Thursday, October 31, 2013

Something We Are Trying Out - Picture of the Day

 
 
This is a milk bottle full of topics for writing in a journal. My sweet friend and librarian from Hooker, Oklahoma - Carolyn, gave Sherrilyn Polf and I copies of these topics. (Sherrilyn has made some really pretty decorated canning jars with these topics in them and she sells them at book events. Be sure to get one as a gift to yourself or for someone special.) I made a copy of the pages and cut them apart. I have a bunch of milk bottles, so that was my choice of vessels.
 
The idea behind the topics is that there are a lot of people who want or need to write a journal and don't know where to start. There are 365 or more questions on these little paper strips. They range from telling about your first job to who your favorite aunt was and why. You take one strip of paper per day or week and glue the strip to the top of a blank journal page. Then, you answer the question either in depth or quickly. By the time the jar is empty, your journal is complete and you have a good representation of your life story.
 
I decided to take another step in this process. Since Terry and I have known each other for 39 years, bringing up a new subject for meaningful conversation at the dinner table tends to be a challenge. It occurred to me that taking a strip/question per day and talking it over would be something we would enjoy. After we each answered the question, I took notes and asked Terry if I could write his answers next to mine in a document on the computer. When the milk bottle is empty, I will publish the document and make a book of it for each of our sons. It might help the poor boys figure out why we are so warped and where we get our sense of humor.
 
In looking back over our lives, I want to focus on the good things. So many times I allow the sorrowful memories cloud over the many wonderful days in my life. I am anxious to learn more about this man who has chosen me to be his wife. You might want to use this tool to launch conversations and writing in a journal as well. 

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