1 November 1977– The rain drips and pours relief upon a dry, parched earth. It comes down steadily all day and all night. The brown leaves are soaked and lie heavily upon the ground. The roar of the rain sounds across the silence of the room, loud and then softer it falls, almost hushed, as it drips upon the leaves.
© Freeda Baker Nichols
September 1980 —The September breeze touches the hickory leaves gently. Buzzing insects twitter across the dry, dusty lawn. Although the rain from last evening helped the grass to turn green again, more rain is desperately needed across the state.—Freeda Baker Nichols
Hickory
A very good blogging buddy of mine suggested that I write about keeping a journal. Inger Wilkerson’s interest in my blog has encouraged me since she first commented on my posts and her comments continue to inspire me.
So here goes. Starting a journal in our fast-paced world can be challenging. You might ask, do I have time to keep at it? In ten years, why would I want to look back at what’s happening now?
Looking back into your journal doesn’t mean that you’re getting old and can’t remember very well. For me, re-reading an entry allows me to enjoy a memory which often brings a smile. I do filter my thoughts before jotting them down. I keep my journal notes as positive as possible.
As a writer, a journal is my place to store ideas for stories, poems or novels. It’s a place to write a sentence, a paragraph or maybe a name I like, which might become the name of a character in a book. And so, that’s why I keep a journal.
I have other notes, too, that refer to family. And I wish I had written more about my children, grandchildren, my parents and my siblings. Notes help me remember special times in my life. As I get older, my journal becomes a treasure. The short writings bring back a vivid memory of something that likely would never resurface on its own.
I prefer a type of journal that has bound pages. However, many of my notes are first scribbled on scraps of paper, backs of envelopes, my iPad or iPhone to be transferred into the permanent file later.
If you think you’d like to start a journal, why not begin now? Write in it regularly. Have fun with it. Make it at least a weekly routine. Remember to date each entry.
I hope my friend, Inger, whom I’ve never met, will begin a journal. She has a lovely blog and I invite you to click over to her website and see what she’s up to. She blogs here at Art of Natural Living.
would I write for all the world to see? Or would I guard my journals fiercely, as though no one else should ever read one paragraph, one poem? But then one day, my works might be discovered molding in a rusty file cabinet, hidden from everyone’s view, except the person who bought the estate, where the old file cabinet still sat in a corner, rusting, molding….
© Copyright, 2013, Freeda Baker Nichols
“I am never indifferent and never pretend to be, to what people say or think of my books. They are my children, and I like to have them liked.” Quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Excerpt from my 1980 diary: ” I understand this quotation by Longfellow. My writing, too, is a part of me and I want people to like it. I must realize, of course, that not all people will like what I write, just as not all people like me. I must learn to be content with those who do like me.”
Freeda Baker Nichols
Freeda Baker Nichols 