Merry Christmas!

It's been a while, but I just wanted to share a poem I wrote this month. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tree

Shiny strands of silver beads
Climb like hikers on a hill
They gracefully wind their way around
The branches they were made to fill

The orbs of glass so bright and bold
Hang like stars in the midnight sky
They fill the space left in between
The dense, dark foliage, low and high

Radiant lights of a shimmering sheen
Glitter like a city in the shadowy night
They ardently blaze through the dusky gloom
Glimmering, dazzling, gleaming so bright

Journals

I have never been really great about writing in a journal. I really want to write; I know it will be useful and fun for me to look back on in the future, but I feel like I never get around to doing it every day.

Yesterday in Young Women, we talked about keeping a personal record. My Young Women president, Shonna, taught us about how it is important to keep a journal - it will be useful for future generations, such as your kids, as well as yourself. My dad kept a journal starting when he was about eight years old, and when my mom met him, she read his journal - so she basically has known him since he was eight, because he wrote in his journal so often. My dad also said it was a kind of peronal therapy for him to read some of his own entries in his journal when he was feeling upset. I want to be able to do that.

One of the questions that was asked in Young Women was, "Is it more important to write experiences you've had or lessons you've learned?" The answer is that it's important to write about both - lessons you've learned: for you and others in the future to make good decisions, and experiences: doesn't everyone want to remember the fun, the spritual, and other times they've had? I do. But it's so hard for me to write...

Shonna also keeps a "Funny Sayings" book, about all the funny things her kids say. She read us a couple. When I am a mom, I'm going to keep my own funny sayings (and possibly doings) book. I want to remember fun times. When I was talking to my dad about our lesson yesterday, he told me about one time when I was little and my ear was bothering me (I have always been an earwax factory, and it bugs me). He had asked me, "Do you have some earwax?" My answer was (as I was scratching my ear), "No, I think I have just one earwack." I always want to remember things like that - but I would probably forget them if I don't keep a journal.

I know blogging is another kind of journal. But I'm not great at keeping up on that, either. Once in a while I'll sit down and type up a post, but I'm not consistent about it. But I've decided something: on my blog I will write fun experiences that I don't mind the whole world reading about. But in my journal or my diary, I will write more personal things that I would rather not have a lot of people seeing.

This summer I am going to start writing again. If I'm on vacation, I'll probably have to wait until after to write, but I am going to make a habit of writing. I know it's important to keep a journal if I'm going to remember experiences I've had and lessons I've learned - and I do want to remember them.

You Can Only Type One Word

1. Where is your cell phone? Nowhere
2. Your significant other? Somewhere
   
3. Your children? Unborn
4. Your mother? Fantastic
5. Your father? Wonderful
   
6. Favorite thing? Love
7. Your dream last night? Dunno
8. Your favorite drink? Many
9. Your dream/goal? Marry
10. The room you're in? Office
11. Your fear? Sadness
    
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Dancing
13. Where were you last night? Eating
    
14. What are you not? Hyper
15. Muffins? Yum!
16. Where you grew up? Vermont
    
17. The last thing you did? Type
18. What are you wearing? Jammies
19. Your TV? Dusty
20. Your pets? ADORABLE
    
21. Your computer? High-speed
22. Your life? Blessed
23. Your favorite day? Any
    
24. Missing someone? Friends
25. Your car? Works :)
    
26. Something you're not wearing? Dress
27. Favorite Store? Dunno
28. Your summer? Woohoo!
29. Who will win the presidential race? Unqualified
30. Your favorite color? Blue
31. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday
32. Last time you cried? Saturday
    
33. Who will/would re-post this? Anyone
    

Writing

For all you writers, writing stuff of any kind, (books, poems, etc.) I just want to recommend a very, very useful book. It was written by Gail Carson Levine, the one who wrote Ella Enchanted and many other fabulous stories, now a VERY experienced author. It's called "Writing Magic." It's wonderful and helped me quite a bit. Oh, I would seriously recommend doing the assignments that she gives you in it too. Do them in Google Documents or Word or Power Point or in a notebook or anything. Just do them. They are very helpful in writing anything. And they are quite fun.
Gail is a great author, and she has given me some exceptionally helpful hints.
Good luck!