Thursday, June 11, 2026
lost words and the spiritual discipline of journal keeping
I lost some words yesterday.
Travelling long haul from Germany to New Zealand, jet-lagged arriving into Singapore, I left my personal journal in the seat pocket of 57K.
I’ve lodged a lost and found claim with the airline. And while I wait – and hope – I ponder these lost words.
I journal regularly. I find it a helpful spiritual discipline to buy a blank journal, have some pens that feel good and to take time daily to write. What do I write?
The Psalmist writes of numbering our days. So on work days, I begin my daily writing by taking note of how I spent my time in the day gone. For example – 9 am – write; 10 am – research project – sending out 9 emails … and so on.
Next, I will write notes in response to the Lectionary reading. Often what results are reflections on the day gone in light of the Scriptures. Or a prayer for the day ahead.
Finally, I will record memorable moments from the day. It might be some words of encouragement. Or that I cooked up some apples, met a deadline, or tackled something I would rather avoid. I write my feelings and consider what that is saying about who I feel I am called to become. Occasionally, I will paste in an email or a concert ticket, and write about the experience.
How do I write? When I journal, I use different coloured pens. Days of rest tend to be green. Holidays tend to be orange. I will often use purple pens during Advent and Lent, and black or brown or blue during Ordinary time. Emails that I feel are significant are in red.
I will also often use symbols. A letter shape for an email. A hand drawn car when I drive somewhere, for example to grab a coffee or visit in town.
Why do I write? I write mainly to help me process. So that I remember things done well, or moments I’d rather forget. Which means that this element of my ongoing spiritual journey has not been lost. The words might be lost in the seat pocket of 57K. But in the moment of daily writing, I have already gained the benefit of pausing, reflecting, praying. For the gift of reflecting and praying and committing, I am deeply grateful.
What I have lost is the opportunity for review.
I review what I write weekly, often on the weekend. Looking back over the week helps me gain a sense of how I spent my working time over a week – I count up hours in relation to various project – and then consider that in light of my sense of vocation. I will also use a tick symbol and note what has been achieved. Number of runs for exercise. Billable hours. Significant conversations. These all help with gaining perspective. So what I have lost are my weekly reviews since I opened this new journal, back in March.
I also review the year annually. This involves taking time during summer holidays to read back over my entries for that year. I sit with the emotions. I ponder recurring patterns. This helps me plan my way forward, as I think about the year ahead.
So unless my lost words are found, it looks like this year I have lost 3 months of review. But I will still have nine months. Plus the 12 months of the daily discipline of spiritual journal keeping and the gift of time to pause and pray. That has not been lost. And for that I am grateful.
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