Meaningful Monday

You may not know this about me, but I love quotes. Emphasis on the love. So much so, that I have two journals full of them. And I'm constantly adding to them. -- Know any good quotes? Let me know!--

Side note: Don't you just love the art of calligraphy? And the beautiful shape of calligraphy pens? 

If only my journals were so presentable... 

And these journals of mine aren't just filled with popular, well-known quotes (although there are plenty of those thrown in to the mix).

I've collected quotes from everything possibly imaginable: Parts of poems (Or whole poems if I deem them worthy), quotes from real conversations I've had with friends, passages from the Bible, quotes from famous people, entire passages from my most-loved books, song lyrics I find moving, fortune-cookie quotes, candy-wrapper quotes, simple everyday thoughts about life, magazine clippings, quotes from the Sunday Comics, pictures that I write my own quotes for, etc. The list goes on.

It's a little obsessive.

But you know what? Anytime I need inspiration, or a little pick-me-up, or a new way of looking at a situation I am facing, I turn to those journals. And they help so much. 
Here's a peak inside one of my journals:

The lovely bookmark was gifted to me from my mother-in-law. 

The black and white background isn't scrapbook paper; 

it's actually wrapping paper from a birthday gift I received last year-- thanks Jenn!

I've used my quotes in English essays, to provoke my creativity, to calm a stressful day. I've used them to remind myself to be positive, optimistic, joyful. I've used them to figure out where another person is coming from. I've used them in cards I write to friends, I've compared and contrasted different quotes on the same subject, I've loved and appreciated each and every thought that rises from reading those quotes.

Yes, I like to doodle around my quotes... 

And I like to include random pictures. Makes it a little more eye-catching, don't you think?

Quotes are a great way to deepen your thinking. To be more introspective. To see the bigger picture (or the smaller picture, whatever the case). To appreciate more-- to be more thankful. To explore new ideas. To learn. 

And now that I've opened the door to you about my quote obsession, I've decided to start a new "series" (or whatever you feel like calling it). It'll be my Quote of the Week series, aka "Meaningful Mondays" -- because quotes are so meaningful to me. Or it might end up being Thought-Provoking Tuesdays. What do you think?

On that note, I leave you with a quote:

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. 

-- Melodie Beattie