Strengthening Your Relationship Through A Journal

Earlier this week I put out a challenge to participate in the "Random Acts Of Kindness Week". Today is the day to report on that. I have done a few things this week in the spirit of random kindness (leaving notes, making beds), but I wanted to share something that Jess and I have been doing now for about 7 years for each other. Just a small act of kindness for each other that we can keep forever.

It started out as a small idea. I am always writing little notes to my kids and Aaron. Little notes of endearment or encouragement. While I was helping Jess to clean her room one day I saw she had all of these little notes stuffed into a box. Jess keeps everything and she didn't want to part with these little nuggets of love. That's when it hit me. What if we had all of those little pieces of paper in a book. All in one place and easy to store.

Jess and I went out the next day journal shopping. We hand picked  journals that matched and made us feel good to look at. We bought special pens to write in them with and then brought them home and each put them on our nightstands. Any time we had a little something to say, we would write it in the others journal.

Most of the time this was done without the other knowing it. Just a random act. Then the other one would come in to find their journal open with a new entry in it. Gratitude for a job well done, encouragement for an upcoming challenge, terms of endearment and love. Whatever we felt like expressing. I will share one entry that Jess left for me seven years ago, when she was only 11 years old (spelling and all ;o).....

"Dear mom,

Thank you for everything. I relay like when you clended my room. Every kid in the wold would want a mom like  you."

Love,

Jessi

4/5/04

I will have that forever. I love to go back and read my journal from time to time. The entries in my book are getting fewer and farther between, as Jess gets older and more involved with her life, but I still treasure each and every one of those entries. It has given each of us something to hold onto, to help us become closer, to brighten a gray day and to remind us how much we love each other.