In my mind's eye I can see a shelf with each year of my life represented by a thick bound book.
Little white and pink diaries with locks and keys from my childhood.
Victorian day books from my early married life give way to the tooled leather-bound journals that captivated my fancy during my late twenties.
Sturdy, predictable moleskine notebooks I discovered in my mid-thirties dominate the shelf until my taste changes again in my senior years.
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Within each volume, creamy paper and chocolate ink record my reflections as I dance, struggle, and stride through my appointed years.
Photos, news clippings, pressed flowers, and charming sketches illustrate the beauty of a quiet, intentional life.
Letters, their secrets secured with ribbon, chronicle my friendships and hint at larger happenings in the world.
But none of that is reality.
A collection of motley blank books record odd days of my life.
None are filled.
Hundreds of letters and clippings are squirreled away in odd boxes and drawers, and I happily find an excuse to pause my cleaning efforts and fly to a gold-kissed past when I happen upon them.
My journals are written in flesh. My thoughts, my experiences, whether sunshine or spleen, both serious and silly, were shared with family and friends.
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My diaries are the hearts of those I have loved through the years.
You are written on my heart in love,
Momma
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