As a journal and notebook lover, I knew that it was time to find, through the many pages on the searches of Amazon.com, another….. gratitude journal! A huge fan of the “diary” since aged 8, it is a yearly triumph to find the perfect one in which to grace my desktop today. Of the most recent journals, one of my favorites, I utilize as a resource that is somewhat of both a prayer journal and a prayer diary. I call it a diary because of its guard lock, which require a code to open.
The velvet dark navy blue hardcover with embroidered yellow stars includes, again, a guard lock which resembles a school locker lock with security numbers and codes. I still utilize the prayers inside today though I purchased the diary a little over two years ago. I believe that there were various stationary stores in the San Francisco Bay Area where I lived circa 2015, and that due to the number of writers, poets, literary scholars living within the metropolitan area, that they could meet the aesthetic needs of almost whoever walked in the stores.
Here in the Central Valley, as in the Bay Area, we have a Daiso stationary section which is obviously very “pink”, so to say. I’ve had some affirmation journals over the years, ones that’s prompts really cause you to reflect on life. Most recently, with all of the vicarious happening in the world along with my own lived experiences, I’ve begun to ponder the best tangible means in which to reflect and record my reflections again.
This week has been eventful in a sense and many occurrences happened both good and bad that cause me to contemplate whether or not I am more deserving of the positive or negative”. The happenings, I believe, are happening in direct correlation with my behaviors and actions. By actions, I mean, ‘Do I plan to remain consistent with prayer while eating healthy foods, or eat unhealthy sweets and not pray? Are the negative events in my life due to the behaviors such as the latter? I’ve questioned if I should advertently just be more thankful!
These seemingly simple questions have been steadily at the center of my thoughts for a good portion of the week. I’d previously chosen to adopt the practice of gratitude from a Christian perspective. Gratitude can be most easily defined as thankfulness for the positive occurrences in life. On the contrary, I have met people that express gratitude, even for the aversive events that happen in life, as it is believed by them that those events build resilience. I would argue that the resilience built during the event, the positive aspects that makes the experience overall…positive.
To Whom am I Showing Gratitude?
Often times we will answer these questions relating to thankfulness, gratefulness, and the like without ever questioning WHOM to which we are grateful to. I am grateful and thankful to FATHER GOD for allowing me to be apart of this existence. This journaling -go- round, I will complete a once daily “gratitude” journal and the journal prompts/ response are directly related to the blessings of the TRINITY.
On Amazon alone, there are so many different types of journals and I can’t wait to make good use of one. Last week, I came across the presumably perfect gratitude journal with simplistic text on the cover. The black pleatherish exterior contrasts very well with the gold “Daily Gratitude Journal”. As already stated, I’ve kept a few affirmation and gratitude-based journals over the years, some being religious and others being secular in nature. I can tell you that keeping a daily journal or diary and writing consistently is beneficial for a number of reasons.
A gratitude journal can ………
Help you to maintain focus
Help you to identifying what is of most significance to you in life
Help you to sustain a consistent routine
Help you to remain grateful and positive regardless of the current circumstances
In order to maintain a diary as a busy adult, one must take factors like time as well as personal vulnerabilities into account. There have been instances in the past in which I’d purchased a journal, with every intent to immerse myself in self-reflection but everyday life got in the way! As a result, the journals have ended up thrown into one of my storage boxes somewhere or under the bed…..
It really helps to give writers a point of reference as do prewritten prompts in journals and I would suggest purchasing ones with such prompts if you are in need of inspiration. Prompts are simply the questions or statements in a journal that act as inquiries in the writing process and guide your thoughts through reflection. You can keep a gratitude journal that does not include written prompts.
In the instance that you keep a freeform journal (maybe one that emphasizes gratitude, just try to be sure to be as descriptive as possible. Again, take some time to reflect on what you’ve written within the context of the journal, cover to cover, after reaching the end. I would suggest going through each page and reading /searching for any patterns or changes in your own thoughts over time.
I received my newest “Daily Gratitude Journal” late last week. Apon opening and realizing that the book was NOT the beige/off white one that I’d ordered, I was livid! “It is gratitude that prevented me from issuing retaliatory complaints to the Amazon representatives.” I thought about, after realizing that I was over exaggerating, how much valuable time was spent lamenting. I’ve decided to be grateful for the color and realized that the black journal might elicit an entirely different but positive experience. (Read my post soon on “Color Therapy”)
Any how the Amazon journal is straight to the point in design, which is a positive aspect. Each page is adorned with the date, an affirming quote by a well-known historical figure as well as space for answers to the five daily prompts. One can reflect on their responses to the very simple prompts each day, through-out the day.
So whether or not you decide to draft your own creative prompts, or choose free form writing, like that of which is done in most diaries, you can be sure that reflection can make you all the more self-aware. Be sure to complete your chronologically writing prompts daily and for the reasons stated. Most gratitude journals inquire about why one might be grateful but don’t include a prayer or meditative component. For this reason, try purchasing one with additional blank pages at the front or back of the journal or one that is made specifically for that purchase.
Lastly, one can be creative and add affirmations to a gratitude-based prayer and then include them in a blank journal, designated either the prayer or gratitude journal. In order to accomplish this, simply log on to Pinterest or Instagram search for applicable affirmations, and then write them at the top of each of entry. Use the affirmations to draft separate prayers to FATHER GOD, KING JESUS and THE HOLY SPIRIT. I hope that this article was helpful to you. I will do a follow up article letting you know how I’m enjoying my newest journal. Thank you for reading and to our best lives!
