The Importance of Keeping a Personal Journal

     I am a big journal writer. I admit I'm not perfect at being super consistent sometimes, but journaling is something dear to my heart because it blesses me and my family so much!
    President Henry B. Eyring said in one of his talks, "As I would cast my eyes over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day." This quote is so true! Just taking a few moments to reflect on your day can really open your eyes to the small tender mercies of the Lord.
     Back in January, I was walking home alone from school in the pouring rain. When I was almost home, I stopped at the corner and decided I had two options. A.) I could just keep going straight and get home out of the rain or B.) I could take my normal rout and stop at Grandma's to see how she was doing. After thinking about it for a minute, I felt that I needed to go with option B. As I walked up the street to her house, I kind of thought to myself that maybe it was the Holy Ghost telling me I needed to go see her. Once I got there, I asked her how she was doing. She told me that she had a pain deep in her leg and debated about driving to the Instacare but she didn't want to drive alone in the sloshy wet snow. I then offered to go with her. Within a few minutes we were on our way. The doctor did some tests then told her she needed to go to the ER. At the ER, we found out she had a blood clot in her leg. It wasn't until I was writing this in my journal that I realized that it was in fact the Holy Ghost prompting me to go to Grandma's. I am so thankful that I was able to realize this and learn more about how the Holy Ghost speaks to me personally and how oftentimes God works through others to help us.

     My Grandma is a genealogist and is constantly telling me names of my ancestors who I know nothing about. I know they are people, but to me, the names of people in FamilyTree are just names until I know their story. Once I know their story, I feel like I really know them. When you're in Heaven someday, do you want your descendants to know you as just a name on a screen or do you want them to know you for who you are and what you've done? I've started reading the journals of some of my ancestors and I am starting to really love them even though I never knew them in person! Their personalities are also captured in their writings. Reading one of my great-great-grandpa's journal's I've found out he's a pretty tough and funny guy! Reading my 5th-great-grandmother's journal, I've learned about the struggles she faced, the sacrifices she made and the hope she had for her children by coming to America. Spencer W. Kimball also said, "How happy we are as we find our grandparents' journals and follow them through their trials and joys and gain for our own lives much from the experiences and faith of our ancestors."
     Writing in your own journal and reading your ancestors' journals can also help you to be more grateful. My 2nd-great-grandpa wrote about having to walk 3 miles barefoot in the middle of winter to school. It was so cold they'd have to build a fire a few times along the way to warm up their feet a bit before continuing on. He also talked about him and his wife getting out their tonsils on the same day; they were wide awake for the procedure and didn't have pain medications. Each story makes me so much more grateful for how much my life is blessed because of advanced technology and medicine and even the sacrifices they made which have helped us today.    
     Keeping a journal can also make us happier. I wrote in one of my entries a while back that I don't like being a negative person. My journal is a place where I can just vent and let out all my emotions, and then go out and be a happier, more-positive person. This blesses me and my family because I'm happier and therefore they are happier because they aren't suffering from my anger. I realize over the periods of time where I haven't written in a while, I feel way more stressed and ornery than I do when I am more consistent. Some of my siblings went to see a therapist because of depression and anger issues and he gave them a composition notebook and told them each to keep a journal and it has helped them to be kinder and happier when they do write.
     I found a cute quote on Pinterest by Benjamin Franklin that says, "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." I absolutely love this quote. I feel I live by this in a way even though I only found it the other day. I want to have an intriguing story that my kids and grand-kids will someday really want to read. Also, I want something to write about. I don't want my entries to just be, 'Oh, today I slept in then watched SpongeBob all day while eating goldfish.' That's why I try to live my life fuller now and go on more adventures.
     If you don't keep a journal, I would highly recommend you do. It will bless you and your family in so many different ways. So, get out there and start journaling! I promise, you won't regret it.