My Red Journal

This is my red journal:

I received it as a gift the Christmas of my senior year of high school. I had just started a new regular journal, so it was left empty for several months until I headed to college. It quickly came off the shelf and lived in my purse. It became my BYU Devotional/CES Fireside/every other fireside that happens at BYU/General Conference Journal. I simply call it "my church journal". The first thing I used it for was General Conference in October 2007. 

This past Saturday I was looking at my bookshelf and noticed it sitting there. I rarely touch it anymore-- no weekly devotionals or monthly firesides to attend. I pulled it off the shelf and shoved it into my purse before I headed to the General Relief Society Broadcast. Before the meeting started I flipped through the book, remembering specific conference talks, BYU devotionals (Holland's "Remember Lot's Wife anyone?), the devotional when President Hinckley came to speak, and when President Monson came to BYU. 

When I take notes at these sorts of things I do a few things. I always rip a piece out of the back and have that become my "list of things to do". If a speaker encourages us to pray for something specific (charity, for example) I put that on my list. If they mention a book and I decided I want to read it, that goes on my list. Sometimes it's a quote that I want to do something with and put it up in my home. Sometimes it's "go do your visiting teaching so you don't feel guilty anymore".  Then I also take notes in my journal about specific things that the speakers say. 

This week for part of my personal study I decided I wanted to go through all of my old notes and find my "to do lists". I'm sort of creating one monstrous list... and a lot of it is books that I want to read. It's funny how many things are on multiple lists... apparently for the last four years I have felt like I should read Jesus the Christ but haven't gotten around to it yet. 

Several times I have also heard the importance of simplifying our lives and putting the most important things first. I decided this week that I was going to start doing just that, simplify my life. One aspect of my life that I knew needed simplifying was parts of my online life. I followed close to 185 blogs of all sorts-- book blogs, couponing blogs, blogs that often things away, crafty blogs, diy project blogs, food blogs, blogs of strangers, and blogs of people I actually know. I now only follow 37 blogs. I was a "fan" of I don't even know how many pages on Facebook. I'm not such a fan anymore, I even deleted some of my Facebook friends. I found that by deleting several of those things, I have less of a reason to sit in front of my computer. I don't need to scroll through blog posts from 180 blogs to find the few posts that are actually interesting to me. I don't have a bajillion couponing tips popping up on my Facebook newsfeed. I have the time to put the most important things first.

Something else that I found in several of my lists was starting a gratitude journal or blog. I started a gratitude blog a way long time ago, and I think I only posted about 6 or 7 times. Since I am in charge of Activity Days in my ward for the girls aged 8-11, I decided that in November our first activity will be making Gratitude Journals. I decided this week that I was going to make mine now, and try to write in it regularly so that when November comes I have something that I can show my girls. 

Chris and I read a chapter from The Book of Mormon together each night, so in our personal study we tend to focus on other things--conference talks, Ensign articles, watch a few Mormon Messages, whatever floats our boats. After Saturday's meeting I decided I really wanted to study from Daughters in my Kingdom and it is AMAZING the things I have learned just studying a few pages a day. Who knew that in the Nauvoo days you weren't automatically a part of the Relief Society though you were a member of the church? I definitely didn't know that and thought it was interesting. 

I'm working on making good sacrifices to do better things. Although I love going walking with my friends in the mornings, this morning I passed up on that so I could go Visiting Teaching. I think the sister we visited really needed the company. I think she probably doesn't get a ton of company, especially with her only child living in Florida. Not to mention, I don't feel so guilty now that I've done my visiting teaching.

Something else I want to work on... is my blog. I never feel like I have a lot to post. We don't take many pictures, and what is a blog post with a picture? I want to work on that. Maybe I'll have to take a picture of the stack of books I've read over the last month or two as Chris has been working on an extra project for work at night. Or maybe I'll start taking pictures of my food more often and show you what we've been eating. Cooking/baking is one of my favorite things to do right now, as is finding new recipes online (thank you, pinterest for making it even easier!). 

I love my little red journal. I love all the memories that are contained in it. I'm a little sad, it looks like it might only last for one or two more general conferences, and then i'll need to find a new journal to replace it. I love the words in my little red journal that help inspire me to be a better person. Words that invite me to simplify, to create, to remember, and to prioritize. But more than that, I love that I have the opportunity to fill many pages of my little red journal this weekend as I watch and listen to General Conference. I'm excited to hear the messages that our prophet and other church leaders have to share with us.  And I'm excited to be able to relisten and reread these talks for the next six months (I've already watched President Uchtdorf's talk from the General Relief Society Broadcast twice)