An Only One Bestseller

When my daughter was born, I started a journal.* Knowing I loved to write, I was in charge of keeping track of life's little moments of her life that touched me. The journal starts literally within the week she was born. In the early years, my entries were frequent, sometimes many to a page. As she grew older they grew more lengthy and were usually a page in length.

It was my intent that when she turned 18 I would give her the book. Well, at that time, it just didn't feel right. So, I moved the date out to "when she graduates from college."

Well, that date comes this weekend.

The book is full of great moments including:


  • Her first week with us when she was fussing in her bassinet, which she hated.
  • A day out in the back yard when she 3 or 4 and was swinging on the swing, singing away - something she never did. But that day she did. It was magical.
  • The day I took her to Eble Park skating as a 5 year old and for some reason it touched me enough that I had to write about it.
  • The night after Ben was born, I wrote about how she shared her toys with him.
  • One entry was about how she wanted me to say "Mommie's prayer." I told her I didn't know it and could she say it. So she said, "Now I way me down to sweep..."  Slayed me!
  • I wrote about her catching her first musky up north and how proud it made me.

There are a ton of other entries in there. Part of the fun of getting it ready to give to her was looking back on some of these things that I don't even remember.

The whole thing made me realize again how quickly life passes. I am so glad I took the time to put down these fleeting thoughts. I only wish I'd done it more often - though the book is only about 10 pages from being filled.

I often tell people, it is one of the two most important books I'll ever write.

The other is to my son, Ben who I've done the same thing for.

I highly recommend this practice to all you young parents or grandparents out there!

Blogging off...

*The book itself was actually a gift to us from our friend, Jacqui White, when Sarah was born.

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