"Maybe We Can Talk About It" (What Steve's alarm says every morning at 6:30)

     I've been considering a change in my journaling format and I think now might be the time to make that change. When I started working two years ago, I gave up my quiet mornings to leave the house every day at 7:30 AM. I know myself and my habits and morning are always my natural time to write. If I don't write before noon, then I probably won't write for the rest of the day, even if it's only to jot down three beautiful things. That said, I also know that I can't entirely shut up. I've tried to figure out why that is and why I feel compelled to write things down or "tell" things. I've come up with two observations on this. The first is that I've always been 'conversational'. I got in trouble from Kindergarten through second grade for talking to kids around me during class. (By third grade I had learned better self control.) Talking to the other kids was a sharing of myself. I wanted to share what I thought, what I felt, what I was thinking. Experiences and thoughts were more exciting when they were shared. Secondly, when I write stuff down it's like I'm having a conversation with myself. I'm telling myself what I saw, what I felt, what I was thinking. It's another dimension of the experience itself; the retelling of it. I still don't know why I feel compelled to do these things, but I think it's just the way some people are.
     The final factor in this decision to change my writing format is "The Final Curtain" on Clare Law's blog, which inspired me to begin this journey in the first place. Seven years ago I was mourning the death of my sister when I ran across Clare's blog. Her blog simply noted three beautiful things every day. In my grief, I had observed that joy coexisted alongside it. Even with a broken heart, I saw beauty all around me and somehow the brokenness made it even more beautiful. My faith comes into play here as I believe I see the world filtered through a Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ. Clare's blog was the impetus to give voice to my own observations of beautiful things every day, even in the midst of grieving. It's not that I never saw the world as beautiful before, but it acquired new meaning as I counted these simple things as blessings, taking care to make note of them every day.
     So, my intent is to still write about beautiful, (and broken) things, but not in the list format and not every day. I've been skipping days for two years now and that will still occur, however, I won't guilt myself about it. I'll keep my journal in a more conversational style as events come about, however small and insignificant they may be. Like this crazy, wonderful snow we just had...!!!