Tryst Journal & Other Journals
I first heard the idea of a Garden Tryst from Marcia of TOG. I'd insert a link but they aren't working for me today. Marcia is not the first to have talked about having a personal quiet time with the Lord each day....I just loved the whole concept of a "garden tryst". Actually I'm doing a few word studies and spring boarding for a talk at a tea......but I digress.
Lampstand Press (again link won't work) sells forms that Marcia has developed. I thought of buying them but....I have THIS.....originally I called it a prayer journal; but it's really so much more than that.
I realized that while my prayer journal uses different titles it still does have sections for ACT (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving). It also has sections for prayers, sermon notes, reminders, Bible reading notes, Proverb's notes....and it is very versatile....I can just add another sheet of notepaper if I use up a form, and I don't have to print anything. I'm a chart-a-holic so I may yet order the garden tryst forms....but for now this little journal is working well for me....and I've taken to calling it my tryst journal.
One Sunday I left my previous journal at chapel. I quickly realized that I don't really want all my thoughts in a notebook that is carried everywhere. ::snort:: This little Tryst Journal/Prayer Journal has all the portable info in one spot and leaves my most private thoughts at home.
Previously, I had a journal that had EVERYTHING in it, in no orderly fashion. It housed my personal thoughts, whatever I'd been reading in the Bible, prayers, sermon notes, food journal, to do lists....all jumbled together in a bound journal. It wasn't very practical , but I do sort of miss the creative chaos. I'm still working to find a system that works well for me.
I've always wanted to journal but never pulled it off until I began blogging a few years ago. That seemed to develop the habit needed. Now I have multiple journals.
Blog - daily life, a bit of everything, homeschooling, studies etc
Tryst Notebook - all I mentioned above
These two - One for my personal thoughts that I don't want to blog or put in the Tryst notebook and one for my notes on the illusive Princess Study
I also have my "LIFE Notebook" which has sections for each co-op I run, all the directories I collect, a food journal, an exercise journal, a calendar (which I rarely look at), a section for local ads, a pocket folder with address labels and stamps and a section for a printed address book but I keep losing my computer address book before I figure out how to print it from Outlook...a bit of everything.
I don't know if I like this system. I miss being able to thumb through my "journal" and find it all....but I suppose that is the problem....it WAS hard to FIND IT ALL without any organization but date. What do you all do for journaling?
As an aside Trish created and sent my Tryst Journal to me. She has detailed instructions here on how to make your own and if you are intersted in her making one for you, you can drop her an email from her blog.
For more of my WFMW posts click here . To view hundreds of this week's tips from others go here. I'm posting this late in the day. I decided to go for "last" instead of "first" link. ::snort::
*Updated - Kathy asks how often I write in each journal in the comment section. Good question. LOL
Blog - nearly every day (it's for my family far away)
Tryst Journal - nearly every day - though not all sections every day....
Personal Journal - when I have something to work through that I'm not ready to share on the blog .....
Princess Study - whenever I get an idea for that study. LOL
4 comments:
De'Etta - you neglected to mention WHEN you journal. Do you write in each of those places each day? Is it a "when the mood strikes" sort of thing? I know you try to blog nearly daily for your family. Have you ever done specific/separate journals for the children?
Random side note: I need to ask you some pointers for connecting with growing teenage sons some time. My fourteen year old is quiet. I love how you are so purposeful with your mother/children relationships.
Good point Kathy - I will update the post. LOL
How do you later FIND things? I'm very visual. I can remember where on a piece of paper I might have written something--but I'd never find the paper again.
Lots of people take lengthy sermon notes. I scribble oh-so-briefly in my Bible margin. I'd never be organized enough to find separate notes again. (Which leads to a whole 'nother topic, why I use my 365 Bible in church--because I want everything in ONE place! Then I feel silly because I can't always find NT verses quickly. [eyes rolling])
I also keep a lot of stuff on my computer, forwarding PRs, emails or posts, sending myself notes, and then organizing them into folders. Although I often forget that I've saved many things, at least I know I might have a chance of seeing them again if I'm looking.
The more I type here, the more pathetic I feel, lol!
You also have ONE more, don't you? You used to have a more personal journal that you cut/paste things from to the blog. Things you want your family to have later, but don't want to share in such great detail on the loop is how I remember you describing it... I'm still thinking about doing that, but haven't gotten around to it yet. It sure would be easy to journal a summary for the blog (like an opening paragraph so to speak) and then journal more for the rest of the family.... anyway... I'm doing good to just blog for now (LOL).
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