One of the reasons that I have never gone for separate journals is because I get into writing and my thoughts just kind of segue from one thing to another pretty rapid-fire and I'm thinking if I had more than one journal I'd get all mixed up... I'm easily confuzzled!

So, those of you with multiple journals, how do you deal with that and keep them straight? Is there repetition, or when you start veering off into a topic for another journal, do you write See other journal, or what?

???

I used to have just one journal to write down my daily thoughts, and yes, my thoughts would progress from one subject to the next.

But recently my sweet boyfriend passed on. I want to remember him and things about him.....good memories, jokes we shared, etc. I bought a journal just to dedicate to him. I will write down my thoughts while going through the grieving and healing process, and what I want to remember about him. In time some things do fade, so I want to capture it while it is still fresh in my mind.

I think other people do the same thing for very specific subjects.....perhaps a journal for daily thoughts, another for poems, another to keep track of crafts or hobbies, one for dreams, one for prayers, one for special quotes from family, etc.

That is a very sweet idea Cassie, and I think a quite powerful one. That way all your thoughts about him are in one place, and it's a special place.

Cassie I love that too.

IH8FMS, I am like you. I need to be frazzled/positive/excited/confused/creative/spiritual in one place.

So far having the two separate journals is working out well for me. My personal one and the one I dedicate to my recently deceased boyfriend.

I have a few pictures of my boyfriend inside the cover of his journal, so I can look at him sometimes when I think of different things. Everything I can think of goes into that journal......including his favorite quotes, his favorite foods, endearing things I want to remember about him, lyrics of songs that connect me to him in some way, and of course my feelings of grief and moving on. In the beginning I would just write down how I was feeling, but now I address my entries as if they are letters to him and it seems more personal and right to me. I am already half way through this journal and it has only been two months since he died. I bought another journal like it as a backup to continue if I run out of space.

It helps so much therapeutically, and it's a comfort to know that little things that come to my mind about him won't get lost with time.

Dear Cassie -

I think that is a spectacularly lovely thing you're doing, and that you'll treasure it forever. Hopefully other people in this situation read this thread and get the idea to do it.

It is great that you have a backup. That way you know you can write as much as you want.

Thanks, Lisa. I have mentioned my journal in the Bereavement section of the forums as well. I may go ahead and write more there about it to give other people the idea. I just knew I would have a lot going on inside of me when my boyfriend passed away, and I thought a journal would be a good place to remember him and to unload some feelings and emotions when I would not know what else to do with them. It helps....

Cassie, i think that is an amazing idea. What a beautiful, wonderful way to celebrate a loved one. I am going to have to remember this tip.

My personal journal has "Believe in Yourself" inscribed on the cover. That saying is very inspirational to me right now. Sometimes having positive quotes around can be very grounding and reassuring.