By Tara C. Pray
I don’t think I understood the transformation that was taking place in me each time I wrote in my brown journal with the gold trimmed pages and the miniature sized, gold key that safely kept the details of my life.
See back then as an 8th grader dealing with liking a certain boy, friends and the ups and downs of being a teenager, I just knew there was some sort of solace that took place in the pages of my diary. All I knew was that I needed write down what was happening every day of my young life.
I did not know that diary writing would turn into journal writing.
I did not know that my words would go from just being the day to day details of my life to the pouring out of my soul. The deepest parts of me, my thoughts and feelings began to be expressed in a way that I was not always able to communicate with my voice.
I did not know that years later; every success and setback, every heartbreak, every moment of sadness and happiness, the periods of feeling lost and confused would find their way into my journals.
The lesson I learned from keeping a diary and later a journal were the same; there was solace to be found in the words I wrote.
When anxiety wanted to rule. When sadness threatened to take up permanent residence in my life. When my heart was broken and felt as if the wounds would never heal. When the unexpected gifts from life found their way to me, it was all poured out on the page.
Healing took place when I wrote.
Clarity came when I wrote.
Direction was found when I wrote
Worry went away when I wrote.
Tears turned to statements of power when I wrote.
I wrote because I needed to. I wrote because sometimes it was all I could do when options appeared not to be options at all. Sometimes I wrote as if my survival was dependent on the words that flowed from the hollow, empty spaces in my soul.
And now while I still write about the hard things in life, I also write about the possibilities of my dreams. The dreams I have held since I was that young girl who first began to express herself through writing.
My dreams are something I am not able to let go of, no matter how life tries to shake me up. No matter how many times I tried to ignore them, no matter how many times fear pushed me to abandon them; my dreams have remained along with my journal and pen.
In my journal those dreams have found a home, a place where hope and possibility are spread across the pages. I write about what I want to do. I write about what I plan to do. I write about falling down and getting back up as I step out in pursuit of my dreams. I write about what happens on any given day and then reflect on my words looking for the lessons to be learned, answers to questions asked and solutions to problems that arose.
Writing provides me with clarity and direction. Feelings of fear, doubt and procrastination are confronted and I am strengthened to face them head on and not be deterred from my path.
When I journal my dreams, I remain deeply connected to them. The more connected I am, the more I am inspired to continue pursuing them. The more I pursue them, the more aligned I become with who I am and the purpose of my life.
Tara C. Pray writes at www.wordsbytara.com. She recently released an updated version of her eBook, Dream Maker 101: A Guide to Gaining Clarity and Taking Action on Your God-Inspired Dreams.You can also find her on Instagram @tpraywrites.