Yesterday I conducted a journaling workshop at the Saint John Free Public Library. Twelve people attended and of course brought twelve different lives and experiences along with them . They chose a new journal from the table and participated in two writing activities. The threads of their experiences show the beautiful tapestry that each life creates. Old houses boarded up, dancing and longing, childhood memories, secrets and intrigue, treasured letters, chipping out chunks of coal, pipeline concerns, anniversaries, one room school house memories, aspirations and dreams, worry and insecurity. Private, personal and universal threads of life written in short entries in ten minutes but saying so much. For two hours I imparted my love of journaling. I read snippets of my diaries and journals spanning 48 years of my life. I read an entry from my great grandfather’s journal dated April 6th , 1900. I read an entry from my great Aunt Alice’s mother in law’s diary from 1937.I read from The Diary of A Young Girl, The Selected Journals of L.M. Montgomery and The Year Mrs. Montague Cried. I read two entries from my blog. We talked , we shared and we pondered the value of journal writing. Thank you Shirley, Gabrielle, Trent, Bonnie, Neil, Molly, Alfie, Jan, Carole, Janet, Arthur, and Sharon for letting me share the fabric of my life and letting me see the threads of yours.