June Journaling Prompts
Just living is not enough…one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower. Hans Christian Andersen
Summer is a season for making memories and taking some time out for reflection. Here are some ideas to fill the handmade journals and notebooks that you create with either writing, art or art journaling.
Fathers Day
Father’s Day is similar to Mother’s Day in that it’s not a celebration for everyone. It can be a time to mourn a father who’s no longer in our lives or one with whom we don’t have a relationship. Conversely, it can be a time to celebrate the first man in your life or the father of your children. Use this day as a jumping off point for journaling, in some form, an influential man in your life.

World Oceans Day
June 8 welcomes World Oceans Day and unless you’ve been living on a secluded island (lucky you) for the past several years, you know how human activity is imperiling our oceans. Why not dig out some old family beach photos and use them as a basis for a journal page? Or grab some art supplies and re-create a fantastic ocean scene to celebrate this life giving resource. Better yet, head to the nearest beach, sit on the sand and write a poem or reflection to the sound of the waves.
Compassion
Certainly much in the world needs fixing, and there’s much about the behavior of others we would like to change. But before we go fixing others, we must first accept and find compassion for ourselves. Doing so, we may begin to find that others don’t need ‘fixing’ so much as simple kindness.” Philip Simmons, Learning to Fall
Is it just me or do folks seem more angry at the moment and prone to espousing extreme political opinions? In some cases, I feel like many of these people are hurting and this anger comes from a wounded place inside themselves. And it’s this idea that has led me to have the concept of compassion on my mind recently and consequently for it to appear on the pages of my journal. What are your thoughts on compassion and more importantly, I think, self-compassion? If you want to do a little reading around the subject, I highly recommend Dr Kristen Neff’s book Self Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself.
The Power of Being Outside
If you live in New England one of the joys of this time of year is being outside without the bugs and intense heat of high summer. Getting outside each day is such a joy for me and the benefits on my everyday life come up in my journaling practice again and again. What about you? What is your perfect weather for a stroll? How do you spend time outside, walking, gardening, reading, socializing? How would you feel if you were house-bound for months at a time? Below is a photo of my favorite canine, Daisy, enjoying our backyard last week.
Let me know your journal ideas for June in the comments below.
May 27, 2019 @ 8:58 am
Enjoyed this blog post….some good ideas….thanks
May 27, 2019 @ 5:19 pm
Made 5 books recently for some of my grandchildren. I made the covers out of collaged pictures of the seaside around where I live in Cornwall in the UK. They can use them to store their memories of their holiday with me.
May 27, 2019 @ 8:40 pm
Daisy is soooo sweet. Thanks for this beautiful early summer photo.
Carol
May 28, 2019 @ 3:56 pm
Daisy looks to be in her “golden” years and seeing her enjoying being out in the yard on a warm day reminded me of the last year of my old dog’s life. We had a morning routine of “checking the perimeter” of our large yard, and then she would plop down in sun or shade, not ready to go inside yet. I indulged her by having a hand applique project at the ready so I could sit outside with her and still get something accomplished until she was ready to come inside. How glorious that she “forced” me to enjoy this extra time outside. I could definitely fill an entire journal with memories and photos of her and our long life together (she lived to be 13).
May 31, 2019 @ 11:10 am
Ohhhh, Daisy. My little golden retriever, Bailey, looks just the same…gray muzzle, kinda bony behind, cloudy eyes. Despite her 13 1/2 years, Bailey’s tail wags just the same, she still chases the ball every afternoon, can’t stop her from going on our walk, she still will fall at your feet and roll over for a tummy rub, and best of all, when she gets close enough to actually see me, she still drops her ears and wags faster, just happy to be with me! My little girl.