A collection of love letters to my readers, The Journal captures all the hard and beautiful moments that intersect yours. Let’s navigate life together—Janene Kraft

Search The Journal by subject or title and then read the entries below

Janene Kraft Janene Kraft

THE KEEPERS

What is precious, it seems, is not the moment just before us, but the longings of a life we once had, remembered as better than the life we live.

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BOTH WAYS

We were certain. Not that He wanted the house for us. But that we wanted it for ourselves.

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THE ROPE

I imagine hanging by a rope off the edge of a cliff and deciding to release my tightened grip. There’s the possibility of a freefall, but what if instead I am dangling only 10 feet from the sturdy ground that lies directly below?

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Janene Kraft Janene Kraft

THE STRETCH

I imagine hanging by a rope off the edge of a cliff and deciding to release my tightened grip. There’s the possibility of a freefall, but what if instead I am dangling only 10 feet from the sturdy ground that lies directly below?

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SILENT SEASONS

To say that I am stuck might be a little too dramatic. But I find myself relating to these noisy geese in their urgency to be heard.

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DEAD OF FEBRUARY

Life is most beautiful when studied in contrasts. Like roses in the snow.

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AFTERBURN

It is said that the benefits of a workout impact the body for up to 72 hours. How much more, then, can 17,262,720 sacred minutes transform the cells within me.

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ONE HUNDRED YEARS

To say I blinked and now we’re here would be to disregard all the living that happened in between.

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EIGHT OF US

How extraordinary that all eight of us marked the passage of 14 months since fighting for our lives together with shared dignity, curiosity, and grace.

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BECAUSE I CAN

That his [hundreds of] WWII letters are in my possession is not a little providence. I am my father’s daughter, compelled to sit with the musings of my heart until the right words come.

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WHALE SONG

As we walk, I am given instructions: Hands to side. Cheek facing out. Lean out and down as far as you possibly can. And I remember thinking in my excitement that he shouldn’t be captive, he should be free.

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NOTES ON VISION

It’s extraordinary that the disposition of our spaces is nearly always in alignment with the condition of our hearts

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More Than Steve

Sometimes it feels impossible to find the words to tell someone just how important they are. And sometimes a tender comparison is all you need.

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NEEDLES AND MISTLETOE

You may think it sacrilege but as much as Christmas is an infusion of hope to humanity, these needles are liquid doses of life to me.

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THIS KNOWING

Standing on the shoreline it’s impossible to see even two feet beneath the dark water. But somehow the Loons know. To watch them suddenly rolling under to snatch their breakfast is mesmerizing.

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FOUR DECEMBERS

If I were to write a caption it would read, “Here I am studying the stripped-down version of my own sanctuary while Poet studies the stripped-down version of me.”

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OF WORDS AND DEEDS

There were just 2,160 steps between where my daddy sat at his desk inside Neiman Marcus and the spot where Kennedy was killed.

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THE MASTERPIECE OF YOU

This nameless grandfather [pictured below] kindred to the age when my Grand-Mère left this earth, transformed my definition of a beautiful image.

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HARD THINGS

We weren’t meant to linger in the hard moment, but to pass through it. Not so swiftly that we neglect to leave evidence of our humanity behind.

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