Mother/Daughter Journal

A few months ago I  read about a GREAT idea.  As soon as I read it I felt very strongly that I needed to implement it in my home.  The idea was to buy a notebook/journal for each child for the purpose of writing notes back and forth to each other.  It could be a place for a parent to write an encouraging note, or to thank the child for something they did, or even to write something fun like "Check under your pillow for a surprise."  One of the reasons I felt so strongly I wanted to do this is because I have a daughter who has a difficult time telling me about problems she is facing.  I wanted to start this so she would have another means of telling me about things she is struggling with if needed.

Wow!  Am I ever glad I did!

A few days ago I got the sense that something was bothering this particular daughter.  I asked her if something was wrong.  She said no.  I asked if something was on her mind or if something bad happened.  She said no.  I attempted one more time by saying I got the feeling something was on her mind and encouraged her to tell me.  Again she said no.  So I dropped it.  The next day, this was written in her journal for me.  "Dear Mom, Remember last night when you asked me if anything was bothering me?  I lied when I said no."  She then told me the issue and continued to write, "Can you help me with this problem?  I'd like to talk about it in person. Thanks."

After reading that, I had one of those moments where I realized the importance of listening to those spiritual impressions we receive as parents, and especially as mothers.  Often we may not recognize our thoughts or ideas as impressions from a higher source, but I believe so many of them are!  I also have examples of not listening to strong impressions and paying the price later, but for today, I am so grateful I heard, listened to, and obeyed the impression about mother/daughter journals.