Journals and Papers

I just attended a workshop on Pilgrimage Journal Writing - very in depth - but one of the tools we used to start journal writing was Meditation Cards. First we did a deep breathing exercise for about 5 minutes to relax and concentrate on our breathing only, then we were instructed to go to a table and pick out a card from a set of 3 boxes. One set was Tarot cards, the other Mother Teresa meditation cards, and a third set of spiritual cards. When I went to the table, I looked at the Mother Theresa cards, as I love the work she did. My eyes fell upon the ‘Joy” card, and I knew that was what I could journal about.

The card was Mother Theresa on “JOY“

Joy is prayer
Joy is strength
Joy is love
She who gives with joy gives most.

The following is an excerpt of what I wrote for my journal entry:

Joy

Joy fulfills me. It gives me peace. It enlightens my day. It uplifts me. It carries me away to brighter heights to a life worth living, to that which gives me hope.

Joy is that element of life we should strive for, that which we should ultimately attain. With joy comes peace, strength, love. When you have joy you can give of yourself. You are also open to love. Your light of joy shines from within to comfort others, to invite them into your bright world.

With joy you cannot have darkness, there is no room for it. Light is all that prevails. Joy. A simple word, so much happiness with it, so much to strive for, so much to feel, so much to give, so much to be, so much to have. JOY!

Most times in today’s fast paced world, I feel like I am standing against a wall, and objects are flying at me all the time. I have to duck and bend sideways and forwards to miss all the obstacles that approach me. With these objects come negativity and the challenge that there must be something better for me. I decided it was time to feel grateful for what I have and wanted to start a gratitude journal.

When I discovered the Every Day™ Journal by Compendium, I knew I had found the perfect journal for writing my grateful thoughts. They have 8 different kinds: ENJOY, COURAGE, ACHIEVE, CARE, DREAM, EXPLORE, PASSION and CREATE. So, depending on the one that best reflects an interest, would be a great one to keep as a gratitude journal. (I also use the PASSION one for a prayer journal).

Every other page (in each book) has a quote, which spurns me to find the right word to explain why I am grateful and what I am grateful for. Out of the ENJOY journal, an example of a quote is, “On some days, a shade tree and a few minutes can change your whole attitude. (Unknown)” How true.

Being grateful is about changing attitude, or perhaps it brings about the change in attitude. When we look at where we are and what we have, no matter how small or how large, there is always something to be grateful for.

I’ve found even in my darkest days, if I think for a moment or two, I can be grateful for something. I write,

I am grateful for the inches and inches of snow we have received this last week. (We’re getting hammered here in the Western Alberta Rockies.) It helps me realize that spring is just around the corner and I am grateful that I can feel Mother Nature and all her wondrous wildness. Maybe the snow is her way of having a ‘wild hair day’. I am grateful that I can touch the snow, its icy residue leaving my fingers red with cold. It melts against my warm face, leaving a freshness that no facial toner can promise. My senses are alive. I am grateful for I know in some parts of this world there are people who have never ever even seen a snowflake.”

Now how’s that for a change in attitude this snowy Friday morning?