Delphian Review Club meets

By JENNY KIRKLAND Club reporter The Delphian Review Club met recently in the home of Sue Greer with 18 members present. Following the roll call, Martha Clendenin read a devotional on giving thanks by Max Lucado. Ann Townes presented an informative program on journaling. Journaling is an active process and it helps us center our thoughts to give them meaning. Journaling also gives us a place to record our observations and our memories before life gets too fast for us to remember the small moments which brought us joy once upon a time. Down through history, people have journaled. If it weren’t for journaling, there might not be any reliable records of the past. Recordings in journals can be traced back to 56 A.D. China, while in the Western world, journaling became a common practice during the Renaissance when the image of the self became important. Today we have journals to record our vacations, our dreams and our goals. Like the journals of history, we should think of our journals as a way for future generations to see what we were struggling with at the time and to know that their dilemmas are not too far removed from ours. You don’t have to be a great writer, perfect speller or creative thinker to keep a personal journal. Journal writing means that you regularly write down your thoughts and experiences. There is a difference between keeping a diary and writing in a journal. A journal is a continued series of writings made by a person in response to their life experiences and events. Diaries contain a description of daily events. A journal may include those descriptions, but it also contains reflections on what took place and expresses emotions and understandings about them. It doesn’t matter what you call your writings, either a diary or journal, as long as you see the distinction between the two ways of writing. When you are in the mindset of a journal writer, your radar is always on. You are poised to observe, notice the details and keep your mind open and absorbent. Bestselling novelist Barbara Bretton, an avid journal keeper for more than 40 years, reflects, ‘The more attention I paid to journaling, the sharper my eyesight grew, the more acute my hearing. The world around me suddenly became more interesting, more filled with incident and color and texture. My days seemed rich with material for my nightly journal entry, and that richness fed both my soul and my work.’” Remember, you can never “journal” wrong. Write freely. Don’t worry about spelling or grammar. Your journal is for you and you alone. You may share it with someone later, but when you are writing, write it for yourself. Don’t write to impress anyone. Be true to yourself. Find time. Following the program, the members enjoyed a delicious fresh apple cake served by co-hostess Peggy Burnett. Published in The Messenger 12.17.08

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