 From the day my children were
born, I have kept a journal for each of them. I
sometimes write, weekly but mostly bi-weekly. I
record their everyday doings, achievements, gifts
received, funny sayings, milestones etc. It has been
important for me to do this and I had no idea how
important, until now as they have started to get
older.
When my daughter, Rachel, was
feeling particularly unloved one day, I found her
reading letters of love I had written to her in her
journal. I learned to humble myself quickly, she was
also receiving validation in a way that I had
intended.
Every mother dreads that she won't
be around to raise her children, having children
suddenly ends the immortal phase of our lives, the
journals have been a great source of comfort. The
journals have also turned out to be valuable
records. When Johanna, my 12 year old, was six
months old my father had to return to South Africa
and he wrote a letter in her Journal, beautiful and
heart-breaking words to his first grand-child about
his sadness at having to leave her. I was
scrap-booking this last week and found the photo's
of the day he left, I needed the date and racked my
brains, I ran and got Hanna's journal and ended up
copying the letter to finish the page. Right on it
was the date, he flew out.
A few weeks before my due date,
Jim and I always go on a date to find a journal for
the new baby. We get fabric-covered journals and I
have to find the perfect cover for the baby, whose
personality I have tried hard to figure out.
Joseph's favorite color is red, his journal is
covered in s geometric design, mostly red, Miriam's
favorite color is yellow and her journal is covered
in Sunflowers, and so it goes.
I put the journal in my hospital
bag and write as soon after the baby is born as I
can. The first entry is always a letter to my baby,
about his or her name, birth, how we feel and so on.
I also glue into the front a photo taken of them and
me right after birth.
We forget so much over time,
memories fade and the feelings with them, but
getting out a journal and rereading revives those
feelings and reminds us about our commitments. One
of the most wonderful things for me to see is one of
my children reading from their journals, or asking
for me to read from them about some special time.
It is never to late to start one
and continue one. Johanna is 12 and I still write in
her journal, she has one that she keeps of her own,
they get them when they're eight, but I keep writing
because my perspective of their lives might be
important one day.
Contributed By www.loveathome.com
By Bernadine Sevy |
