Writng is an expression of Self---the rest of the story. . . .

You know, my dear ones writing in journals is not new to me. I took very seriously many years ago, the counsel of our living prophet, Spencer W. Kimball to write and keep a journal. I have about a dozen journals from the 70s, that sometime I will review and perhaps piece together the "rest of the story."

This is a picture I had taken in 1980, a few years into my journal writing. Mattie was just a little one, but at the time I was determined to lose the "post baby fat" and looked quite slim at the time.




I wrote from the beginning of my membership in the church significant events and or experiences. It seems like I was a scribe of some kind that I would keep notes during meetings I attended at church. That is how I got started to keep notes about these things. I wanted to be obedient and I am so grateful now that I have some kind of personal history record of my life as a young wife and mother for my posterity.

Writing became a self-confidence builder

Just in case anyone would like to know, I have not always felt I have had the ability to write something worthy for posterity to treasure. I had the privilege of the inspiration of Brother Don Norton, a BYU professor of English as a ward Sunday School teacher. He taught a series about personal and family history. He planted a very lasting seed in my heart to preserve my many life experiences. I learned from him to just write it like I think it and let it flow without worry of content.

Grammar was always something I was aware of in expressing my self in the written word and well as the spoken word. Brother Norton was very generous with his praise and had us write short stories and he would read them in his class, then make suggestions that were very helpful. He would tell us how to edit them but kept the integrity of the content. I felt validated by his non-critical approach of my writings. It made me more confident to continue. Writing and or journaling is very therapeutic by the way.

It was also Don Norton that encouraged our Sunday school class to record our parents and grandparents before the time was gone and couldn't be called back. I treasure those recorded conversations I had with my mother and father more so now. I have both their voices and a permanent recording that I did over the years after Don's class.

Pre-cursor to the First Book of Anna--

Later on, I had the blessing of taking a couple of classes when I was taking post graduate classes from Brother Norton. His assignments were to write my own personal history. He was in essence my mentor when I was in Mexico for one of my distant learning class credits. I got a full "A" grade too. I let it flow and through those assignments which later became the bulk of the content of that First Book of Anna--now you have the rest of that story. This whole blog goes to show how the hand of God blessed me to listen and act upon the promptings to just write! Agree?