With the pace of modern life causing us to redefine the meaning of “hectic”, it’s all too easy to feel disconnected from the people who are truly the only important aspects of our lives. One way that Dawne and I keep up with each other (and the teenagers) is to keep a running Love Journal. Our love journal isn’t the sort of diary filled with mushy love notes (though they can be found in there as well), so much as an ongoing conversation we have with each other, especially when we can’t actually sit down and have a conversation.
It all started when I took a new job at a local department store, working the night shift. Most families do the bulk of their communicating during and after dinner. This is when they spend time together, if they can. Our problem was that I left for work shortly after dinner (my breakfast), and wouldn’t return until the wee hours of the morning, when they were all asleep. I would then sleep the day away, not seeing my family, get up, and do it all over again. I even slept the weekends away. I had no idea what my family was doing, and I was missing out on everything the kids were doing. I missed them all terribly
One morning I arrived home from work, only to find that my wonderful wife had left me a present on the coffee table, where I was sure to see it. It was a small journal, lying open to the very first entry. It read:
“To My Love. Here’s my first entry in our lovely notebook. How did your night go? I REALLY hope it went well.” She then continued to tell me what she and the kids had done that evening, and suggested that on my next night off we have a “date night”, watching Logan’s Run in our bedroom. She finished off the note with a bunch of silly pictures of hearts and kisses, and lots of X’s and O’s. I LOVED it.
Before retiring for the day, I wrote her an answer, telling her about my night, and agreeing to the date night she had proposed, and a tradition was born. As the days rolled into weeks, an additional benefit rapidly became apparent: we weren’t spending my days off “catching up”, because we were already caught up. We could just settle in, and enjoy each other’s company. Now that I am a work at home husband, we don’t write in the love journal very much anymore, but I almost miss those nights, just for the everyday romance that our daily letters to each other brought.
Creating your own love journal
The basics of creating your own love journal are simple enough: get a journal, write something loving in it, and leave it somewhere you partner is sure to find it. Rinse and repeat. What you actually write depends upon you and your partner’s needs. For Dawne and I, it was mostly a matter of keeping each other abreast of what was going on in our lives when we were apart, peppered with declarations of love. For other couples it might be affirmations of love and devotion, a love journal in the truest sense of the phrase, or perhaps a blend of the two. It can be anything that you want it to be, and that’s the secret: it is your communique to your partner, from your heart to theirs.
If the written word isn’t enough for you, feel free to customize it with drawings and photos of important moments, or even the mundane events that make up your lives together. You could even dab a bit of your perfume or cologne on the page, just for that extra touch. Dress it up any way you wish, it’s your love journal, and should reflect the uniqueness of your affections for each other.
2 Comments
Lovely idea…me and my fiancee are in a long-distance relationship for the moment and have been doing a similar thing but via email…it’s very nice t keep these email and print them out into a book
What a wonderful idea, ans something I bet your grandchildren will enjoy reading in the future!