My dad died when I was 14. There were a lot of things my dad wasn’t here for. There were a lot of stories I never got to hear or that I don’t remember.
When we lose someone, we try to cling to every detail, every memory, and every story. But the brain doesn’t always work that way. Losing my dad was such a traumatic event that I don’t remember a lot of my childhood or my teen years. Sometimes, we let the everyday moments and conversations slip by because we forget how fragile this life is and how quickly it can change.
I would love to have notes, stories, thoughts, and feelings penned by my dad and many others I have lost and cared deeply for. Journaling can be that gift for future generations.
In this post, I will share ways journaling can be a legacy gift.
If you’re unsure where to start, grab these free journal prompts to walk you through the next 366 days.
Untold stories
There are so many stories I have scribbled throughout the pages of journals. The stories that I do want my kids to hear, but they are too young– they lack the maturity and understanding to share all the details now.
So many stories get lost in translation– like the telephone game– by the time the third generation has heard the story, I was actually a princess who wrote blogs on scrolls with a feather pen… maybe that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea. When we depend on our memory and the interpretation of the verbal word passed down, there is a chance that the truth will never be spoken again.
My solution… I am writing it all down. Well, maybe not all of it. But I hope that with my journals, my kids and their kids and their kids will learn my stories; they will learn who I was, my struggles, and how I loved Jesus. They won’t have to guess, but they will have my first-hand account to learn the stories that could be left untold.
History and background
There is such beauty in our lineage. My grandmother is from Germany. She didn’t know English when she moved here but learned it from Sesame Street. How remarkable is that history? If it were never passed down, I wouldn’t understand my roots and where I came from.
Writing about what is happening today will become the history and background and legacy that others can share. They will get an inside perspective of how you felt and what made you who you were. I love this idea. I love thinking about my kids reading my journals and rediscovering their heritage.
Or maybe there’s something you wouldn’t openly share with your kids while going through it. But someday, they will be old enough to learn what you went through and your history… your beautiful story will impact them.
Lessons learned
And the lessons! Gosh… this one… Imagine the lessons you could teach. Love, life, relationships, tragedy, struggles… The things I write today could help my kids in the future.
Maybe it’s the time I was going through the divorce, or the time I was struggling, or the time I hated my job, or when I loved my job… maybe it’s navigating being a single mom for years, or dating and remarrying… maybe it’s the blended family… maybe its the self-doubt in my ability to be a good mom… maybe it’s the miscarriages or the loss, or the financial struggles or perhaps its how I found joy even in the darkest seasons… maybe its how I clung to Jesus over every mountain and in every valley.
As time passes, we forget the sting of pain… we forget the joy of connection… we forget the worry of the uncertainty. But the pages will always contain authentic, raw emotions. They will never forget the hurt and tears, the joy and gratitude.
Some may think, “There is NO way I would want my kids to read my journals!” And right now, I agree! I wouldn’t want my teens inside my thoughts, but as they grow and begin to create their own lives and face their own struggles, what a beautiful gift to give them.
Maybe you’re just getting started, here is a blog that outlines a few sections of my morning pages journal.
