Journaling

I've always been a journal-er. I think I got my first journal in the third grade. I've been hooked ever since them. Sometimes I go through spurts where I write a lot every single day (like this past semester, especially March & April) and other times I can barely sit still long enough to write. These past few days I've been attempting to clean out my room and get rid of somethings that I don't need or use anymore. When I was cleaning out my nightstand, I came across all of my old journals.

I've been skimming through some of them and it's pretty funny to read. My earlier journals include statements like, "I just relized that I play flute and piano & thats on the cover. Cool Anin't it?" and "OMG today @ rehersal I relized that I like one of my best guy friends!" It also includes detailed lists of what I got for Christmas and my birthday, and a play-by-play of what I did when I was at camp. As I got older, I began writing to God and actually analyzing what I was feeling and applying meaning to situations that were occurring in my life. It's funny reading some of the things that were such big deals in my life and barely remembering them. It's a real life reminder that not everything that seems like the end of the world will still effect us down the road.

I love journaling because on paper I am able to really figure things out and articulate how I feel and what I am thinking. I am best able to communicate with God on paper. I think in this loud, constantly moving world, it can be really, really hard to listen to ourselves and with God. That's another reason why I love to journal so much. It's a time for me to sit, quiet myself, and just listen to what I am feeling. I am able to reconnect with myself and with Jesus.

This summer, I want to journal more than I have the past two summers so I can continue to be self-aware and connected to God. I think that journaling will help me stay focused on what is real and true and important, and it will give me something beautiful to look back on how I grew this summer at camp.