Remember, O Remember. Cause I don't!

I have trouble remembering things, and I know I cannot be the only one. But...the most common excuse I find myself making (besides being lazy.....) for not writing in my journal is that I don't need to write it down... I'll remember. And I can't be the only one. But let's face it... sometimes we can't even remember what we had for dinner last night, or two days ago (or 5 minutes ago?)... {and if you do remember everything feel free to skip this blog post}.

Journal writing is not only a way to preserve memories and feelings of the moment you wrote them in... but if you write it instead of type it, it is a way for your posterity to connect to you more emotionally. To see the handwriting of an ancestor, and read what they wrote.. how they felt, how they viewed the world.. is an amazing example of family history. So I will refer to a quote I used in another post...

"If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten; Either write things worthy of reading, or do things worthy of writing." -- Benjamin Franklin, May 1738

So, here comes my blog post on why we should write in our journals. But first! A Picture. Cause you know how I do. Or maybe you don't. But this is how.

It's so easy a dinosaur can do it!
If dinosaurs didn't journal, we wouldn't have these jokes!
"Q. What happened when the Brachiosaurus took the train home?
A. He had to bring it back!"

You may ask, "Why not wait until I'm older to compile a summary of my life?" Here's President Kimball's answer:
"Your story should be written now while it is fresh and while the true details are available. Your private journal should record the way you face up to challenges that beset you. Do not suppose life changes so much that your experiences will not be interesting to your posterity. Experiences of work, relations with people, and an awareness of the rightness and wrongness of actions will always be relevant. Your journal, like most others, will tell of problems as old as the world and how you dealt with them."

“On Keeping a Journal...In the journal I do not just express myself more openly than I could to any person; I create myself. The journal is a vehicle for my sense of selfhood. It represents me as emotionally and spiritually independent. One of the main (social) functions of a journal or diary is precisely to be read furtively by other people, the people (like parents + lovers) about whom one has been cruelly honest only in the journal. Will {so and so} ever read this?” - Susan Sontag

There is the saying, “A goal not written is only a wish.” Journaling is also a great way to concretize goals and dreams on paper. Allowing yourself to express your dreams freely encourages you to strengthen your personal vision for your life. You have the authority and freedom to decide how you want your life to look like. - rappler

Start with a sentence... start with a page...

You'll be glad you did... and so will they.

-SB
fh2history@gmail.com


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Every Reason to be Thankful for children :)

"Lo, children are an heritage to The Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." 

- Psalms 127:3

Yes, this blog is meant for family history; this post has to do with family history for sure! How can you have history if there were no people and how can you {multiply and replenish the Earth} with no posterity? Recently I read this post on "20 reasons to be thankful if you don't have children." I have to admit, I was offended... I have an 8 month old daughter. How could I ever NOT be thankful for her? Oh my gosh she is such a blessing!

'Recently I saw this post on "20 reasons to be thankful, IF YOU DONT have children."'

be thankful "IF YOU DONT" have children.

Now my post isn't an attack on that post or the person who wrote it or anyone who used it. I read it, and it's downright hilarious.

BUT it is a problem in society nowadays to think we don't need or have some duty to our future posterity... 

I'm not necessarily responding to the post... I'm responding to the feeling I've had for awhile. The feeling I mentioned above. That people are becoming so selfish, that those who are blessed with the gift to be able to bear children, are choosing not to.

When I married my husband, I wanted to wait to have kids. Until one day, while reading, I had inspiration that we should have kids now. My only reason not to at that point was my own selfishness, so we decided to have a baby!

Elizabeth Marie Bean was born on June 24, 2014. She was and still is a HUGE blessing! She is Pretty even tempered, yes. But we took the responsibility of raising a HUMAN. When she cries, she needs something and can't express it any other way. When your kid gets into the paint, and "paints the town" (or house)... You left the paint out. When there's poop everywhere, there's just poop everywhere.

The joys of parenthood far outweigh the sad or stressful times. When he or she first smiles... Laughs... Recognizes you!... Says "mama", "dada", "baba"... Planks.. Rolls... Scoots... Crawls... Stands... Pulls up... And eventually walks and talks! And so many more joys. You'll have a little mini-me running around! And if the thought of that scares you, maybe you oughta be a better future parent rather than asking for a better future child.


-SB