JOURNALING HINTS, TIPS, AND PROMPTS (12.30.2014.)
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JOURNALING PROMPT: END OF YEAR JOURNALING
What has been the biggest surprise from this year?
What has been the biggest, most important, lesson learned this year?
What was your greatest weakness in 2014?
What was your greatest strength in 2014?
What were your ten greatest blessings in 2014?
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MY PERSONAL MORNING JOURNALING
Written December 29, 2014, Monday, 714 p.m.
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Need to get a few things out and down on the page so I can get to the substance and the heart of the matter. Once I get the extraneous stuff out that's weighing me and my mind down, it frees up heart and mind space so I can go deep and focus on the stuff of real meaning in my life.
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JOURNALING HINT AND TIP
What do you need to get on the page so you can get to the stuff of substance?
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MY TO DO LIST
Let me get this out of the way. MUST get haircut this week. My hair is driving me CrAzY.
Get Kara's medicine from vet.
DAV.
Moving checklist, create one.
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B and I have been fighting and suffering from the crud off and on for a week and a half. Ugh. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Sorry. Had to complain.
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I just got an idea for a writing prompt for blog. Wrote that. Now I'm back.
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Words?
I'm finding it difficult to find the words and focus my thoughts on something really important to me. I tried to find them yesterday at no avail. Sigh.
It's raining cats and dogs, by the way. 729 a.m.
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A JOURNALING HINT AND TIP: Yep. I am definitely all over the place. But, there's a lesson I learned long ago. Go with it. Write what you think is extraneous nonsense down on the page. Later, you will see a pattern or will have an AHA moment. It's when we get frustrated or don't capture the nonsensical we lose great opportunities for self-reflection, creativity, and insight. So, get it all down, no matter how odd or out of place. These moments are when our minds are trying to file something away or bring forth new thought.
Okay. Words. What about words? Sigh. Ahh, yes. I remember.
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Two days ago, my husband and I went to Historic Jamestowne.
Thank God it wasn't as painful as the last time we went.
I have never felt more at home than I felt there.
I felt this the first time we went there. Peace. Belonging. A homecoming.
The first few times it just didn't make sense.
Then, when I started to work on our family tree, and do some genealogy, then it made sense. A whole lot of sense. It was then I discovered I had family members come to Jamestowne in 1607.
MORE
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JOURNALING HINT AND TIP
Write MORE in a place you want to explore and write more about later. Then, focus on what comes to mind now.
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2014 brought the decision for B and I not to have children. We can't and we're older.
So, exploring my family tree is particularly painful. My rich family legacy (and tree) ends with me. The same goes for my husband. Ouch times two.
It is so rich with meaning I don't want it to be lost. But, who would care, besides me/us?
Hah! I figuratively slap my forehead and remember this: Stories matter.
Any questions? I ask myself and shake my head.
Stories matter.
Every story should be captured on the page.
My story is my family's story. This story is of the birth of the United States of America and is a Christian story. This story is your story, too.
My story is the true history of the United States.
My story is also how we made our way West.
Every story is sacred and that means this story is sacred, matters, has meaning, and has shaped who I am.
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Why was it painful to go to Jamestowne the last time we went? I knew we were moving and I had to start saying goodbye. To my home. To my origin story. To the origin story of the United States.
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Family Tree Journaling is also memoir.
This is what calls me and beckons.
Learn these stories.
Tell these stories.
Family and nation matters.
How all of these shape who I am and my life are important to explore.
Every story matters.
My Family Journaling will help me come alive and will help us learn the truth about history.
Every story is sacred.
My family story is a very unique one and should be told.
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MY JOURNALING FOCUSES FOR 2015
Written December 29, 2014, Monday, 817 a.m.
1 My RYP Journaling Stories
2 Journaling Stuff
3 Journaling Stuff for Christians and Blessings Journaling
4 Jamestowne 1607 Family Tree Journaling
5 Home DIY Journaling
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MY JOURNALING SCHEDULE 2015
Written December 29, 2014, Monday, 824 a.m.
1 My RYP Journaling Stories: Daily.
2 Journaling Stuff Daily.
3 Journaling Stuff for Christians and Blessings Journaling: Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
4 Jamestowne 1607 Family Tree Journaling: Tuesday, Thursday.
5 Home DIY Journaling: Tuesday, Thursday.
Unless I write more... These are at the very least.
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MY BOOK COVERS
I just wanted to explain.
My book covers are plain and are temporary. They are not the final product by any means. They are simply to help distinguish between books until I publish the books and have a real book cover.
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OH, DEAR
Written December 29, 2014, Monday 832 a.m.
I just realized I forgot to include Critter Journaling in my journaling schedule. But, then I realized I will naturally include it anyway in My RYP Journaling Stories.
Phew.
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MY BLESSINGS JOURNALING AND BLESSINGS COUNTED LIST (12.29.2014.)
1337 The pitter-patter of rain as it kisses the Windows.
1338 The sounds of beagle sleeping peacefully.
1339 The warmth of Zack Beagle as he snuggles against my left side as it sit, journal, and count my blessings on our sofa.
1340 My Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 8.9-inch, 1st version. It's what I use to do most of my journaling and writing. What a major blessing. It's just large enough it's a pleasure to use, but small enough to carry everywhere--and I do.
1341 Kara, our elderly, once feral, deaf, declawed, cancer cat hasn't really played many children, if at all, since we got her. Well, hubby and I sat on sofa two nights ago and we heard her playing with a ball in the hall! Then, when we went to bed, we still heard her. Yay! 1342. And, she played with the ball yesterday 1343 and this morning 1344. Talk about a way to make me smile.
1345 Also, Lady Kara is now roaming our first floor freely. She feels comfortable enough to do so. Hadn't until last week. 1346. She still won't go upstairs, but there is progress. She could, though, if she wanted. Yay! 1347. Also, we never lock her up in the study now. 1348. We used to so she and Sinan wouldn't fight. They may argue now, but she puts him in his place and he runs off. So, all is well. Yay! 1349.
1350 Clean sheets.
1351 Sleeping on clean sheets.
1352 Revelation 20.
1353 Psalm 145:5 TLB
1354 Snowmen
1355 Snowman coffee cup
1356 Warm shirt
1357 Favorite style, favorite color, warm shirt on a colder day
1358 Preparing for what is to come.
1359 Planning on home DIY stuff. Fixing up a home. Making it ours.
1360 Looking forward to owning my first house in fourteen years.
1361 Hubby and I owning our first house together and it will be our only house 1362.
1363 Looking forward to no longer paying rent.
1364 Going to Historic Jamestowne on Saturday.
1365 Kara is getting pudgy. The once malnourished cat is healthy. She is not fat. She is at a healthy weight. Finally. Took three and a half months, along with two types of medicine (thyroid and anti-nausea). (The medicines are a blessing. 1366 and 1367.) Too easy. She looks really good. 1368. Acts healthy. 1369. Would never guess she was elderly or had two types of cancer. 1370. Thank God.
1371 Today is a quiet day.
1372 Ran some errands.
1373 Starting to get a vision for the RYP Journaling blog and journaling hints and tips writing, the journaling resource.
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A JOURNALING PROMPT: IT'S YOUR TURN
Count your blessings for today.
Count your blessings for December.
Count your blessings for 2014.
Count your blessings for different things in the past.
Count your blessings for 2015.
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NEW YEAR JOURNALING PROMPTS
Written December 29, 2014, Monday, 142 p.m.
What do you hope happens in 2015?
What do you expect or want from your journaling in 2015?
What journaling do you want to do in 2015?
How many blessings per day do you want to count in 2015?
How much journaling do you want to do each day or each week in 2015?
What is your one word for 2015?
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