my life in journals...

What an eye opening experience it has been to be home and going through all of the things in my storage. I have had journals from way back in 1996 that I have had the chance to read through and enjoy and ponder and laugh at and shake my head. It is just mind boggling how we change over the years.
I am grateful for the knowledge that comes with age. What floors me is how much of a hopeless romantic I was. I would fall head over heals for every "Prince Charming" and so the journals reflect that...I struggled like every sparkly-eyed schoolgirl, falling hopelessly for every first date...dreamily hoping for that second date...that first kiss... The pages reflect insecurity, reflect frustration, reflect the struggles of dating that I think we all go through and how hard it is to find the right person to share our lives with.
NOW, I am grateful for the longevity of my relationship with Justin. I am grateful for the calm that is in my life. I am a better person because he is in my life. I am able to be who I am, am able to find the goals to cross off the list, am able to enjoy holding hands and know that he feels the same towards me. And for that I am grateful.
We struggle sure! We have hopes and dreams that are very different. We have jobs that are very different and require different things. We enjoy different hobbies. However, we have hopes and dreams that are very much the same. We are so blessed to have family who love us. We are so blessed to have a wonderful home, where we can entertain friends and family, where we hope to one day bring a child into our lives and create the family we have always wanted.
These journals are very eye-opening. It truly has been a fun adventure where I am able to share the stories of my life and of which there are plenty. The travels of my life after graduate school, the funny occurrences, the ins and outs of working through life's struggles.
What is interesting is that these journals have now transferred to this blog...a more technically savvy form of correspondence. Now many can place the joke here about me being SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO technology savvy! :)
What is also very fun is to see how much I have changed and how much I have not...
And I am grateful that I have these as a record of a life well lived...