Write the Vision. Make it Plain.

I’m a note taker and list maker. I’m on purpose to keep my eyes and ears wide open for an aha or idea or a name of someone I want to remember or a story or message that might be the inspiration for an upcoming blog. It has served me well. If I listen to a podcast or watch a show and I learn something fresh, I quickly write it down. It’s a great way to ensure the information sticks.

If you hang around me at all, you’ve probably seen me pull out my small notebook and jot something down. At church, though they have the sermon notes online, my best comprehension comes when I write it down myself. I’ve gone through several little notebooks. My current notebook has “Thankful” on the cover. That’s a bonus because I am reminded when I pick it up to write a note, how THANKFUL I am.

I know I’m “old school” with using a notebook, but I am also “new school” iPhone savvy and I use it for dictating grocery lists, reminders of things I need to do and even get started on an idea for a new blog.

I can’t tell you how many times that I DIDN’T write something down and sure wish I had. It’s just too busy in this world for us to only rely on our noggin to remember it all. And to add to it, the older we get, the tendency is to forget even more. Things like a birthday of a close friend, a doctor’s appointment, a meeting, and an important phone call. Now I go a step further. I carry my little notebook with me all the time. I even keep a notepad by my bed just in case I think about something in the middle of the night that I need to remember. I also use my cell phone’s calendar because, yes, this girl has a busy schedule.

Since we’re so busy and have mind overload, a little notebook can “save the day” many times. I have understood the value of writing down my experiences for a long time. I’ve been a journaler for years. Not only do I record the highlights of this day, but I read each day’s journal from last year. My children love it when I remind them of what happened on a particular date — like me sending my son what we were doing when he signed the final contract on the sale of his company last year. Or, when I gave my daughter “congrats” when I came across their one-year anniversary of purchasing their 60 acres in East Texas a couple of weeks ago.

I’m being a loyal friend to you today as I urge you to use your phone, a notepad or carry a little notebook and record or jot down those inspirational moments that could be part of “your story” someday. I’m always encouraging mamas and papas to journal those cute stories of their kids. I promise you; you’ll want to recall them someday. I know that neither you or I want to regret those unwritten, forgotten inspirations and joys.

Wouldn’t it be better to take a moment, write it down and then someday tell an incredible story on a talk show about how inspiration hit you on the 405 and BAM — the greatest novel ever? Write that down, because when that day comes, REMEMBER it was ME that told you! You’re welcome!

Habakkuk 2:2 “Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.”