Debi, what does journaling mean to you personally?
I cannot remember a time when I didn’t have pen in hand. As a teenager, I wrote every day—poetry, plays, essays—you name it. In young adulthood, writing took a back seat to my personal and professional world exploration adventures. It wasn’t until I became a mother that I picked up my fountain pens and began to journal again. As a mother of three toddlers, I would feel alone and overwhelmed at times. So, I would turn to my journal to help me return to center, so I could continue to provide a loving, nurturing home for my family…Two of my kids are headed to college this month and I’m still journaling—expressing my thoughts, feelings and questions about this new phase in life.
The most powerful journaling I have done, however, was in my 40’s. It was then that I found my way into the rooms of Alcoholic Anonymous and began my personal path to recovery. The 12 Steps as you may know are designed with acceptance, surrender, cleaning, forgiveness, humility, healing and service at their core. Most of the steps involve writing of some kind—be it history, inventory, amends and prayer. So it felt very natural from a writing perspective for me to do this recovery work. Through my recovery journals, I was able to gain clarity and healing over my abusive childhood, strengthen my self-image and sense of community, and explore my spiritual relationships.
Tomorrow Debi gives her final thoughts on journaling.
Write to Health website can be found at http://www.writetohealth.com/
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