Record Keeping

Recently I started pulling some rubbermaid bins from the basement to my upstairs office to start going through them.  First I am going to organize them into the members of my family.  Each bin being for a specific person, child #1, child #2, and so on.  So I got underway doing that.  I think I have about 17 large bins full of certificates, pictures, awards, vital records, and so on, and on, and on.  It was so fun looking at my babies, things they had written, and watching them grow up again through their pictures and things.  I found pictures of ancestors for whom I have done LDS Temple work for.  I never even knew I had these photos.  My family gives me a lot of things.  It's all a bit overwhelming when I look at all those bins, but as I dig in it sure feels good to get them organized.  After they are better organized, I plan to take all those yearly pictures and put them into sleeves instead of frames.  I've always kept my pictures in frames, but it sure makes those bins heavy and takes up so much more room.  While doing this I have come across some old notes, letters, and journals of mine.  I'm 46 and for the most part have kept a journal since I was 14 years old.  It is not only fun to take that walk down memory lane and feel those things again, but to see my ups and downs was amazing to me.  We forget so much of the things we do, the inspiration and revelations we receive, and the progress we make.  I try to keep a few journals.  One is on my phone.  When I am out and about or in the middle of the night, I send messages to myself as things happen or thoughts come to my head.  I keep a mental health journal, which I really only write in when I'm struggling and lost in depression or anxiety.  I keep my daily journal of my life, and my work in the gospel on my computer.  I also keep a study journal.  As I study the scriptures, good book, music, and so on I write things that stand out to me that day in my studies in that journal.  Yes, I could just keep one journal, but this is how I prefer to organize my life.  I have made so much progress in the past 3 1/2 years, and someday, or on occasion I can pull it up and read and see how far I've come.  Sometimes I feel like I'm not making progress in my life, but reading back through these records really boosts my spirits and helps me to feel God's love and guidance in my life.