Guest Author - Terrie Lynn Bittner

Okay, you know you're supposed to keep a journal, and you know all the reasons you are supposed to keep it. Your children and grandchildren will want to know all about you. The prophet said to keep one. You don't want to forget important moments in your life.

You also don't want to write in that stupid book!

While the sight of all those blank pages may be thrilling to some, who stare at them and wonder what will be written on them at the end of a year, others find those same pages intimidating. Are there ways to keep a journal without working too hard at it?

Do you write letters or emails? Often when we write our friends or family, we share events and feelings in detail. If you can't bring yourself to write about those same events in your journal, photocopy the letters or print the emails and glue them into your journal. Add photographs with short but detailed captions (remember names, dates, places and a few words about your feelings) to jog your memory.

If an event you attend is written about in the newspaper—even if you aren't mentioned—-clip the articles and fasten them into the book. Write a few short sentences about your personal experiences there. It is not as enlightening as a full entry, but it's something for your descendents to go on. If you speak in church, put the program into the book and add a note about what the topic was and maybe a brief testimony or a copy of the talk. Once a month, write a list of your callings and any special events that occurred. Use your calendar to jog your memory.

Writing daily tends to lead to "laundry list" entries—just a list of what you did. Instead, write on Sundays and set a time to do it—perhaps a half hour after dinner. During the week, think about a topic. It doesn't have to be about an event. You can choose a memory, an issue that matters to you, or a gospel principle you have strong feelings about. Try to put yourself into the entry, so your descendents will know how you felt about the world and your own life.

Clip a newspaper article, a church talk or a story from a magazine and glue it into the book. Then add your own feelings, your testimony, or a personal experience related to the topic. Anything at all that gives your family clues about who you are will be valued.