Word of the Month...

April's word of the month is JOURNALS, after reading this article in the April Ensign I really wanted to work on doing a better job of writing in my journal. A few things that really touched me in the article were these quotes:

President Spencer W. Kimball’s admonition to “begin today and write … your goings and your comings, your deeper thoughts, your achievements, and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. We hope you will do this, … for this is what the Lord has commanded, and those who keep a personal journal are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives.”

I think sometimes I didn't write in my journal because I felt I had nothing to say, but after reading this I knew that even if I just wrote about what the little things, if I went somewhere or did something that it would matter. Also Pres. Kimball said that those that keep a journal are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives and I know that's true because I can't write in my journal without mentioning something that the Lord has done for me.

I discovered a therapeutic means to resolve emotional, social, and spiritual issues I face. As I record thoughts on the pages of my journal, I have learned to quickly get to the heart of the matter when something disturbs me. I am also able to retain the lessons of life easier without having to repeat mistakes of the past.

I have improved my writing skills. I have never taken a writing course, but I have become a better writer simply because I practice writing each day.

I have also experienced the therapeutic outlet of a journal, if I don't write it down I just go over and over it in my head, also I don't like my handwriting (or think I am a good writer) so I know that if I write in my journal everyday it will help me with my handwriting (and writing) skills.

I have discovered that many of my righteous desires are eventually fulfilled. Many times I have recorded righteous aspirations, and years later I have found that those desires have been granted. This form of importuning the Lord has been so dramatic to me that now, much of what I write is simply an expression of the righteous desires I have for my life and my family. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7). This scripture brings new understanding to me as I humbly ask the Lord for my wants and needs on the pages of my journal.

This is something that is true, you can look back and see how righteous desires are fulfilled and miracles occurred, I want to continue to see this and therefore need to continue to write in my journal.

I have created a form of personal scripture by recording the inspiration and revelations I have received. I’ve come to realize the truth in the words of Elder John H. Groberg, a former member of the Quorum of the Seventy: “There is something eternal in the very nature of writing, as is so graphically illustrated by the scriptures themselves. In a very real sense, our properly written histories are a very important part of our family scripture and become a great source of spiritual strength to us and to our posterity.” Occasionally I return to my journal to reflect on former thoughts and am filled with the Spirit as I read previous spiritual promptings.

I always thought, why keep a journal when I am not going to 1) have posterity and 2)I don't want them to read what I write anyways! But recently I have wanted to leave something, I know I won't have great grandchildren to read my journal but I will have a spouse and family and I want to make sure they know and see the hand of the Lord in my life and also all the love and support that they showed me.

So I know have a goal to do better at writing in my journal even if it's just to write down the little things my husband does for me each day because then when he looks back and reads it he will see just how much he really did for me, and I also hope that I can leave my testimony so my family can read it and be strengthened by it.