They called them diaries back in 'the day'.
1. I started my first one when I was in my teens but it was one of those tiny little books with scarcely enough room to write anything. All I entered was the scantiest info, like 'met Elbert Barton today' or a couple years later 'he proposed'.
2. It was not until 1999 when I read 'The Widow Down By The Brook' a well-documented diary written by a widow. It made me realize just how little I had revealed about my life in those 'tiny little diaries'.
3. I bought me some theme paper (college rule, of course) and set about documenting my life day by day. There soon came our move from Alabama to Virginia, my cancer scare, Elbert and my journey through his Alzheimers and finally my new life as a widow. I had become that widow "Down By The Brook".
4. I have scores of journals, mostly the back and white composition books that we used in school.
I find they are about the right size for a years worth of journaling. As I have needed, I have gone back to those older journals to recall certain events, find out info I had forgotten and relive those special times in my life. How I wish I'd kept more detailed journals before 1999. Oh well, we learn as we go along.
5. I wonder if my children will keep my journals after I am gone. Will they read them or will they be stored in a trunk or perhaps eventually tossed out. It doesn't matter. They have served a purpose for me and that's all that is important.
Linking with Willy Nilly Friday, Thankful Thursday and Little Things.
This is part of my Growing Old Gracefully series.
When I was in high school I had a class in Shorthand. So I started writing in my diary in shorthand. Now I can't read it! For most of my adult life, no diary and I wish I had kept one. Since I retired (Dec. 2010) I have wrote things down daily. I am diabetic, so I use it to keep track of my blood sugar numbers. And I write down what I eat each day in case the numbers are too high or too low. Doctor's appointments, lunch with friends, book club meetings, etc. are all written in my diary. And of course, a blog is a diary with pictures!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend!
I used to journal daily--and I poured out all my anxiety and fears and angst in those journals. A few years ago I went through my old ones and actually destroyed them because I did not want my children to read it and assume that I had a "sad" life....I wrote about things that I didn't want to talk about or share with anyone. It was freeing to me at the time I wrote it and freeing to me again when I "let it go".
ReplyDeleteNot sure if you are interested but-There is a "fix" on my blog that seems to be working for those No Reply comments if you want to check it out. It is working for several of us-comments are coming into our email accts again.
Have a great weekend- xo Diana
My hubby keeps a medical journal, I keep tabs on that, too.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a hard journal, though. I document with photos, really.
Interesting post, Latane!
I have never been one to write about my life other than the little bit I share on this blog. So the answer to your title question is no. As to whether your children will keep your journals, better ask them now.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know when you had started doing them...I wish I had been a better journal-writer over the years. I have lots of gaps! You have many that document so much, and I know we tend to forget things if we don't write about them...I have forgotten so much! Glad you have these!
ReplyDeleteI have never kept a journal or even a diary. I do keep photo albums and like you wonder about your journals, I wonder what will become of these albums at some future time.
ReplyDeletei always had a diary as a child and a few journals as an adult!
ReplyDeletei have always been a scrapbooker - those books tell a lot of stories!!!