(Disclaimer...It took me a long time to hit the publish button for this post. It is a long post, and it is a personal post. You have been warned. )
One of my favorite weekend activities is blog surfing. Actually it is one of my favorite activities any time, but I try to keep it in check during the week...Some days I jump from photography blog to photography blog. Sometime I get caught up on celebrity gossip via a blog. Other days I end up reading about Parisienne adventures and far away lands on blogs. Sometime I love a good diy blog that makes me feel like I really can be crafty, but today my blog surfing got me completely side tracked, and it has brought me here, to my own blog.
Last week during a completely different blog reading session I came across a fantastic little idea on Under the Sycamore (Ashley Ann Photography). She had come up with this cute little mass gift idea for her husband's coworkers (I think). She had made little notebooks with each month as a different page, and a spot to write the best part of your day down on every date for a year. I loved this idea, however I had no intention of creating little notebooks to hand out. Instead, it became a personal project for me. I decided that at the end of the day, I would start writing down the date and the best part of my day. Sounds easy doesn't it. When I got home to Miles City, (I was at my parents house when the idea stuck) I found an unused, notebook in my office that would be my "Best part of my day" journal.
I have always loved the ideas of journaling. I love writing, and I have always found it therapeutic, but I don't often have the time or energy to sit and journal. My blog in some ways is my journal, and my hope is that it becomes even more of one in the upcoming year. But I love the idea of hand writing a journal, and someday having a box of them that my kids or grandkids will come across. There is something so nostalgic about it, and even though boxes of handwritten journals are going by the wayside as technology takes over, I still think there is something so special about a journal or diary.
So...this is my small attempt at having a journal that someday I will have to look back on. The nice thing about a "Best part of my day" journal is there is now whining in it. It is simple and sleek, and doable. Another plus, is that at the end of a day, it forces me to sit down and look for the positive in any day. It makes me not take the little moments for granted. Because my days are filled with a lot of little moments that I won't naturally remember. Yes, I will remember the holidays, vacations, and big important moments. However, I might not remember the monday night spent cuddling on the couch with my husband watching season 6 of the office on dvd. Those moments are worth remembering too, and do deserve reflection. Obviously there are some days that I have more to write about than others, but it really does help to not take so much for granted.
My $1 notebook from Michaels. Perfectly simple
Ok...so I didn't know if I was going to share my latest little idea about being grateful until...today. This brings me back to the beginning of this post, the part about me blog surfing. I was checking the savvy photographer blog as I do regularly and it lead me to be in the moment photo blog. It is not unusual for me to start at one blog and end up on another blog as blogs so often have "link love." I highly recommend that everyone takes some time to read this blog. (not just photographers) Valerie Koop and her family's story is a heartbreaking one. I have never met the Koop family, never even heard of them until this morning, and there I was sharing in their heartbreak. Valerie is losing her husband to cancer. They have been married 16 years, they have two young children, and he is only 38. My heart aches for this family. They have been told to go home to their children and enjoy their remaining time together. After reading some of the comments, I know there are a lot of people out there that don't know this family praying for them. So I join them in praying. I think one of the most beautiful things we as people are capable of is compassion. It is impossible to imagine the pain this family is enduring, and as a newly married woman who someday wants very badly to be a mother, it is heart wrenching to know that these two children are losing their father, and Valerie is losing the love of her life. So at my desk I sat with tears running down my cheeks feeling completely devastated for this family. I could go on and on about this family, but I encourage you to take the time to read their story. Enjoy the photos Valerie shares of her beautiful kids, of her husband, and their life. Their fight, their love for each other, for their children, and to their family and friends, and the way they continue their day to day life is inspirational. It is blogs like hers that keep me wanting to share more of myself. She is incredibly courageous to share her story.
After spending some time on Valerie's blog. I decided to share my "best part of my day" journal plan. It is important to be as grateful as possible. It is important to cherish the small moments. Someday, you will want those moments back. It is important to live in the now, and to not take your loved ones for granted. It is easy to get bombarded by to do lists, laundry, and chores. However, I can guarantee I will never write "finishing the laundry" down as the best part of my day. So I will put that stuff off for now. Penny deserves a walk, (I love walks with Penny) and my husband will be home from working in North Dakota soon, and we deserve to enjoy some time together.
This photo was snapped about an hour ago...Penny is curled up on my boots by our glass door. She regularly lays here, and it looks as though she is just waiting for spring.
