Journaling

Before I ever called myself a writer, I called myself broken — and I needed somewhere to put it. My serious journaling began in 1999, through a poetry piece about surviving domestic violence in my first marriage. I didn't begin with a plan. I began with pain that needed somewhere to go.

A journal doesn't judge you. It doesn't interrupt you. It doesn't give you advice you're not ready for. It simply lets you tell the truth.

Over the years, journaling became a covenant between me and God — a place to bring what I couldn't say out loud, to separate my feelings from the facts, and to recognize what I'd survived, what I needed to release, and what I still needed healing from. Psalm 34:18 has walked with me through every one of those pages: "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart."

Writing will not erase every problem. But it lightens the load. It helps you see your own patterns, honor your progress, and one day look back and realize you overcame what once felt impossible.

That's what these journals are for.

Ten Toes Down: Standing Through Every Season

This is the book that introduces all five journals — Love, Unity, Grace, Voice, and Faith. It's my story, and it's a starting place for yours. Each companion journal offers an opening, an affirmation, Scripture, reflection, and space to write honestly about what's on your mind, heart, spirit, and soul.

The Five Journals

Each journal below is tied to one of L.I.S.A.'s five pillars — click to learn the story behind it.

Love Unity Grace Voice Faith