From December 31 to January 1 is a just a flip of the calendar page from one day to the next. Nothing more. But there’s something about hanging a fresh, new calendar on the wall (pressing the forward button on your electronic calendar) — something about the number 1 — […]
As I prepare to gather with my family to celebrate the holidays, I feel immensely grateful for you, my readers and writing friends. Your comments and emails enrich my life in so many ways. And because you take the time to share your thoughts and experiences, I feel part of […]
My youngest son turned eighteen this week. Five days before his birthday, he left home, marking a significant turning point in both our lives—for him, the start of independence and life as an adult; for me, a sudden transition to “empty nester.” Now, I sometimes find myself standing still, looking […]
As we in the U.S. gather together with our families to celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday, our thoughts turn to all the ways life is good, the loving people who surround us, and all the things we have and have access to that we have perhaps taken for granted the rest […]
When you journal about the people in your life, do you take the time to describe their physical appearance and personality traits? Do you write down the gist of conversations? You might think it’s too time-consuming to record these kinds of details. Or, perhaps you feel you know the people […]
If you have stories you’d like others to read — whether family or a broader audience — why not use your journal as a place to polish your storytelling skills? After all, when you’re journaling about your life you are, in fact, recording stories. I remember once watching a skilled […]
When it’s time to write—whether you’re journaling or working on the next great American novel—do you procrastinate? Do you suddenly feel a burning need to fold laundry or phone that cousin you’ve been meaning to call? I confess, I’ve been procrastinating. It’s been two weeks since my last post, but […]
Anger is a negative emotion—that’s what we’ve been taught and what our culture believes. But is it true? Is anger “bad”? Years ago, in the midst of divorce, I came to the surprising realization that I had been angry for a very, very long time. Because I had considered anger […]
Our greatest desire, greater even than the desire for happiness, is that our lives mean something. This desire for meaning is the originating impulse of story. ~ Daniel Taylor, from introduction To tell me a story. I believe that the search for meaning is what drives writers to write, painters to […]
While researching my mother’s letters and journals for my upcoming memoir, A Mother Like Mine, I came upon the following entry, revealing one of the reasons for her incessant letter writing: Another fear had to do with my defective memory, fear of the darkness in the cave where my own […]
I was once married to a man who believed a father should rule his family with unbending authority, the role of authority is to provide security and safety, and the authority figure (the father) should be given respect, regardless of what he says or does. In contrast, I was raised […]
I’m having one of those times. You know—when it’s difficult to keep track of where you’ve been, where you’re going, and what you need to do next. And when I find myself here, in the middle of one of these times, I know that I’ve been letting my commitments rule […]
