Something that I wasn’t totally prepared for, but enjoyed a surprising amount, was the number of birthday parties for which my oldest daughter received invitations during her kindergarten year. Gymnastics parties, mini golf parties, indoor play park parties, pool parties, and arcade parties — while these may sound like parent’s worst nightmare, I loved watching my daughter interact with her friends, getting to know the parents of her friends, and spending the car rides to and from the parties talking one-on-one with my eldest child. It’s rare that just the two of us are together! 

Throughout all these parties, one particular memory kept coming back to me, the only memory I have of a classmate’s birthday party in kindergarten or the first grade: it was an arcade party, and I don’t remember playing games, but I do remember being devastated when I didn’t earn enough tickets to redeem much of anything from the prize case, let alone the hot pink diary with lock and key that I had my eyes on. Somehow, the dad of the birthday girl — I can still picture his face — intuited my disappointment, and he played game after game to win skeins of tickets to purchase that little journal for me. 

At the time, I was nothing but happy to claim the journal, and unlike most toys and prizes that end up broken and in the bottom of the toy box post party, I remember treasuring the book for years. Now, looking back, I mostly just feel humbled by the event. Here was a dad who couldn’t have been older than his mid-twenties (I continued to be friends with this classmate for years, and we always laughed about the fact that my parents were ten years older than hers) likely spending a fair amount of cash on game tokens to win an overpriced diary for a child who was essentially a stranger to him. I can’t know for sure, but I don’t imagine that I had cried or thrown a tantrum over wanting the diary — my mom would have marched me right out of there — and so the dad was perceptive. He went out of his way, at his own daughter’s party, to be especially kind, even when throwing a party of this variety was already probably of significant expense to their family. 

I feel a little bad when I think about it. And also… I loved that diary! Though it regretfully isn’t a part of the decades long collection of completed journals that I have stored away in a basement Rubbermaid bin, I keep the memory of it tucked away in my mind, and I think it’s safe to say that the generosity of that one dad launched for me a lifelong habit of journaling. 

My process around journaling has ebbed and flowed over the years, and how I fill my notebooks shifts with particular days, months and seasons. Sometimes I keep lists, sometimes I record goals, sometimes I reflect on words that I read, sometimes I document the happenings of my day, sometimes I process thoughts and feelings, and sometimes I write prayers. Journaling has been a life line for me in times of emotional turmoil, spiritual struggle, and identity questioning; and it has been a way for me to savor the sweetest moments life has brought me, from the early postpartum days with each of my babies, to trips with family and friends. 

I tend to fill my journals with anything that comes to mind in a moment, but I know a lot of people — my therapy clients, in particular — who enjoy journaling from prompts. I’ll often end a therapy session by suggesting a journaling topic or exercise to complete in the week between our appointments. Journaling has tremendous benefits for mental health, and I know from my own experience that it has spiritual benefits as well. It’s a place to sort through doubts and questions, a place to take notes on the day’s homily or lectionary readings, and a place to record prayers. 

If you are interested in using a journal to nourish your faith life, one place you could start is with Catholic journaling prompts. Here are a few suggestions:

Read today’s Gospel and choose a word or phrase from it that stands out to you. Reflect on what the word or phrase means to you.

Reflect on the ten commandments. Which one feels most challenging for you to live out at this time? Why? Jot down a few concrete ideas on how you can better honor this commandment in your life.

What is one small sacrifice you can offer today for love of God and neighbor?

Where have you seen God in the ordinary moments of you day?

What is one area of your life that you need to surrender more fully to God?

Consider the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Work through the list, one day per virtue, and consider how you are or are not seeing the fruit at work in your life at this time. 

How are you being called to serve others this week?

Who do you need to forgive? Write a prayer for them.

When have you felt closest to God in the past month? Write about the experience. 

If you could spend an afternoon with any saint, who would it be? What would you ask the saint? How would you ask them to pray for you? Lift those prayers up to the saint now.

Reflect on the mysteries of the Rosary. Which one resonates most with your life at this moment.

How is God calling you to be generous with your time, talent, or treasure this week?

Consider some of the many names of God. Which one speaks to you right now? 

Whether you have been collecting and writing in notebooks for decades, like me, or are interested in starting the practice for the first time, journaling is a simple, inexpensive, and effective way to nourish your spiritual life and deepen your prayer. Use one of these prompts, tweak it to fit your preferences, or write whatever is on your heart. You can’t go wrong!