them.

Here's journal #1: July 2006 - August 2009

I like this one because for those 3 years I put EVERYTHING in here. Every handout from EFY, every concert ticket, birthday card, program, Mariner's ticket, baggage claim sticker, etc. I have to say, my favorite thing in there is the piece of the jeans that I ripped up the booty as I was getting on a horse at girl's camp. Thats an experience i'll definitely never forget! :)

Journal #2: January 2001 - April 2002 AND September 2009 - October 2010

Okay so this one is cool because I got it when I was baptized, wrote in it maybe 10 times, then it got put on a shelf. Until my senior year of high school started, and I found it again and decided to use it as the journal for my entire senior year. I like it because it contains the entry I wrote right after I was accepted to BYU.

This is what I put in it when I first got it as an 8-year-old. I now put my full name and date of birth on the inside cover of each one. I usually omit the smiley face though haha.

Journal #3: October 2010 - May 2011

This one I got from daddio one Christmas. Its filled with a lot of my "firsts" in life. It hold the entries from the entire freshman year of college. April 8, 2011: definitely the best one :D

Journal #4: May 2011 - December 2011

My summer at home after freshman year and the first half of sophomore year. I LOVE what this one says on the front. Its from 2 Nephi 4:15: And upon these I write the things of my soul. I like this one because it has the entry from the day I met my goal of getting into nursing school. The best accomplishment of my life thus far.

Journal #5: December 2011 - April 2012

Here's the one I just finished. Its quite the kicker of a journal. Its the fastest one i've ever filled before. It covers just 14 weeks.

Get this: the top half you see there covers 2.5 months, the bottom half covers 3.5 weeks. Crazy, right?

Journal #6: April 7, 2012 - ?

The newest addition! My new best friend! I am so excited!

Just look at how beautiful that is, a bunch of empty pages just screaming for me to fill them up. Its so fun. No one knows yet what this journal will contain. What will happen to me in the upcoming days, weeks, and months of my life that will be recorded forever? The possibilities are endless! 

So, have I inspired you to start a journal yet?! Do it. Just start. You don't have to do it every day, just commit to once a week. Or even once a month. The future you wants to know the you from right now. Just do it. I can guarantee you will not regret it.

And upon these I write the things of my soul. 

Nephi sure did get it right when he wrote that. 

Now excuse me, while I go write it my journal.