New Blog

Check out this new blog:

http://alifeofjesus.blogspot.com/

This will be my main blog. 

~ Stacy Duplease

Christian, Patriot, Writer

A Life of Jesus Website & Blog:

http://alifeofjesus.blogspot.com/

What's Surprised Me

What's Surprised Me

My life has been...
I don't even know the word for it. And, maybe there are several words--not just one.
My mind is boggled at best.
I'm living a surreal existence right now.
I discovered something about my life that changes everything (but really shouldn't--but it does). And, the truth is, I have no idea what to think or what to do at this point.
Go to this blog for more information:

http://lhtmft.blogspot.com/ 

If you go there and find nothing, stay tuned. I will get a blog post--or several up today. It's something that will take most of the day today as I write several blog posts as I try to grasp what I've discovered and figure out what it means for my life.

Here's a hint:
Family Tree Journaling

What Has Surprised You?: A Journaling Exercise or Prompt

What Has Surprised You?: A Journaling Exercise or Prompt

Journal your response to each of the numbers below:
1 What has taken you by surprise in your life--for the good and for the bad? List as many things as you can think of, right now, and then as you think of more throughout the day.
2 What has surprised you the most recently? How big of a surprise was it? Why did it? Was it for the good or the bad? What did it mean for your life? (Answer each of those questions in #2, please.)
3 How do you handle surprises in general?
4 What do you do when you are mind-boggled because of something? This is also a surprise. Make a list of everything you can think of that has boggled your mind in your life--and recently.
5 How has each of these been a blessing in your life?

Family Tree Journaling (History Journaling)

Family Tree Journaling (History Journaling) 

A NEW BLOG POST SERIES: FAMILY TREE JOURNALING
This will become a new blog post series, by the way. So, stay tuned.

FAMILY TREE JOURNALING IS REALLY HISTORY JOURNALING
Family Tree Journaling is learning about history through your family tree.

NOTE FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW YOUR FAMILY TREE:
First of all, let me apologize if this brings pain for any of you who do not know your family tree. It is not my intent.
Therefore, please, think about making your own history of your possible family tree through journaling.
How? You can do this through learning about history.
Learn about your national history and the world history of each time frame, for as long back as we have a recorded history. Your life has been shaped and influenced by this, whether you know your family tree. So, please, still read and do these blog posts and journaling suggestions. It still applies to you.
You can use the family history of the family who adopted you, if you desire. After all, their tree is your tree. Blood doesn't make anyone less part of a family. They chose you for a reason. However, if your adoptive situation was not very good, then look at the next suggestion.
Otherwise, I suggest you use the history of a famous person from that time period and answer/do the following Family Tree Journaling.
Or, here is another suggestion. Check out this blog and you can use my family instead and do your own journaling: http://lhtmft.blogspot.com/

WHY DO FAMILY TREE JOURNALING?
It's important to know where you came from and the vents that shaped who you are today. The events of history has shaped who you are today and who you will become.

FAMILY TREE JOURNALING INSTRUCTIONS
1 Pick a family member, if you know one, or a famous person from your nation at the time. If your nation didn't exist in the time period, pick a nation from a nation you know you came from then, and had an ancestor from them, or pick a famous individual from that time period and from the place you could have been from.
Write the name in your journal.
2 Get to know everything you can about the individual from #1. Journal about them.
3 Learn everything you can about the history from that time. Learn the national and world history. Journal about it. Get down the facts in your journal. Focus on the facts that jump out at you for whatever reason--and make sure to write why those facts jumped out at you.
4 Take 2 and 3 and combine them. Imagine you are a person living in this period of time in history. Write what their life must have been like in your journal. Use your imagination.
5 Now, answer these questions in your journal:
A What did I learn?
B How does this apply to me and my life today?
Never answer that it doesn't. After all, the reality is, it does. History has shaped who you are today and your life story. Period. End of story. All stories connect and link. Each story is sacred. Every story we learn about or here impacts our lives today and it does so in a personal way. Every story shapes our story today. We can learn what to do or what not to do through them. We can learn how God worked in, through, and around the past person's lives and see similarities, as well as differences, in our own story.

Updated March 05, 2014 1322 p.m.

My Current Journaling and Memoir Writing Projects (My Personal Journaling)

I am currently writing these projects:

1 This blog. http://faithjournaling.blogspot.com/

2 Writing: A Journaling and Memoir Encyclopedia of 2014: A Faith Journaling Resource

3 My memoir in fiction form: A 1607 FAMILY: A STORY ABOUT FAITH AND JOURNALING

4 My latest blog:
LHTMFT: Learning History Through My Family Tree Website & Blog:

http://lhtmft.blogspot.com/

Writing Progress on "A Journaling and Memoir Encyclopedia 2014: A Faith Journaling Resource"

Writing Progress on "A Journaling and Memoir Encyclopedia 2014: A Faith Journaling Resource"

Today, I've worked some on "A Journaling and Memoir Encyclopedia 2014: A Faith Journaling Resource" and it's now 408 pages and has 75,290 words.

Once it gets to 500 pages, I will edit it and publish it.

This is an everything you wanted to know about journaling and memoir writing book.

Again, once this one is written, I will add new material for the next six months to a year and will then publish it as a new edition. I plan on adding to it each year.

My goal is to make this not like any other resource out there on journaling and memoir writing. It will be larger, more comprehensive than anything else.

The entire book is a journaling exercise or prompt. 

Count Your Blessings Today

Count Your Blessings Today

I know this is a repeat. It is a reminder.

Do not ever forget to count your blessings each day. When we do, we fail to live as fully of a life as we could be. We're missing out. We forget about the things which matter most.

#GiveThanks # GratitudeJournaling #CountYourBlessings # BlessingsJournaling #Thanksgiving

Exhausted and It Just Keeps Coming: Have You Ever Been There?: It Means You're On Track (Personal Journaling)

Exhausted and It Just Keeps Coming: Have You Ever Been There?: It Means You're On Track (Personal Journaling) 

Have you noticed that whenever you're finally living your purpose, and doing what you want and need to be doing, how everything that could get in the way, does?
I am exhausted in many ways and more stuff to do keeps piling up. I am tired. Worn-out. About the time I start feeling better, something else pops up. Of course.
Ugh.
So, what now?
I do what I can, when I can.
I take my time. I slow down and am even more intentional. This seems counter-intuitive. What? Slow down? Am I crazy? Slowing down is the key here. Intentionality is what helps most in this situation. This is what helps get me through and out of the crazy-busyness of life.
I make sure my priorities stay in their proper order, in spite of everything that has popped up.
I make sure to journal more when I can. The more journaling I do, the better and easier it is for me to handle everything.
Have you ever been here? Tell me I'm not the only one.
Do you know when you're on track? When you have finally figured out what you're supposed to be doing? It's when this happens. Everything that could get thrown your way gets thrown at you. When you're being attacked from every side and direction is when you're on track. So, I make sure to stick even more to the basics: My faith and my journaling. Hence, my faith journaling. This is the secret. This is the key for success.
This is actually when life is the sweetest. It doesn't feel like it at the time, but hindsight is everything. I look back and realize how important of a growth time it was and how much god was moving in my life. I realize how I have finally found the path I am supposed to be on. This is the good stuff of life.
Have you noticed the good always has its challenges? I try never to allow the challenges to outshine or overpower the good. This is even more important with what I'm experiencing right now--as I am on track and it just keeps coming.
Please journal your thoughts if any of this resonates. And, if it does, I would love to hear from you. Attach a comment at the end of this blog post, or any for that matter, or send me an email.

My Personal Daily Journaling Template Updated

My Personal Daily Journaling Template
365 days per year:
1 Daily Bible Reading
2 Past Memories, three at least
3 Blessings, three at least
4 An Extended Memory, at least one
5 My Memoir in Fiction, at least 1,000 words
6 Memories Made Today, three at least
7 News Journaling: at least three national and three world news articles and journaling about them
8 SOC: Stream of Consciousness Journaling, one at least
9 Journaling Exercise or Prompt, one at least
10 6-Word summary for today
11 12-Word summary for today
12 History Journaling
13 Etc. Etc. Etc.

I just realized I forgot a couple more important items and have added them (see #10-11).

-- Stacy Duplease, Writer
Sent from Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
Faith Journaling Website & Blog:
http://faithjournaling.blogspot.com

Morning: A Journaling Exercise or Prompt

Morning: A Journaling Exercise or Prompt

It's morning. What do you choose for this day?
What is your purpose today?
What do you want today to look like?
It's that are your priorities? Put them on sequential order after you get them all down on the page. (Answer this question each day at least.)
What goals also you have?
What memories do you want to make?
What hope do you have today?
What challenges do you expect? How will you overcome them?
What are you doing today that will further your dream?
How will you make today the best it can be?
How will you use today as an opportunity?
What does God want from you today?

What blessings will you count today? What are you thankful for? (Answer this question at least.)

What will you remember today that God has done in your life in the past?
Journal your response to as many questions as you feel compelled.
Answer these questions first thing in the morning each day and journal your response to each, all or some. This will help you stay focused throughout your day.

-- Stacy Duplease, Writer
Sent from Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
Faith Journaling Website & Blog:
http://faithjournaling.blogspot.com

Updated last on March 04, 2014 at 831 a.m.

(Photo credit: Stacy Duplease 2011-2014.)

The ‘Incredible’ Thing an 8-Year-Old Boy Did for a Soldier Will Be Remembered For a ‘Lifetime’ | TheBlaze.com

News Journaling: The ‘Incredible’ Thing an 8-Year-Old Boy Did for a Soldier Will Be Remembered For a ‘Lifetime’ | TheBlaze.com

This is the type of news that has the potential to transform our lives in a dramatic way, if we let it, apply it, and remember it.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/03/02/the-incredible-thing-an-8-year-old-boy-did-for-a-soldier-will-be-remembered-for-a-lifetime/

-- Stacy Duplease, Writer
Sent from Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
Faith Journaling Website & Blog:
http://faithjournaling.blogspot.com

Sofa Journaling: My Personal Journaling

Sofa Journaling: My Personal Journaling

By the way, you can tell any time I write from my sofa, or from my bed in the middle of the night. You'll see the signature block below.
I said earlier I wanted to do some sofa journaling all day today. It's 1:06 p.m. and I've been doing exactly that. Gotta love it. I can do personal and professional journaling from the comforts of my own sofa. It's showing... or sleeting at times. I have my legs tucked under me and beagle is lying on them keeping them warm. Hubby is next to him. Cat has been in and out of the family room. And, the smell of the pork chops, brown rice, chicken broth, and tomato sauce casserole is filling the entire house. I usually cook it in a crock pot. But, it's twenty-seven degrees outside, so warming up the kitchen has great appeal.
Life is good.
I feel better already. Thank God.
I'm counting each thing I just said as a blessing.

-- Stacy Duplease, Writer
Sent from Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
Faith Journaling Website & Blog:
http://faithjournaling.blogspot.com

Your Daily Personal Journaling Template: Create One

Your Daily Personal Journaling Template: Create One

Today, I shared the following with you on this Faith Journaling blog:

My Personal Daily Journaling Template
365 days per year:
1 Daily Bible Reading
2 Past Memories, three at least
3 Blessings, three at least
4 An Extended Memory, at least one, a memory snapshot
5 My Memoir in Fiction, at least 1,000 words
6 Memories Made Today, three at least
7 News Journaling: at least three national and three world news articles and journaling about them.
8 SOC: Stream of Consciousness Journaling
9 Journaling Exercise or Prompt, at least one

I shared it to give you a sample, or example, of what your own personal daily journaling template can look like. It's time for you to create one of your own, after all, if you haven't already.
So, how do you come up with your own daily journaling template?
1 Make a list of everything you would want to know for on your great, great, great, great grandparents, if they had journaled.
2 Make a list of everything you want to journal, topics for each day.
3 Make a list of everything you would want to read in your journals on your death bed.
4 Make a list of everything you would want your children, and future generations, to read.
5 Make a list of everything you would want to share about your stories with your friends.
6 Make a list of everything you would want to share with others as your story.
7 What is your legacy? What should you write about?
8 What are your passions? Make a list.

Now, make a daily template.
You can't go wrong. You can change or adjust your daily journaling template each and every day, if you so.feel inclined. Just make sure you keep record of the skeleton, the template, each day and the adjustments you make.
Also, your last number is always miscellaneous or Etc. Etc. Etc., as I call it. This leaves you wiggle room.
So, go ahead. Do this today. You'll find your journaling far more enriched and deepened because of it.

-- Stacy Duplease, Writer
Sent from Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
Faith Journaling Website & Blog:
http://faithjournaling.blogspot.com

My Personal Daily Journaling Template

My Personal Daily Journaling Template

365 days per year:
1 Daily Bible Reading
2 Past Memories, three at least
3 Blessings, three at least
4 An Extended Memory, at least one, a memory snapshot
5 My Memoir in Fiction, at least 1,000 words
6 Memories Made Today, three at least
7 News Journaling: at least three national and three world news articles and journaling about them.
8 SOC: Stream of Consciousness Journaling
9 Journaling Exercise or Prompt, at least one

-- Stacy Duplease, Writer

Sent from Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
Faith Journaling Website & Blog:
http://faithjournaling.blogspot.com

Updated last on March 03, 2014, 1251 p.m.

Academy, Hollywood's failure to recognize "Lone Survivor" a travesty | Fox News

Academy, Hollywood's failure to recognize "Lone Survivor" a travesty | Fox News

Every now and then, I will talk about politics, religion, current events, religion, war, and the U.S. Military. This is one of those blog posts.

I am passionate about the USA, our military, and our history. Quite passionate.

*** This is big. Please read the link below. ***

If you are an American, you should see this movie and read the book. It matters. This has direct impact on all of our lives, whether we admit it or not.

#NewsJournaling #JournalingExerciseOrPrompt #Oscars #Movies #Patriotism #USA #U.S.Military #LoneSurvivor

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/03/01/academy-hollywood-failure-to-recognize-lone-survivor-travesty/?intcmp=HPBucket

-- Stacy Duplease, Writer
Sent from Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
Faith Journaling Website & Blog:
http://faithjournaling.blogspot.com

News Journaling: A Journaling Exercise or Prompt

News Journaling: A Journaling Exercise or Prompt

Every day, it's important to go to your favorite news site on the internet and read the news. In fact, it's important to do this a couple of times each day at least.
Why?
It's important to stay informed as to what's going on in the world, in current events. To not pay attention is wrong. The best citizens of this world are informed ones.
I won't lie. There are times the news is upsetting. Sure. But, that's life. Life has its highs and lows. We can't avoid the lows. If we do, we miss out on most of life. The lows are that which make us who we are. If we avoid them, then, we are a runner. We run from truth and life. So,we live shallow lives where all we want are the sunshine, happy times. How shallow is that?
Knowing the news impacts our lives. Yes. Not knowing it impacts our lives even more. We are going around with wishful, ostrich head in the sand viewpoints. We are missing truth. We are missing out on life.
The news reminds us how there is more to this life and world than me.
The news gives us perspective and more often than not, if we keep up with the news, we realize how blessed our lives really are, for we learn how others are living.
The news will make us want to give our time and resources to others, rather than hold on to them for ourselves.
The news let's us know the truth of this world. If we trust what others say, we are most likely learning lies.
Every day, we should journal about the news. We should write the three headlines in the U.S. news, and in the world news, in our journals and talk about how this impacts our lives. Most of the news stories will impact us individually. These impacts might get us to change our lives or actually contact our members of Congress, and so forth, or write letters to the editor.
The news impacts us. It talks about how our lives will, or could, change because of the ramifications of the news articles.
Also, the news impacts us and should be journaled about because the news is part of our lives. The news gives context to our lives and we need to keep it in mind in the years ago on come.
JOURNALING EXERCISE OR PROMPT: So, start today. Journal about the three headlines, at least, from your country and at least three headlines from the world that capture your attention and why.
I copy these six articles to my Springpad as well to help me keep them so I can read them again in the years to come and talk in my journal how the articles has changed me, my family, my city, my state, my nation, and the world.
Let me give you two examples of news stories that still impact my life today--and yours. Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) and September 11th, 2001. Or, what about Columbine, Sandy Hook, the Boston Marathon Bombings, when Ronald Reagan was shot, when the Challenger exploded, etc.? These are just a couple of examples. What about Normandy? What about the death of Saddam Hussein or Usama bin Laden? What about when Princess Diana was killed? Again, these are just a few more examples.
Journal every day about the news. It's important. If you don't think so, you are missing out on some of the most important journaling you can do.

-- Stacy Duplease, Writer
Sent from Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
Faith Journaling Website & Blog:
http://faithjournaling.blogspot.com

Not Journaling, Deeper Journaling, Exhaustion, and a Snow Day (My Personal Journaling)

Not Journaling, Deeper Journaling, Exhaustion, and a Snow Day (My Personal Journaling)

I haven't really journaled, nor have worked on my memoir in fiction, in three days. Sure, I've done some here and there, but not as much as my heart desires. So, I feel empty and like something is missing. This is what happens when I don't or can't journal for whatever reason.
No matter what, I try to get at least a paragraph of journaling every day. I do this even if toothpicks are required. I know how much worse I would be if I didn't.
I sure miss the deeper journaling, where I get all of the surface stuff on the paper, sure. The surface stuff leads to deeper journaling now and later. But, what I need is some time deep journaling every day as well. Oh, how I miss it and need it.
My life has been go, go, go since I got home from a ten-day trip back home to Denver, Colorado and the Writing for the Soul, the Christian Writers Guild, conference. I still haven't had time to journal about the trip or the conference. That's how crazy it's been since I got back.
My husband's job has been go, go, go, as well, and we've been keeping some crazy hours. Consequently, we are both exhausted. Worn out, tuckered, exhausted, tired. We both said we need two weeks of vacation at home, where we have no plans and just rejuvenate. Or, at least a day of rest, rear ends on sofa.
Well, today is a snow day for hubby! And, there isn't any snow on the ground yet. Wait. Let me go get some coffee and look outside to see if this is still true. Hang on a second.
Yep. There is no snow yet.
Funny. The second I typed the period of the last paragraph, it started to rain. It was 954 a.m.
I'm a Colorado girl, so living in the Tidewater part of Virginia (Hampton/Newport News area), I find it amusing how in order for work and schools to get cancelled around here, all there needs to be is a threat of snow, so to speak. In Colorado, it requires at least eighteen inches of snow, in one sitting. I think I only had five snow days while growing up. Now, since living here in Virginia, there have been more.
I think it's good they make it a snow day, though. Here, it shows and then rains and then freezes, so that is quite dangerous. Since this is the Tidewater area, there are ditches along the edges of most city streets because they collect the rain. If you slide on the ice and go in a ditch, that wouldn't be good. Also, they don't have the snow removal equipment required for snow here. So, I get it. I'm not complaining. I'm only making an observation.
But, let me tell you this.
Never has a snow day been more sorely needed. B (my husband) and I are in desperate need for a rear end to sofa day.
Early this morning, we got the email notifying us of the snow day, so we were able to turn off the alarm. Wow. That was nice sleeping in. I got up around 8:30ish. I am a morning person, so that meant sleeping in late. B has never slept in as late as he right now. It's just after ten. So, this snow day has had a good start.
My sofa day looks like this: Journaling all day, while snuggling with hubby, beagle, and cat--when and if he makes an appearance. I may get out of my pajamas around noon. Maybe.
The journaling all day thing has great appeal and my heart soars just thinking about it. I sure do need it. Desperately.
So, I am counting my blessings: Snow day. Sleeping in. Snuggling with beagle on sofa. Drinking coffee. Hearing rain splatter on the ground window by the couch. Made homemade steel cut oats (oatmeal). Feeling the heat as it kicks on and warms the Family Room. Journaling. Unexpected surprises and blessings.

YOUR JOURNALING

Please don’t skip this. Everything we read is an opportunity to learn, grow, and journal.

1 Does any of this resonate?

2 Journal your thoughts.

3 How does this apply to your life?

4 How can this influence your life?

5 How can this influence your journaling--today and in the future?

6 Count your blessings today.

-- Stacy Duplease, Writer
Sent from Amazon Kindle Fire HDX
Faith Journaling Website & Blog:
http://faithjournaling.blogspot.com

Updated on March 05, 2014 0947 a.m.