NOLA STARs

With my apologies to Dennis, I am going to write about  journaling this week, instead of what's old/what's new. (It's late and my brain is taking the easy path.)

The "Dear Diary" days were my first attempt and I actually still have the scanty entries about my latest crushes. I was always disappointed at the end of the year that my life was not exciting enough to write about. "I had a fight with Mom today..." didn't do it.

When I reached adulthood, I wrote steno books of grocery lists, kid's needs, and my own thoughts. All lost, but the memories are still fresh.

My greatest friends were the journals I wrote when my first husband suddenly died. They were my lifeline, my written talks with God, my frustrations with teens I was trying to raise alone, and my middle-of-the-night pain. Those journals, I'm sure, kept my sanity.

When I was diagnosed with  breast cancer the first time,  that first night my mind circled with the what-abouts and-what ifs.  I finally threw the covers off, and walked through the dark house to my office in the basement. I typed out my confusion and outrage. Then I marched up to my bed, curled up around my warm husband and fell sound asleep.

Now my journal is a Gratitude Book, given to me at Christmas by a good friend. The idea is to write five blessings of the day - each day. My blessings turn out to be a list of what I accomplished during the day, and my thoughts and feelings about them, because each day presents new blessings. And I am grateful!