Keeping Track of My Memories...
By twoey68
@twoey68 (13627)
United States
June 23, 2009 10:09am CST
Well, after years of not wanting to I’m finally keeping a journal. I actually kind of like it. I’ve always wanted to keep one but had always been taught not to write anything down that you don’t want everyone to know…so I just always kept things in my mind. As I’m getting older though I’m finding it harder to remember certain things and actually have forgotten whole years when I was young. This way maybe my memories will be there for me to read when I can’t simply recall them anymore.
I have a Thomas Kinkade journal that I’ve never used and decided to use that…the picture on the discussion is the actual journal I have and it has beautiful little stone path pictures in the bottom corner of each page. I just write about daily things, thoughts, ideas, worries, concerns and important events. I make sure to date it each time I write in it too.
I’m also thinking of getting two other journals…different kinds. In one I want to put all the things I remember from when I was a kid like working in my Dad’s garden, all the moves I made with my Mom and things like when my brothers were born…I’ll sort it all by year and then put it all in.
The other one I want to put family history things like my Grandma dancing in the Fox theater in Detroit and famous ppl in our family and past relatives who helped with the underground railroad…I think future generations would like to read it.
Do you keep a journal? Do you let anyone read it? What do you think of the idea of the other 2 diaries? What kind of journal do you keep?
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]
6 people like this
28 responses
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
23 Jun 09
I have started journals and then stopped writing in them. Some were even online, and open to the community of journal writers. I think that the journal you have described sounds very beautiful, it being Thomas Kinkade, and all. Lol, of course that isn't to say he's the only artist with beautiful pictures. In any case, your ideas of journals are very nice indeed, and I am sure you will enjoy remembering all of these things and writing them down for friends, family and future generations.
Have a wonderful day.
2 people like this
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
23 Jun 09
I do love Thomas Kinkade paintings and this one is really nice not to mention that I love lighthouses as well which this one has one too. I want to find a different type for each kind of journal though so they can be easily distinquished.
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]
2 people like this
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
23 Jun 09
Good Luck On Your Search, Hope you can find some! Not sure how much his journals are but I know that most of his items are pricey with the exception of night lights. Have a wonderful day.
@moondancer (7433)
• United States
23 Jun 09
I think that having a journal is a good thing. I keep one. I do not let anyone read them now. But I have them for the family for when I am gone. It might help them to understand me more and why I did or said some things I have. Maybe they will just know me a little more. Also hopefully they might learn something from my life and things I have dealt with.
I think it's good that you have journals for different things. Knowing about our family in whatever way we can is always good.
2 people like this
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
23 Jun 09
I think my reasons for keeping them are so that future generations can maybe learn from some of my mistakes and to help ease up my anxiety. I worry about EVERYTHING and lately when I get too worked up I get really bad chest pains. My Stepmother suggested the journal idea and it seems to be working out really well.
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]
2 people like this
@moondancer (7433)
• United States
23 Jun 09
I'm glad that it is helping you. I also write when I am upset or bothered by things and it helps a lot. It calms me down. I love to write maybe that is why it helps. Plus I get my fears, problems, and just general things down on paper. I'm surprised sometimes when I go back years and read what I wrote.
@jillmalitz (5131)
• United States
23 Jun 09
I don't really have one other than my blog which is about what I have going on now. I often think about writing something down for memories. What I really wish is that I had paid more attention or took notes of some of the things my grandparents and uncle and aunts told me about our families. A lot of those stories were very interesting, but I've forgotten most of the details and they are now all gone so I can't ask them. Good Idea to write your thoughts down.
1 person likes this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
23 Jun 09
What a wonderful discussion, yes...I do keep a journal, and all my thoughts, the events of the day are written down...AND since I started nearly 15 years ago, I know in my heart there is nothing that would embarass my son...and/or anyone that might make privy to them on my demise. I truly think we do not make enough legacies any more! Take care...and Cheers!
2 people like this
@irishmist (3814)
• United States
24 Jun 09
What a really great thing to do. I myself am not getting any younger and seeing as though I work in a retirement home have been trying to go over lots of things in my past, lol some things are fuzzy.
So perhaps it is time to do something like this. plus I think it would be a good thing for my family to read about how I thought and felt after I'm gone.
1 person likes this
@savypat (20216)
• United States
23 Jun 09
As a genealogist I can tell you what you are doing is so valuable, as the generations go by old stories are lost and with them family histories, a journal becomes a pure treasure. Make sure you add as many dates as you can, this helps when tracing people. Blessings
2 people like this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
24 Jun 09
my first book is about my life stories, the thing is once you start writing it doesn't come chronologically, you don't remember everything you did in 1964, you think of events as you remember them.
maybe you have a wonderful memory about apple picking, you write about it, that might have happened in 1983,
then you remember a story of a wonderful gift you received, it was locket, you write about the locket and low and behold you got that locket in 1964. With the locket there might be others stories, the locket was given to you by your grandmother, and you start writing about the memories you had about your grandmother,
you expand by memories not by dates.
@arkansos (545)
• India
23 Jun 09
I started a couple of times keeping journals, but I lost interest. generally interesting things didn't happen anymore and I stopped writing I kept a regular journal when I was once suffering from jaundice. It was in a school notebook. I still have it. That must have been 5 years back around
1 person likes this
@enola1692 (3323)
• United States
24 Jun 09
wow you had ppl in your family help with the underground railraod also I got notebooks when my daughters were born an tried to write in them every few days even though they think I am wasting my time at 16 an 14 I still smile when I I reread them an they smile to cause for each book I made sure I covered it with whatever they were into at the time like NYSNC , Care bears an of course sunflowers but you know i have a book that i write peoms an stories in but never one of just my thoughts an what i am thinkin that is a good idea I think I will start
@newzealtralian (3930)
• Australia
28 Jun 09
That is a great idea. I fully believe that if we have things that we don't want others to read, then we shouldn't write them down, but I also believe that someone shouldn't be reading someone else's things without permission first.
Diaries are great ways to keep on top of life's hustle and bustle and to justify what we are feeling etc. They can be great stress relife too.
I try to keep a journal, but finding time is often hard. I might have to start again though, as lately, I am more stressed than usual and finding it hard to keep my thoughts straight.
I already have several websites where I keep blogs, but I don't write a lot about the more negative things that are happening in my life. The last time I did, things got really out of hand, but a hand written one that only I get to read might help me a bit more.
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
23 Jun 09
I've been thinking of keeping a journal so that my boys will have something of me when I pass on. I'm 55 now and my boys are only 20 and 21 so I doubt if any grandchildren they give me will have a lot of time with me and a journal would probably be nice for them to have when they are older and I'm gone.
1 person likes this
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
24 Jun 09
Hi twoey68,
That is a good idea to write your journals as it would be a good reading for your children and your grandchildren to know all aboutyour family history and also about you too. I used to wite mine but once my brother found and read it all out to the rest of the faily and then ripped it all to pieces, since then I have stopped writing anything down, I know its sad but I just can't do it anymore. I am arried and have no children, its just me and my hubby and I know my hubby won't do things like that but I just won't do it again.
Tamara
@deejean06 (1952)
• United States
24 Jun 09
Hi twoey...I think it's a wonderful idea for you to keep journals. I'm currently trying to keep one for my son to remind him of all the wonderful things that happened to him when he wasn't old enough to remember. And you're right - you should begin one before you start to forget everything or pieces of things. I think it's great and I wish you the best!
@scififan43 (2434)
• United States
26 Jun 09
I realy do not keep a Journal or diary. However I have posted some things on a on-line journal on two social networking sites. I have not put anything on them in a while. one of which I have only jsut stated and the other I have not put anything into in awhile, I do not put anyting on there that I want to keep private.
@peedielyn (1207)
• United States
24 Jun 09
I have kept a journal for years, and that is separate from writing in it. My step-family was so good about destroying things I never wrote in them. I started re-doing all of it about 6 years ago and I love to go back and look at what I wrote all the time. I can almost feel the energy of emotions when I read what I have written. I mostly keep things like Monthly events or sum up a period of time since I last wrote in it. If something is significant enough to remember I will write it down. I also keep a kids diary. This is where I write down every conversation between me and the other parent. I also tape pictures in there, because you can never be too careful. It saves my mind when it decides to scatter.
@celticeagle (159058)
• Boise, Idaho
24 Jun 09
I so agree with all the reasons you have for starting a journal. I have had journals for many years. It helps me to remember how I felt and what exactly happened and why I reacted the way I did. I figure it could help me in writing certain types of scenes at some point. I wrote a journal for my daughter as she was growing up so would know things that transpired in her early life. I bet your family would love to have the one journal you said you wanted to start about your family and different events. Great idea.
@sweetbabyjane (1929)
• United States
24 Jun 09
I always kept a diary when I was young and I also have many notebooks full of my feelings and ramblings and complaining like young people do. I have them in a box in storage. One time I was going to shred them or burn them, but my daughter told me not to do that. I read back over some of them and I was ashamed of some of the things that I wrote, but I kept them anyway. I have thought of starting a notebook on my life from as far back as I can remember up until now. I have not done that yet. Sounds like you have a wonderful idea here and I hope you keep it up.
@Anora_Eldorath (6028)
• United States
24 Jun 09
Twoey-
I have a few journals. I keep a magical journal for records, a gripe journals to record the things that bug me, a gratitude journal, and a dream journal. No, I don't let anyone read them, they are for my own use and very private. For me, keeping seperate journals helps me stay focused, and find things that I'm looking for. I too date each time I write to help me know when things occured, etc.
I've found that by keeping these journals I've been able to see the synchronicities of life, as well as the growth in my life. And the gratitude journal has made my life much more rich then before I started keeping it. It reminds me daily that I have great abundance in my life.
Namaste-Anora
@cyrus123 (6363)
• United States
24 Jun 09
No, I don't keep a journal. I stay busy with so many other things. This sounds like a very good hobby. It might be something I might be interested in doing in the future. I used to try to keep a diary and while I normally don't give up on things so easily, I just never did keep it up. The Thomas Kinkade journal sounds very beautiful. You mentioned family history. I would like to do a genealogy on my family one of these days. I've been syaing that for a long time but the reason why I never have done it is because I know it takes a lot of time and like I said, I stay busy with so many other things. Kathy.
