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My Journal, My TestimonyBy Salli Hollenzer, https://www.lds.org  February 21st, 2012

I began keeping a daily journal when my children were young and the clamor andconcerns of parenting filled my days.

This habit began when I found myself wishing I could read my grandmother’s

 journal. She raised six children, and I wondered how she had managed the

challenges of motherhood. Unfortunately, such a record does not exist, but I still

longed to know how my grandmother ministered to the needs of her family while

maintaining her individuality and spiritual strength.

Also pressing on my mind was President Spencer W. Kimball’s admonition to “begin

today and write … your goings and your comings, your deeper thoughts, yourachievements, and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your

impressions and your testimonies. We hope you will do this, … for this is what the

Lord has commanded, and those who keep a personal journal are more likely to

keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives.”

I desired these blessings and also wanted to leave a written legacy for my posterity.

At that time I committed to the practice of daily journal writing. Since I began in

1981, I have filled 38 journal volumes.

In more than 25 years of journal writing, I have learned far more than I ever imagined

about the blessings President Kimball spoke of. Following are some of the things I

have gained through journal writing.

I acquired a written family record of details that are a practical source of information.

I appreciate searching through my records and finding answers to family history

questions such as “What month did Grandpa retire from the Air Force?” It is

satisfying to know that family history details are readily accessible in my journal.

I have a clearer, richer memory of the past. It is wonderful to review the thoughtsand feelings I felt at my daughter’s baptism or on the day my son entered the

missionary training center. I recall the emotions I felt at those events, and a flood of

memories returns as I review moments of days gone by.

I found a practical method of setting goals, tracking my progress, and following

through on commitments. The pages of my journal are filled with my personal

ambitions. I am reminded of my goals, and because of this I feel I have accomplished

much more in my life than I might have otherwise.

I discovered a therapeutic means to resolve emotional, social, and spiritual issues Iface. As I record thoughts on the pages of my journal, I have learned to quickly get

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to the heart of the matter when something disturbs me. I am also able to retain the

lessons of life easier without having to repeat mistakes of the past.

I have improved my writing skills. I have never taken a writing course, but I have

become a better writer simply because I practice writing each day. Recently I havedrawn on past experiences to create stories and articles that have been published.

A satisfying venue has opened to me because I obeyed the counsel of the prophet.

I have discovered that many of my righteous desires are eventually fulfilled. Many

times I have recorded righteous aspirations, and years later I have found that those

desires have been granted. This form of importuning the Lord has been so dramatic

to me that now, much of what I write is simply an expression of the righteous desires

I have for my life and my family. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall

find; knock, and it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7). This scripture brings new

understanding to me as I humbly ask the Lord for my wants and needs on the pages

of my journal.

I have created a form of personal scripture by recording the inspiration and

revelations I have received. I’ve come to realize the truth in the words of Elder John

H. Groberg, a former member of the Quorum of the Seventy: “There is something

eternal in the very nature of writing, as is so graphically illustrated by the scriptures

themselves. In a very real sense, our properly written histories are a very important

part of our family scripture and become a great source of spiritual strength to us

and to our posterity.” 2 Occasionally I return to my journal to reflect on former

thoughts and am filled with the Spirit as I read previous spiritual promptings.

For me, journal writing is another way I can beseech the Lord. Often my thoughts

are drawn to Him as I write, and I feel enveloped by His love.

Record the Story of Your Life

“Your journal is your autobiography, so it should be kept

carefully. You are unique, and there may be incidents in your

experience that are more noble and praiseworthy in their waythan those recorded in any other life. …

“What could you do better for your children and your

children’s children than to record the story of your life, your

triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your

progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had

finally achieved?”

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985), “The Angels May Quote from It,” New

Era, Oct. 1975, 5.