Keeping a diary, journal, log, calendar...whatever you call it!

In 2007 I read 82 books and numerous magazines (e.g. World, Birds and Blooms, The Court Report, Biblical Worldview, Keepers at Home, The Old Schoolhouse, Chalcedon, Homeschooling Today, and Practical Homeschooling). When I completed each book I entered the title, author and my comments in a three-ring binder. Seems a little compulsive, doesn’t it?

Here’s why I keep the records. First of all, I am compulsive (I like to refer to it as ‘a striving after excellence!’). I love lists and I enjoy seeing where I have been, what was done, and what I thought at the time. So I guess if compulsiveness isn’t one of your vices or virtues, you could skip this one.

Second, I have a moderate-sized library of about 4000 books (could be more, there’s bookshelves all over the house). All of these will some day be passed on to our daughter and her children. Think for a minute: Wouldn’t it be fun to have a list of books your grandma read and what she thought of each one?

My grandma kept a diary, as they were called in those days, which includes notes on weather, trips to town to sell eggs, Livestock Sales Ring days, evening Homemakers’ meetings and birthdays. Even with those rather superficial recordings, it is still a picture of what her life was like; it is interesting to me.

There will come a time when I will be gone and maybe my progeny will be interested in what my life was like. If not, they can sell all those books on amazon.com!

I have also kept journals of trips we have made which gives a rendering of the highlights of the trip, the thoughts I had regarding historical sights, bad motels, good food, where I bought a certain piece for my Colonial cream ware set and geophysical sights that awed me or should be avoided in the future (cave visits!).

I kept a very detailed journal of our trip to India in 1997. For about three months following our return I worked on putting it all into book form. Once completed, I ran a copy for each of the India Team members. It became an historical record of our trip that I often reread. It prevents the capriciousness of memory from stealing the wonder of that trip from me.

Keeping a log book of one’s reading also keeps the memory of the book alive and reminds me to reread or not, never lend out, use as a resource, or take quotes from for future writing projects.

You don’t have to be as compulsive as I am, but you might want to leave a written trail for your loved ones. It might matter to them.