When my mom passed away a little over two years ago, I found comfort in reading journal entries she had left behind. There weren’t many, but the few that I did see gave me a new appreciation for things she had gone through but had never let on were eating at her, and just furthered my belief in what an amazing, selfless woman she was.

Given the joy I received in reading her thoughts, I started my own journal, titled, “A Journal for My Children,” just a week after she died. In it, I have entries covering everything from my relationship with my mom, dealing with her loss, and how big a part my children played in getting me through some of the toughest years of my life; to difficult life decisions my husband and I have had to make; to successes and challenges I’ve experienced in work; to fun activities we took part in, funny comments the boys have made and milestones crossed. I wanted it to be handwritten, as my mom’s were handwritten, and having the entries in her writing made them that much more personal, more real.

While I began this journal with the intent of writing in it every night, length between entries is typically more like weeks or months. That was, until the last couple of days, which have been complete contrasts of each other but both worthy of being recorded in history forever – and thus, why the value of journals is at the forefront of my mind.

It seems like such a simple idea and one that I’m sure we’ve all heard before. But now, I can truly appreciate the value of a journal to both myself and the ones I care about. Whenever it is my time to go, and I hope it’s a long time from now, I want my children to be able to read this journal and gain some real insight into who I was – not just as their mother, but as a wife, daughter, sister and professional.

I share this with you to encourage you to write down your thoughts and feelings. It doesn’t have to be every day, but believe me when I say that whatever you do put on paper will provide those you love with a window into who you really are and will be cherished in years to come.

Kristen Keller lives in New Jersey with her two young boys, husband and two dogs. In an effort to obtain the perfect work-life balance, Kristen works part-time out of her home office as an independent public relations consultant and spends the rest of her time striving to give her children the same wonderful childhood experience she had. Click here to check out Kristen’s other posts on This Mommy Gig.