For Your Journal: Writing Prompt

Do you keep a journal – or wish you could get one started? Literary Mama wants to help.

Three times a month, I’ll post a writing prompt. Open a notebook and write for 10 minutes. Don’t worry about grammar or punctuation – just write. Then let the writing simmer and your mind wander for awhile.

And who knows? Maybe you’ll discover a character for your next short story or a theme for a narrative essay. Or maybe you’ll use the idea to create a special holiday card or photo album for someone in your family. However you decide to use your journal entry, I know you’ll enjoy re-reading it months–and years–down the road.

Also: Every three months, I’ll accept submissions and choose a few pieces to post for LM readers to enjoy.
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Boating = family time. That’s the sales pitch my husband used when he started talking about buying a boat.

He knew I was hesitant–I’m not a water person–so he built his case slowly. First, he recounted childhood weekends spent water skiing, tubing, and fishing with his parents and sisters. He encouraged our kids to ask Grandpa about the time he drove the boat too close to shore and to tease their aunts about the time they skied in algae bloom. (They don’t recommend the green, slimy water.)

Then one Father’s Day, he suggested we head to the lake and rent a boat “just to see if the kids like it.” He’s taken the kids to the swimming pool since they were a year old, so it was no surprise that, at ages 8, 10, and 12, they declared that particular Sunday the best day of their lives.

By the following Father’s Day, we not only owned an 18 ½-foot Rinker but also a trailer to haul it, a slip and a lift at the marina to store it, a 72-inch inner tube and two pairs of water skis (plus towropes) to play with, and eight life jackets as mandated by the Department of Natural Resources.

It’s probably the best investment we’ve ever made. Not only because of the hours spent together relaxing in the sunshine but because of the increasing confidence each of our kids has exhibited over the years.

Every summer, we’ve celebrate a variety of successes. These have included tubing alone for one, getting up on skis for another, and getting up after removing the ties between the two skis for the third. Another year, it was tubing or skiing outside the wake for one, slalom skiing for another, and driving the boat for the third. I’m not sure what’s in store for this summer, but they’re starting to talk about a bigger boat …

Journal Entry: Name an item you were reluctant to purchase for your family but since doing so, are glad you did. Describe a time your family used this item.