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Journaling Life.com's Monthly
Newsletter
June 2004
Issue One -
Volume One
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Journaling the
Journey
By David Russell
Welcome to the first official newsletter,
compliments of Journalinglife.com,
and its parent company, Westvon Publishing. I don't have to
tell you what
a joy it is to take pen in hand and create words. Some do it
for deeply
personal reasons while for others, it is therapeutic. Many of
you don't
feel the need to always dig so deep and are satisfied to chronicle
events
and notable moments in a diary. Whatever your style, the experience
of
writing is certainly a gateway to the soul, and a most helpful
way to
clarify our thoughts and cultivate new ones.
My main desire to start a web site
about journaling (in conjunction with
Sherri, the brains behind it all) stems from my deep felt conviction
that
writing can make people come alive with wisdom and creativity,
and heaven
know our world needs more of it. I have been particularly interested
in
helping children to develop a love for the printed word. To
help them
understand writing as a vehicle to make the invisible world
of their
thoughts visible. To help them actually see how they think through
the way
they write. To help them learn how to express their creativity
and ideas
that may be the ones to change the world for the better.
I recently accompanied my youngest
son's fourth grade class on a field trip
and I was shocked and dismayed to hear some of the comments
several of the
children made about writing. One of the kids saw me writing
in my journal
and said, "What are you doing, Mr. Russell?" I told
him I was writing in my
journal, and he said, "I hate writing, it's stupid!"
Another kid said,
"Writing is a waste of time." I took a poll of about
fifteen other children
on the bus and only two of them (my son being one) said they
enjoyed
writing. They did not seem shy about saying it in front of their
teacher,
either. So much for political correctness. You can chalk much
of this up
to the fact that they are typical children. True, but how do
children learn
to dislike learning, and in this case, writing? They will carry
such
dislikes into adulthood no less.
It's common to hear adults speak
of how children need to learn to write, and
I fear that many of those adults are only concerned with a child
learning to
write for no other reason than basic literacy. This is all fine
and dandy,
but some of the adults I've talked to seem to rarely read, and
spend even
less time writing. In light of this reality, what are we hoping
for our
children? To model this behavior? If many of us don't change
our
attitudes toward reading and writing, I'm afraid our children
will follow in
step. It's a real shame that many adults stopped learning as
soon as they
finished their formal education. What I really desire is to
encourage and
promote the art of journaling as a lifestyle for all age groups.
Despite
the challenges, I have made it my raison d'être to teach
children and adults
to love the written word. Your ideas, suggestions, and advice
would be
welcome.
I began keeping a journal while
still in High School; though I think my
writing style was suited more for a diary. I didn't seem to
struggle much
with life issues in those days and life only appeared to be
complicated.
It wasn't until I started college in 1980 that my love for writing
really
took off. It was academic writing no less, but my love for the
written word
was driven by my growing desire for wisdom and truth. As I dug
deeper into
the thoughts of some of history's greatest thinkers I began
to notice that
they all had one thing in common. Yes, they kept journals of
their
thoughts, and many of those journals became some of the world's
most
important works of literature.
As I continued with my studies
through graduate school I developed the view
that writing is a conduit into the realm of pure thought and
within that
realm, pure creativity. The writer has an insatiable desire
to pull from
that realm and create, much in the same way the painter needs
to create a
landscape. It is my belief that deep inside each of us there
is a creative
wellspring that runs the risk of completely drying up if we
remain
intellectually and spiritually inactive. One of the ways to
keep the waters
of that well ever flowing is through journaling. Journaling,
particularly
introspective journaling, acts as a pump to pull up from our
souls deeply
imbedded ideas and values that assist us on the journey to living
more
wisely. The end result, I believe, of a life of reflective journaling
should not be to present a story reeking of self, but rather
a story of
redemption.
I keep several different journals
going all the time, but the one journal I
keep as a daily discipline is my "Life Journal." I
call it "Journaling the
Journey" because of my own gnawing desire to gain wisdom
and insight on how
to live life well. We've all heard the often quoted truth from
Socrates,
"The unexamined life is not worth living," and the
reflective person can
appreciate it. I have attempted to embrace this question as
a guiding light
for my life's journey. Through journaling I can assess where
I'm going in
this life, the person I desire and need to be, my relationship
to my
children and family, and most importantly my spiritual condition.
Life at
times has been very difficult (as it has been or continues to
be for many of
you) and there have been moments when I have wondered if life
is absurd.
Maybe there is no making sense of suffering and trials. My world
view will
not allow me to come to that conclusion, however. Life is wonderfully
meaningful despite the occasional moments of absurdity. Journaling
through
these moments in life helps me to clarify what it is I value
most and also
helps me to stay close the world view that guides my life.
Whether you are journaling your
own journey, keeping and daily diary, or
scrap booking your photo memories, we at Journaling Life want
to be a
resource for you. We want to give you the tools you need to
make the most
of your writing, and to encourage you no matter what your style
is or level
of experience. Subjects we plan to cover in future newsletters
include the
following:
- Dealing with the Blank Page -
How to overcome the Tabula Rasa of the
brain.
- Teaching Children to Journal Basic insights and tools
on how to inspire
children to love the written word.
- Spiritual Journaling - Journaling
as a conduit to spiritual growth.
- Scrap Book Journaling Sherri
will share with you her vast experience
with scrap booking.
- Genealogical Journaling - Putting
together a family tree and writing about
your family history.
- Reading Journals Learning
to annotate the books you love to read.
We have many more ideas and things
we would like to share with you, but feel
free to send us your suggestions and ideas. You can contact
me at
dave@journalinglife.com
.
Please feel free to share this
newsletter with all of the people in your
life that you feel might benefit from learning about journaling.
Invite
them to come and visit our website and we will strive to offer
you a
wonderful visit as you explore the wonderful world of journaling.
http://www.JournalingLife.com
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New on the Website
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We have added a forum to the website
and we hope that you will visit and
join in the conversations that are currently going on. Several
people have
been talking about the "blank page" and how to get
started in a journal.
Feel free to start your own topic of discussion or ask Dave
a question about
writing or journaling! He likes to participate in the forum
and would
welcome conversations about his love of the written word!
Also, we have just added some beautiful
journals to the Journal Shop. We're
having trouble keeping them in stock because our friends and
neighbors keep
buying them! Jessy, Sherri's daughter bought one before they
even arrived
and there are many spoken for. All your purchases through the
Journal Shop
help to keep the site up and running. The prices are so reasonable
and will
include a little freebie goodie for helping out! Watch too,
for some
special journaling starters and other goodies as we grow.
http://www.JournalingLife.com/jl-shop.html
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Journaling Life
Email: Dave@Westvon.com
Phone Contact: (419) 250-1096
P.O. Box 501 - Maumee, OH 43551
The information presented in this
online newsletter is Copyright © June
2004 by Westvon Publishing, LLC.. All right reserved. You may
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Our Websites of Interest
http://www.TheHomeschoolShop.com
http://www.TheMasterPlanner.com
http://www.TheParentTeacher.com
http://www.Rockhoundkids.com
http://www.Chekal.com
http://www.JournalingLife.com
Also, as a bonus, recieve our
useful PDF file entitled:
30 Journaling
Prompts to Get You Started...
FREE when
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Visit
our Newest Site... Journaling Prompts for a month of writing!
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