What Needs to Come Out of the Closet... or Secrets of a Word Hoarder.....

The front page of "volume 2" of the family history....

     I have finally been able to work on cleaning out a closet that I have a lot of sentimental things stored in.... I had wanted to clean it out this past summer, but of course, with my recent illness, that did not happen. I am cleaning one shelf at a time, and the shelves are deep, so there is a lot to go through.... 

     I have a box that contains handwritten letters that I received the first year that I was married..... I read several, and cherished not only the words, but also the signatures which I consider the last treasure a person leaves behind on this earth when they depart. I was thinking about how nowadays, people don't write handwritten letters or leave behind their signatures.... it is all typed, and most of it not even printed.... I know that has been true for me, lately .... makes me a little sad....

     I pulled out old journals and saw hundreds... probably thousands of prayers written out... I can't even tell you how many journals I have, but 4 of them are 1 in. binders, crammed full,  plus, there are about 8 spiral bound notebooks... and I'm pretty sure there are a few little lock & key diaries as well... I'm sure no one will ever read them, (my kids claim they can't read my handwriting at all!) but I love to consider a particular event or date, and see if I have an entry close to that time and find out what I was thinking....

     My faith grew up in those journals!! And my words, when I read them, minister to me now as if they were brand new, written by someone else. I am usually shocked by my depth of insight 10 or 20 yrs. ago, as I feel like I am often re-learning so many things. It is interesting to see how some prayers have been answered and other prayers have been prayed over and over and over....not that they weren't answered, but rather that the heart continues to desire more and more....

     I pulled out my scrapbooks full of the Christmas newsletters I have written. I started writing my newsletters in December, 1990, with our firstborn's first Christmas. I have saved a copy of every newsletter, as well as photos, and have never missed a year, though there were many years when I considered it. In my very first Christmas newsletter, I promised, in the first paragraph, that it was my intention to record some of our family history and to keep a record every year thereafter, and I am so glad I have been able to do it. I don't know if people like to read them, (well, ok, I do know that SOME people like to read them because I have been told that I better not forget to send them.... LOL,) but my children LOVE them. 

A work in progress... newsletters with photos
 from every Christmas since 1990

     As you can imagine, I am way too detailed in my earlier writings (that improved some, but mostly out of necessity as we have had more children-- no one wants to read a 10 page newsletter!) 

     For awhile, at Advent, in the past, we would read one letter each night and look at the photographs. The younger children are particularly fascinated with this whole entire childhood their brothers lived before they themselves had come on the scene. The older boys love the reminiscing... I am always amazed at how so much of it seems like it was just yesterday.... and other things, I have completely forgotten!!! 

     I need a new scrapbook to hold the last few years. Plus, I have the "Special Edition" newsletters announcing births, mission trips, a move to a new house, and even a special announcement of a little one who was miscarried.... I confess, though I wrote them, I truly love my newsletters.

     I wonder how future generations will preserve their history? In the past, the way to do so was through letters, journals, old calendars, and even household ledgers... but so much of what people have written down now is also easily deleted... I have lost so much on crashed computers, it will make me sick if I think too hard about it.... One reason I write on my FB and this blog is because then, I know where it is. But, if something happens to these websites (like my first blog site that disappeared, ugh... ) then I will lose all of this history, too! 

     I know I do, indeed, live a bit too much in the past at times, but I love a good story, and what story do I know better than my own? My favorite aspect of my newsletters is seeing the transformation from the earliest letters to when I became a saved Christian and to see how my methods of sharing my experiences in Christ have matured and deepened over the years.... my faith has been shared in those Christmas newsletters!!! I hope others have been affected by that, but I have to say, it has probably affected ME the most!! When we share our own story of God's faithfulness, we can't help but be encouraged!

     What I want to know is.... what do other people do? 

     How do you preserve your family's history?! Leave a comment below... I'd love to hear your ideas!