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
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.
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?
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.
DEAD OF FEBRUARY
Life is most beautiful when studied in contrasts. Like roses in the snow.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS
To say I blinked and now we’re here would be to disregard all the living that happened in between.
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.
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.
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.
NOTES ON VISION
It’s extraordinary that the disposition of our spaces is nearly always in alignment with the condition of our hearts
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.