GIFTS

Words are Gifts

My Notebooks

I believe notebooks are friends. I spend a lot of time sharing my inner thoughts with and in mine. I can do this because of the safety, freedom and flexibility the blank page offers. My words fill the pages with all their honesty and openness. It feels like an escapism, as I am transported into the space of whatever I am sharing.

When I encourage others, including my young students to keep a diary, I try to explain to them how it feels to have a diary or a notebook and what you are able to do in them. I convince them by telling them how my notebooks carry my words, experiences, memories and anything in between. 

I really wish I had an artistic streak in me. I would have made my pages so stunning that they would be able to extend my stories. I have recently looked through some of my old notebooks and read some of my thoughts from years ago. Sometimes, I could not believe I wrote them as they read so beautifully. Other times I had used words that I did not realise I had used before. All of that encourages me now to capture even more.

This summer, my phone blacked out and I lost many special memories captured on my phone, that were not backed-up, for a few months on my i-cloud. Fortunately, I had sent copies of some of the important photos to my family, so that helped. Capturing memories or notebooking feels like taking photographs, they help revive the stories especially those missed. Some of those stories I definitely do not want to lose.

This is a reminder to continue storing, capturing and writing my stories. These past few days, I have not written much, but I have so much to record and I hope to make the time to do that. One day I will read them and reminisce about my travels during the summer of 2026.

Juliette Awua-Kyerematen's avatar

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Juliette Awua-Kyerematen

7 responses to “My Notebooks”

  1. Erika Victor Avatar
    Erika Victor

    Yes! I wish I had been writing whence my children were growing up- so many memories and stories lost. I love that you call your notebooks your friends.

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  2. Anita Ferreri Avatar
    Anita Ferreri

    Yes, this is so true. I spent some time recently rereading my private journal from 10 years ago when I was in a new place living on my own with most of the bearings of my life off kilter. I found hope in sunrises and sunsets as well as in smile from others along my journey. It’s good to reflect on the past as we move forward.

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  3. Fran McCrackin Avatar
    Fran McCrackin

    I love the detail of how by sharing important photos, you were saved from losing them! There’s a message there 🙂

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  4. Jackie Lynn Avatar
    Jackie Lynn

    Cheering you on as you recover from the loss of your photos and the subsequent embrace of the poignancy of the witness of words. Facing a blank page allows me to experience that fear and thrill of the mystery of what has not yet been revealed. Thank you for this reminder.

    Liked by 1 person

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  5. Alice Avatar
    Alice

    Juliet, I agree with your take on keeping notebooks/journals/diaries. I write almost every day and can’t imagine not documenting something, no matter how mundane. I like how you compare capturing memories to taking photos. Here’s to sitting with those inner thoughts and allowing us to learn more about ourselves and our place in the world.

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  6. Denise Krebs Avatar
    Denise Krebs

    Juliette, I love the wealth you were able to learn from past journal entries. I agree that it is worth being able to look back and see thoughts, words and ideas that you would never remember you had/used. I have not saved many journals over the years.

    I just read last week’s post because this week’s link was different. It required me to subscribe to continue reading your 7/21/2026 post. Then when I did, it told me “your Subscription Confirmation link is expired or invalid.” I thought maybe you could check and see if it’s something you can adjust from your end. Thanks!

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    1. Juliette Awua-Kyerematen Avatar
      Juliette Awua-Kyerematen

      Thank you Denise. I have attached the new link to my slice posted on Tuesday, I hope it works.

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About Me

I am an Elementary school teacher , I taught at an International IB School in Accra, Ghana. I am now teaching in Hanoi. Writing is my passion and I try to write daily, at least in my sentence a day journal, to capture all the blessings around me. I write with groups of writers, such as Teach Write and sometimes Ethical ELA. I also encourage my friends to write , so I created a platform to make that possible -Writing Run.

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