The Boundless Show was asking for comments on thoughts from readers about “Why Do You Like History”. I submitted the following:

Why I like History

I love people, dead or alive. Always have. People fascinate me. I have an insatiable curiosity about what makes people tick. History is a portal into the people of the past.

I wondered what made Hitler do what he did or how Washington made it through the long, cold winters. I love searching for old Baseball Greats through YouTube or sitting beside my 98-year old grandma with tape recorder in hand, letting her chat away about her past.

I can’t go by a graveyard without wondering how the folks lived, succeeded, failed or died. Who were they? What did they do? What is their story?

This fascination has led me into a Professional Christian Counseling career. It is the best life imaginable. Now I get the chance to affect history as I seek to reorient people to God. More than one person’s history has been changed through counseling.

Additionally, I began journaling in 1994, everyday! Now over 5000 articles later, my family can get a peek into my history. There may come a day when my kids are interested in my history and I want to leave it for them, just in case they get curious.

Therefore, they have in our attic many journal entries of the good, bad and ugly of my life. But primarily I want them to see God’s kindness to me and reading the historical record is a great way to see how He has been involved in my story. Or, better said, how I am living life in His Story.

History is a wonderful thing. It is a multi-perspectival view of God acting in His world and the more I read the more I am faith-filled that God is working his plan and bringing me to a delightful conclusion.

Thanks for asking us to reflect on history! -Rick

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In 1994 at a family reunion one of the patriarchs of our family read an excerpt from the journal of a Civil War Guard from North Carolina, if I remember the story correctly. As I was sitting there listening to this excerpt I thought how good it would be to read some stories from my dad’s life. He died when I was 19 and our relationship was non-existent. 

The possibility of reading about his life is not an option, but it was in that moment that I realized I could begin to write and maybe some day my children would have an interest in the stories. Therefore, sometime in 1994 I began journaling one page everyday and have not stopped journaling since. That was fifteen years ago and over 5000 journal entries ago.

This past Winter I told my children about my journals. They were encouraged and intrigued. I selected and read  to them Ansa’s birth story. They couldn’t get enough.

I don’t typically ask my counselees to journal because it is not “the” only way to reflect and think deeply about life. It is merely “a” way. And for some it simply does not work, therefore I do not mandate journaling as a counseling assignment. However, if it is at all possible I encourage my friends to consider journaling on a regular basis. The benefits are many and the legacy you leave your family will be rewarding.