Planning Ahead- New Journal

This pouring thoughts out on paper has relieved me. I feel better and full of confidence and resolution.”
― Diet Eman, Things We Couldn't Say


Thanks to everyone for their kind words about the passing of my cat E.G. I thought I was handling it well until a traffic jam at my grocery store had me making a quick detour. I suddenly realized I was in the pet isle and starting crying. Thankfully I had tissues with me. I felt a little silly, but I know grief is a process and stopped beating myself up. Progress!

Journal is 9.5" x 6.5" x 1".

I have not felt overly creative but I have been working on a new journal. My intention was to use it for next year but I wrote about E.G.'s death in it and a short note on Thanksgiving. It is a handmade book that I purchased years ago. As I have said in the past, I am going to start using things that I have "saved." This felt like a good start. The handmade paper is presently some challenges. It absorbed the watercolor paints so much that getting a watercolor look did not happen and it does not like fine point pens. A Sharpie seems to work best so I will need to go with the flow.

I decided to do things a little differently this time because I want to be able to list somethings and think about others.

Here is just one example-- "Things to Remember" has to do with having more gratitude. "Things to Let Go" has to
do with healing the past. I have a place to list all the books I read and things I want to learn. Some pages have photographs, found and created paper, envelopes to put things in, blank pages for sketching, etc. I am excited!


Do you journal? Have you created your own? What have your challenges been?