22 minute read
The Benefits of Journaling by Wendy H. Jones
The Benefits of Journaling
by Wendy H. Jones
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Over the past several years journaling has become increasingly popular; even more so in the past year as many people have used journaling to deal with what is happening around them. Whilst no-one can control the virus or the situation in which they currently find themselves, they can control how they act and how they deal with what life throws at them. Journaling can help with this.
What exactly is journaling? At it’s very simplest it is a way of writing without pressure on a regular basis. It is essentially a way of getting your thoughts down on paper and recording them in a manner which can help you make sense of them not only at the time, but later. As teenagers many of us kept journals or as we called them then, diaries. As teenagers we were trying to deal with numerous changes, make sense of a world that often felt like it had tipped on its axis. Everything that happens in a teenager’s life is of monumental importance, often seeming much larger than it actually is. Keeping a diary can help a teen to analyse and dissect what they are feeling and to help clear their thoughts. I think a similar thing is happening today.
The health benefits of journaling are widely reported and include: Reduced stress. • Boosts the immune system, an area where we currently need all the help we can get.
• It opens up the brain to new ideas. The more you journal the more you will take in around you and the more you will not only learn but want to learn. You become more observant, and your brain will process things more deeply and more quickly.
• It has a calming effect as it allows you to process and clarify your thoughts.
• Assists you to gain new perspective on what is going on around you.
• Increased mindfulness.
• Improved mood. • Can help you to start the day or to wind down at the end of the day.
• Improved brain power.
• Improvement in memory function • More stable sleep patterns. • Increased IQ. • Encourages greater focus.
These are just some of the benefits of journaling and many more have been documented. Journaling is so much more than putting words down on paper
So, what do you need to start journaling? Nothing more than a notebook and pen. You can buy expensive leatherbound journals meant specifically for that purpose, or you can buy a cheap notebook. You can use an expensive fountain pen, or a cheap biro. Many people now use journaling apps on their phone such as Day One (Apple products only) or Darium (windows/android). To be honest it is not what you use that is important, it is the writing itself. Although, many people who journal find themselves buying notebooks at will and you may find yourself becoming a notebook addict.
The important thing about journaling is that you find somewhere quiet and usually alone. It is difficult to write your thoughts down meaningfully if you feel you will be disturbed any minute or that someone could be peering over your shoulder. Once you are alone, open the page, uncap the pen and write. Write anything that comes into your mind. Write down what is important to you. Write down how you feel. Write down what is going on in your mind. Write about your walk, doing the dishes, cleaning the house, the gardening, the libraries, cinemas, shops reopening. If you are happy, if you are sad, how you feel about your children or home schooling. I am sure you are getting the drift - you can write anything you want to write. The important thing is to start writing - as you get into the swing of it your brain will free up as will your thoughts, and you will start to write what is really important to you. I would advise you to try it for a month and then you will discover your groove and wonder how you managed without it this far in your life.
Your next steps are: • Buy a nice notebook.
• Buy a nice pen.
• Find somewhere quiet.
• Start to write.
• Have fun.
You really will discover that journaling can be eye opening, mind blowing, and fun. Try it now.
Wendy H. Jones is the award winning, international best-selling author of the DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries, Cass Claymore Investigates Mysteries, Fergus and Flora Mysteries, Bertie the Buffalo children’s books and the Writing Matters books for writers. She is also a writing and marketing coach and the President of the Scottish Association of Writers. As copy editor for Mom’s, she works hard to ensure content is appropriate and free of grammatical and spelling errors. You can learn more about Wendy on her website: https://www.wendyhjones.com/
Contributions by Hannah Howe
I gave my father $100 and said, “Buy yourself something that will make your life easier.” So he went out and bought a present for my mother. What do you call a boomerang that won’t come back? A stick.
During a lesson about adjectives, my friend, an elementary school teacher, asked her class to describe their mothers. One boy described his mother's hair as auburn. Impressed by his sophisticated choice of word, my friend asked, "How do you know that your mother’s hair color is auburn?" The student replied, "Because that's what it says on the box."
Yesterday I saw a guy spill all his Scrabble letters on the road. I asked him, “What’s the word on the street?” I got all my looks from my father. Mostly just the look of disappointment.
We moved to Wales. It’s beautiful. However, since the move my husband has become suspicious. Last night, he said to me, "You're having an affair with that man from Llanfairpwllgwyngyllwyrndrobwyllllantisiliogogogoch, aren't you?" I smiled and said, "How could you say such a thing?" What do you call a parade of rabbits hopping backwards? A receding hare-line.
As my lawyer friend once said to me, “Dance like no one is watching. Email like one day it might be read out in a deposition.”
Chess
Supplied by Chess.Com
White is on the defensive in this position. After 1. Kxg2 Bh3+ 2. Kg1 Qd5 can you find the key defensive move?
Supplied by https://chess.com the #1 chess website. Used with permission. For more chess puzzles please visit https://chess.com You can find answers for this activity on the Mom’s Favorite Reads website here: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/magazines/activities/
Got a Light?
by C. Forrest Lundin
Chapter One
The streets of the French Quarter were slick with rain. He’d waited at the entrance to Saint Louis
Square, across from the cathedral. Jimmy Oiseau
swore he’d meet him there after 9 p.m. Jimmy struck again. He should have known better than to trust the jerk.
All he wanted to do was go home. The problem with leaving the city had to do with money. Jimmy
owed him and he didn’t want to go home emptyhanded. The war over, the military was mustering men out all over the place. Ex-military men were a dime a dozen. Every man and his brother needed a damn job.
Jimmy, a good old Cajun boy, grabbed him before board. With just enough gas in Jimmy’s old truck, they left for Mobile. The whole thing went to hell when they crossed the line into Alabama. Three ‘Bama boys took exception to Jimmy freighting Louisiana oysters into their territory.
After the fight was over, Jimmy speculated the man they bought the oysters from had alerted the competition. They lost one entire bag of the damn smelly things. After delivery, the amount they got added up to a lot less than planned.
he cleared the gate and talked long and hard about
moving oysters from Louisiana to Alabama. Said
they could freight a bunch of fifty-pound sacks and One of Jimmy’s many cousins hunted them down. As
they were dividing the cash, he told Jimmy about a
so-called windfall. One of the big cargo boats coming upriver had hit a severe storm out in the Gulf.
pocket bucks.
He needed those greenbacks. Wanted them so much he jumped at the chance without a glance at the problems they might encounter. Those were legion to quote a Bible passage. They paid a lot more for the shellfish than the figure Jimmy first named.
bags of coffee. They needed men to come in and shovel it up.
The broker declined the shipment. Jimmy said the man would surely take out a claim on his insurance
for the beans. The ship wanted it out of the hold. It was free. Gratis, according to Jimmy. If they could scrape up as much as possible into sacks, it would
be theirs to peddle. Jimmy and his cousin took their
haul south to bayou country to find a buyer.
They should have returned. He should have money in hand and be on his way to the bus station. If he didn’t get his behind home soon, God only knew
what Noreen would do. With the war over, his wife
expected to see him home and ready to plant their get there before planting season ended.
And he needed to have a few bucks when he hit the
door. Like a fool, he’d played poker with guys he
didn’t know. Jimmy laughed at him when he found
out how much he’d lost. Where the hell was Oiseau,
anyway. A half hour later, he worried. Had Jimmy screwed him too?
The sound of wheels on Chartres Street or maybe on the sidewalk had him looking out into the misty
dark. What he didn’t expect was to get bumped in
the ankle by something. “Ouch! What the hell?
What…”
Copyright Ó C. Forrest Lundin 2020
He closed his mouth in a hurry when he realized what — or rather, who had bumped into him. A
man on a board with skate wheels mounted under “I might have. If they aren’t damp. I’ve been waiting on a buddy of mine and it’s been a while. I’m wondering if he’s going to turn up or not.”
“It’s a crappy night for traveling. I hear this storm
has several bayous running over the roads down in
the delta. Someone said it was on the radio.”
“Damn it. I guess that answers that. I wondered if
it was pushing himself along on the sidewalk. A soldier who hadn’t come home in one piece used the
board. He tilted an umbrella to the side and glanced up. “Sorry, fella. I didn’t see you in the
dark. Excuse me.”
The man had a wooden block with a slot for his hand cut in it. Carpet covered the bottom and sides. He supposed that saved the man’s skin from
being torn up on the sidewalk. “Pardon me for being in your way. I should have been paying better attention.”
“I’m tired. There was a shindig down Chartres aways. I stayed too long hoping to peddle a few
more pencils. What with trying to stay somewhat
dry, I wasn’t looking where I was going. I need to
take a break for a minute.”
He pulled a pack of smokes from his shirt pocket and a book of matches. “Well hell, I don’t have a
match left.” The man on the board looked up. “Have you got a light? I could use a drag off this Jimmy was stiffing me, guess not.” He took out the
book of matches and leaned down to light one for
the guy on the board. “Looks like I might spend the
night on one of these benches.”
“Name’s Ted,” The man on the board held up his hand. “What’s yours?”
“You get mustered out recently?” Ted asked.
“Yup. Trying to get home. I lost a bunch of money in a card game and Jimmy has been helping me…
well… trying to help me get enough together to get
home. If I don’t have seed money when I cross the
threshold, Noreen is gonna kick my hind end up be-
tween my shoulder blades.”
“Noreen being the little woman, I take it?”
damn thing.” “You got that one. I’ve known the girl since she was
knee high to a grasshopper. She can take skin off at fifty paces with that tongue.” He grinned. “But she’s
cute as a bug’s ear and a tasty morsel.”
Ted took another drag off his cigarette. It looked to be a roll-your-own he kept in an old Camel pack. “I
can’t bring myself to leave another vet out in the
take advantage of another vet, nor did he want to
offend the man by turning down his offer. “You sure
this won’t put you out? I don’t want to take
advantage.”
By the faint light coming from the cathedral, Ted smiled up at him. “I’ll make you a deal. You get me
home and I’ll put you up for the night. If your friend
is a real pal, he’ll be here tomorrow night. You can
get your bucks and head on home. I suspect he’s
stuck where he is until the water goes down. Here in Lousyana, we’re always waiting on the weather.”
He squatted down beside Ted. “I’ll take you up on the offer, but how do you figure I can get you home? I’ll do whatever you want, I’m not trying to
weasel out here.” It wasn’t hard pulling Ted on the board. A loud curse let Ernie know he’d not been careful enough at the
end of the alley. He bounced Ted too hard on the board when the wheels fell into a crack between
paving stones. “Sorry, fella. I didn’t realize how
rough it is.”
“Give me a minute while I reposition. The going is easier on Royal. When you get past Toulouse, start looking for a short ramp leaning against a door. If
you put it down in the street, I can push up on the
banquette. You pull the rope and Brielle will open the door for us. It’s a good thing we’re on the
ground floor.”
The ramp stood where Ted told him to look. Ernie put it down over the gutter, which ran several inches high with water. It made sense looking at the flow of
“You got a duffle bag?”
“I do.”
Ted nodded. “I thought you might. Put it on the
board with me. Detach the strap from the closure.
I’ll hold on to the bag and you can pull me down the
street. It isn’t far, I’m plain tuckered out. The old lady is gonna bitch at me for not coming home
sooner. With you along, I may skirt disaster.” Ted laughed. water that Jimmy might not get back into town.
He dashed up and pulled the bell, then turned to help Ted up the ramp. The double doors opened. The paneled solid doors gave way to glass doors.
A dark-haired woman pushed one wide open and
held the other. “Where have you been, Theodore?
Ernie chuckled. “That’s a woman for you. Damned if
you do and damned if you don’t. We get this set up,
I’ve been worried.” She hurried to shut the doors
behind them.
which direction are we going?”
“Down Pirate Alley over to Royal. Then turn left. Five blocks up on the right. I’ll let you know when it Ernie stopped to look around the inner court. Stairs led up to the floors above. A door stood open with light shining out into the courtyard. Planters hung
“Gabrielle, let me introduce you to my friend, Ernie. He graciously agreed to tow me home, and I’ve offered him a bed for the night. I think he can sleep in with the boy. En, cher?”
“Of course. But let me get you both into the living
room. I’ll get some towels. Have you eaten?”
“Ma’am, I’m not looking to put anyone out.” Ernie reached down to pull the duffel bag up and cinch the strap into the metal loop.
In the warm yellow light from the open door, her
smile seemed genuine. Ted’s wife folded up the um-
brella and held the handle out to Ted. When he took hold of it, she towed him into the waiting room and shut the door.
“Come into the kitchen. I have the cook stove on.
It’s warmer there. You two can dry out. Would you
like tea with brandy? Theodore always has one when he’s been out in the rain. I have a nice pot of
red beans still warm. They haven’t dried out, which
is a wonder as late as you are.” party.” Ted pulled a rucksack from over his back and handed it up to his wife. “A bowl of your wonderful
beans darlin, with a good dollop of rice if you would.
Is there enough for Ernie to have a large portion? He’s been standing out in the rain waiting for a friend.”
“There is. Mister Ernie, let me take your coat. I’ll
hang it to dry at the back of the stove. I’m grateful to
you for bringing Theodore home. A tow is far easier for him.”
She bustled around the kitchen. Gabrielle stopped to
lean down and kiss her husband twice. Once when
she put Ernie’s bowl on the table and again when
she handed a towel to Ted. She took what looked to be a small table cut down to fit over Ted’s board.
After putting his food and drink on it, she took the towel and scrubbed his head for a moment.
Her obvious affection for the man without legs from above the knees, had Ernie embarrassed. It was as if he watched an intimacy he should turn away from. Still, it was something to see, this lovely woman car-
ing for her wounded man. A man who would never
again walk on two legs. Ernie wondered what Noreen would have done if he had come home
wounded the same way.
They settled in to eat. The beans were creamy and filled with little pieces of meat. The woman sipped at a mug of something hot while she watched Ted. When he finished, she removed the bowl, and he leaned back against the padded board attached to his conveyance.
“Merci, cher. That has filled the hole in my middle. But it has been a long day. I think I will go to bed.
Can you see to our guest?”
She squatted on the tiled floor and hugged Ted. They kissed and Ted used his wooden blocks to propel his board into the open door on the far side of
the room. Gabrielle turned her head to the side and
listened, her face serious in the light. The oven kicked on. It was the only sound in the house.
Ted’s wife stood. “Come. I’ll take you to our son’s
room. He has a double bed. The boy can be a restless sleeper. But the room is warm and dry.” They
went back out into the courtyard.
Ernie stopped her when they got on the far side of the opening. “I can sleep out here. I don’t want to
bother your boy. If you have a spare blanket…”
“No, no. It’s all right. I’m more than happy to accommodate you. It was kind of you to bring him
home. I worry about him. He knows this. I fear he may take a chill and perhaps die on me. Theodore is a man used to doing for himself. His condition wore on him when he got home.” “I can see where it would. Can I ask you a question? It’s a little personal. You see, I married my girl two weeks before I had to report and ship out. I wonder… well… if she would take care of me as you take
care of Ted. How do you do it?”
She nodded her dark head. “I have him back. That he is here with me at all is a miracle. Theodore is my Christmas present. At first, I thought we might
not reach this point. Losing his legs was a blow. I
didn’t coddle him; he would have shut me out. Still, I let him know I loved him no matter what. It is no hardship to make things easier for him. He is here. Our son and I get to be with him, love him. How could I be unhappy?”
“But he’s peddling pencils for money. He can’t protect you from others… I’m not trying to be mean.
I’m trying to understand.”
Gabrielle gave a solemn nod. She speared a glance
back toward the room where her man waited. “He protected me. Theodore gave his legs to the cause. The pencils he sells, it is money we would not have
otherwise. He came home to me.” Her voice broke. “Home to us. Mister Ernie, if your woman doesn’t
love you enough to take you any way she can get
you, you have married the wrong woman. Go home
and see if she doesn’t make a fuss of you.”
“I’ve delayed going home because I don’t have the
money I should. We’ll need money for seed, and I
was trying to earn it back before I went home.”
Her hand went to his arm. “Don’t wait. Take what you have and go. Theodore was my Christmas
miracle. Be your wife’s spring surprise, like the flowers poking their heads up to find the sun. As soon as you can go home.”
She took him to the child’s room across the courtyard. Ernie didn’t get under all the covers. He thought about everything Gabrielle said. Ernie spent a long time thinking. The next night Jimmy met him and apologized as he gave Ernie his share of the cash. Ernie spent the night in the bus terminal after buying a ticket. Three days later he walked down the dusty road, duffle bag over his shoulder. She saw him from the front step when he turned down the lane.
“Ernie!” She screamed at the top of her lungs. Noreen almost knocked him over when she flew at him. “Thank God! I’ve been so worried. Thank God you’re home.”
Eyes closed; the returning soldier held his wife. Too late for last Christmas, he’d forever think of this date as their New Year. Gabrielle had been correct. He’d married the right woman.
The End
C. Forrest Lundin, award winning author.
A lover of everything western, C. Forrest has read everything Zane Gray ever wrote. A recluse by choice, Forrest happily cares for the furry kids, reads, writes, and researches while the rest of the world turns. The amazing things our ancestors did to survive and thrive never ceases to amaze. Each new discovery sparks new ideas.
Glossary:
Banquette – Sidewalk in the French Quarter Gratis – free in French
Other books by C. Forrest Lundin:
Two Indians and a Dead Man Short Stories: A Cow in Time A Lady Without Means (winner of Indie Lector short story contest 2019) Winter Changes Too Warm For Christmas
Luna & the Magical Piano
Submitted by Poppy Flynn
Written by Kaia Age 8
How many eight-year-olds do you know who are successful, published authors?
Meet Kaia Verheyen, who is exactly that. And not only is she an author, but Kaia is also hugely passionate about raising money for a UK children’s charity.
‘Luna & the Magical Piano’ reaches out to fellow young readers with a music-centric adventure unlike anything else on the shelves. Be prepared to criss-cross the planet on the hunt for a magical set of piano keys…
Synopsis: Join Luna and Isabella on their quest to restore the seasons and save the world from a terrible danger, as they embark on a fantastic adventure around the world to recover the magical keys. Their journey will be filled with mystery, danger, fairy dust and bravery. Will they be able to recover the magical piano keys and defeat the Lord of Shadows and his army? “Kaia didn’t just start reading young, but she also began losing herself in a deep imagination that we knew wasn’t like that of most children,” explains Wouter Verheyen. “Her stories have impressed everyone around her so, when she said she wanted to write a book, we knew she’d produce something way beyond her years. The final product looks beautiful, and it’s all down to Kaia.”
Continuing, “She also wanted to use it as a fundraising vehicle for HoneyPot Children’s Charity, who provide countryside respite breaks and support services to young carers who are compelled to take on a lot more responsibility than is expected of them during their formative years. Our family is very passionate about their work, and we’re thrilled to be supporting them with 100% of proceeds from the book.”
‘Luna & the Magical Piano’ is available now on Amazon.
About the Author:
Kaia was born in Singapore and has lived all over the world. She developed a passion for reading and writing from the age of 5. She loves math and geography, playing piano, reading books about fairies and unicorns, and inventing her own stories. Kaia loves being a role model for her brother Damian, and teaches him everything. She aspires to travel the world and loves helping people and helping the environment.
