Sunday Journal Prompt

“When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed he had had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened.”

– Winston Churchill 

“Don’t borrow trouble,” was a phrase I recall hearing when I was a child. It sounded like wise advice, but it was hard for me to stop thinking of whatever I was worried about, such as a new school year or an upcoming surgery. Telling myself not to think about something seemed to magnify its power.

Enter journaling. By writing down what consumed my thoughts, I was able to interact with my worries at a deeper level—and reduce them. Rather than not thinking about something, I immersed myself in it to gain a new perspective. When I find myself held hostage by worry, I try to remind myself of this reset button I discovered at a young age.  

What most worries you?

Dive into it on the page to work toward a healthier perspective.

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”

– Norman Vincent Peale, author and minister

While at my nephew’s basketball game at an elementary school, I discovered positive messages posted on the outside of the girls’ bathroom stall doors, messages like “What makes you different makes you beautiful” and “Kindness is power.” 

I thought of times in which I’d shed tears in the girls’ bathrooms of my childhood, hurt by something someone had said to me. Messages on those walls certainly didn’t lift me up. If, as author and minister Norman Vincent Peale says, changing our thoughts can change our world, exposing ourselves to thought-shifting elements like these phrases can transform our outlook.

How might you change your thoughts and thus change your world?

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Nearly all the best things that came to me in life have been unexpected, unplanned.”

– Carl Sandburg, poet

This week my fashion-loving 10-year-old niece and I went to a Todd Oldham fashion exhibit at our local arts center—an outing planned for two months. While the galleries had impressive displays and we had fun chatting about the different styles, she was far more engaged by the “secret staircases” that linked one room to another.

As other museum goers took the main entryways into each space, we darted up and down these near-hidden passages a good part of our time there. It was this unexpected discovery that added magic to our adventure.

What unexpected discovery has enriched your life? How can you stay open to unplanned possibilities?

 

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“Just give it a try and see what happens.”

– Gary Gilbert, screenwriter and InsideOUT Writers teacher, to incarcerated youth to encourage them to write about their life situation

 

Run by Hollywood screenwriters, the InsideOUT program teaches formerly and presently incarcerated youth how to write as a way to deal with their life situation. 

A quiet 15-year-old girl whose parents and brother had died due to violence in her world, told teacher Gary Gilbert, “I’m not a writer” and said she didn’t know where to begin. He encouraged her to give it a try to see what happens, and she wrote, “There’s a bullet where my heart used to be,” a first line that helped her write about her trauma.

Not all of his students are poets like she is, but it’s not about that. The idea is to let people know it’s safe to look inside and see what they find. As Gilbert says, “It’s about them seeing who they are, how they got there, and, if we do our job, about who they can become.”

 

What do you resist writing about? What might happen if you gave it a try?

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

“It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters.”

– Amit Ray, Meditation: Insights and Inspirations

 

Raised Catholic, I no longer attend Mass on a regular basis. Since practicing yoga and reading Buddhist, Hindu, Tao, Jewish and other teachings, my commitment to Catholicism has waned—though I feel my sense of spirituality has risen. Still, I find peace during Mass, as its predictable structure and familiar hymns ground me, especially during times of sadness or uncertainty. 

On a recent cold, gray, rainy weekend afternoon, I felt the urge to go to 5 p.m. Mass. I sat near a man with special needs, flanked by his elderly parents with whom he communicated through sign language. When the priest held up the consecrated host in preparation for Communion, the man raised his arm as if he was at a rock concert, his index finger and pinky finger extended while the rest of his hand was in a fist. He waved his arm and body about, revealing a beaming smile to the congregation. I left Mass feeling a renewed sense of energy, having received the positive vibration radiated by this lovely soul.

When have you been lifted by someone else's spirit?

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

 “Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”

– Alexander Graham Bell

For the past six weeks, my older son Michael has been preparing for his first actuarial science exam, a national certification exam that positions him as a viable candidate for internships and job opportunities. He studied as many as ten hours per day during his winter break from college. Although he took breaks and hung out with his friends several times, he largely stayed focused on his mission.

After reviewing and re-reviewing study materials and taking practice test upon practice test, he sat for the exam yesterday—and passed! Our family is thrilled for him, as his success uplifts us all. I’ll never forget seeing his ear-to-ear grin when he shared the good news. A day later, my heart remains full, knowing that he proved to himself that his hard work paid off.

When has someone else’s success filled your heart with joy?

 

 

 

 

Sunday Journal Prompt

What energizes you?
How can you share it with others? 

Today I will launch the first of a series of journaling workshops designed to help people reflect on who they are, what they want and how they can help themselves flourish. The Sanskirt word dharma, for which there is no definitive English translation, has many meanings. The way I think of it, when we practice our dharma, we are fulfilling a passion that promotes inner peace and helps us thrive, thus enhancing our relationships with people in our various communities. 

What are we doing when we feel a sense of flow—that we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing? Similar to a calling, a dharma may be caregiving, painting, writing, teaching or ministering. For me, sharing my love of journaling is a way to practice my dharma, to promote something that’s meaningful to me with others. 

What most energizes you? How can you share it with others?