Why Should We Keep Personal Journals?

Families and communities are stronger when individuals maintain personal journals. My family has much more information about my father than we do about my mother because Dad wrote his personal history, and Mom did not. Much of the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was written and corrected due to personal journal entries about historical events.

President Spencer W. Kimball is well-known for his journal keeping, and he spoke or wrote about keeping journal on several occasions. In his article “The Angels May Quote from It” (New Era, Oct. 1975), President Kimball wrote the follow to remind us of the importance of keeping journals. 

“The Lord Jesus Christ Himself emphasized the great importance of record keeping to the Nephites and Lamanites.” Christ asked the people why the fulfillment of Samuel’s prophecies about the resurrection had not been recorded. “And Jesus said unto them, How be it that ye have not written this thing, that many saints did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them? And it came to pass that Nephi remembered that this thing had not been written. And it came to pass that Jesus commanded that it should be written; therefore it was written according as he commanded.” (3 Ne. 23:6-13; italics added).

In the same article, President Kimball gave counsel about how to start journal keeping, something even young children can do.

Get a notebook, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity. Begin today and write in it your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. Remember, the Savior chastised those who failed to record important events.

President Kimball again wrote about keeping journals in his article “President Kimball Speaks Out on Personal Journals,” New Eras, Dec. 1980, 27). He cautioned us about discounting how important the details of our lives that we consider to be “monotonous” will be to our posterity. 

People often use the excuse that their lives are uneventful and nobody would be interested in what they have done. But I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records, they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to your families, to your children, your grandchildren, and others, on through the generations.”

The life of every individual is valuable to someone. It may be parents or siblings, children or grandchildren. Wise parents will keep their own personal journal and then encourage their children to do the same. By doing so, they can strengthen their extended family and their community.