Ever since Baker was a newborn, back in 2005, I have been journaling about him. At first I was using my weekly calendar to records his little "firsts." Then it branched out into an actual journal, that I bought specifically for writing in. When I was pregnant with Bear, I took my little 2 year old Baker to the bookstore, and he picked out our new journal for me to record everything about him and his soon to be little brother.
I remember my grandma keeping a little journal by her side of the bed, and each night she would jot down the day's happenings. Very often she would call me into her room, "Ashleigh, what was it you said today about...? I want to make sure I write it down just as you said, it was so cute." It always made me smile knowing that things I did or said were important to her, and meant something special to her. I wonder if she'd go back and reread about my visits to her every summer, after I'd returned home.
As a mother now, I am so grateful to that she modeled that to me, recording our family history.
History. That's what it is. These little happenings each day, little things my boys say or do, they are making our history. Journals full of history that we will all have to remember these days by.
One day, I will pass these journals on to my sons, so they can remember their childhoods, their days with me and each other. I don't want to forget. I don't want them to forget. And the thing is, because I no longer have my parents, my husband's parents, nor any of our grandparents around to tell us stories of days gone by, it's that much more important that I record all that I can. I need to be able to give my boys their heritage, something to hold on to, something that tells them, "This is who you are, this is where you come from, this is what it is to be a Coleman and a Forrest son."
I have plastic bins too of all of their little thing that they've made over the years, drawings, ticket stubs and thousands of photos! They always ask me when i'm going to scrapbook, and I tell them when they've grown. Right now I'm just recording it all! And with running a home and homeschooling, I truly have no time to scrapbook everything. But one day, maybe when i have little grandkids, I'll get to putting it all together. It will be a lovely project, and I look forward to it. For now, I'll continue recording their funny things they say and do, when they're sick, when they're sad and why. These are the things that are so important. I treasure every letter and note that I still have from my mom and grandma. It's so comforting to reread them and just remind myself of how much I was loved by them, especially on days when life is just tiring. Those reassurances and memories keep me going, by reminding me of who I am. I don't know what the future holds, but I plan to see writing every day and providing that reassurance for Baker and Bear.
As a mother now, I am so grateful to that she modeled that to me, recording our family history.
