From the desk of Gerri Lee
I started keeping a diary when I was about thirteen. It was pink with a key and I kept it in my dresser drawer. Oh, it was the teenage think to do! I kept that diary for five years until I graduated from high school. Through those growing up years, my diary / journal became a “source of comfort” for me to sort my thoughts, face my roller coaster feelings and to solve daily situations. As I ventured more into my adult years, I returned to my journaling. I found writing to be very therapeutic as I faced the challenges of being a wife, mother and an elementary school teacher. It wasn’t until a little six-year-old girl in my classroom experienced the tragedy of losing her mother in a domestic dispute, that I truly understood the power of writing. I had this traumatized child write about her feelings and she commented that when she wrote her tummy aches went away. That evening I developed a journal of sentence starters just for her. This little girl continued to write when her class work was completed and would choose to write even on the playground. I like to think that I passed on to her a “life coping skill.” And so it is with heartfelt sincerity that I pass this tool on to you. It is my desire that you use this journal to record your fears, tears, questions, heartaches, joys and victories as you tackle your personal challenge. I like to think that this little book will be the bridge to help you take control of your situation, with pen in hand, positive thoughts, a proactive plan and the power of prayer.