The idea of a Commonplace Book started many years ago, when authors and poets wanted to keep track of their favorite quotes. They would scratch down a few lines, and later, they could reread the quotes and think more about them. Many notable authors of commonplace books include Mark Twain, Sir Francis Bacon, John Milton, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Adams, and Henry David Thoreau. Now, many people wanting to remember a special quote do the same. I have found, personally, that keeping a commonplace book brings me great enjoyment, and helps me record my favorite parts of my favorite books. It is also quite helpful if I need a quote for a specific reason (i.e. for a birthday card, a blog post, etc.)
In reality, a commonplace book is quite a simple thing, you only need an empty journal, a pen, and a little inspiration to make one, but I find that it is not the book itself, but what is inside the book that makes the difference.
God calls us to be remembering people. Over and over in the New and Old Testament, Jesus says "do this to remember..." Perhaps the commonplace book is simply another tool that helps us remember. It helps us to remember our highest aspirations, our ideals, it helps us remember who we are and who we want to be. As Louisa May Alcott says: "Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead." (That's one for the commonplace!) I think that this little book is just a way to remember our highest aspirations and hopes. A commonplace book helps us grow, because it helps us to remember how we want to grow. And that is why I keep my commonplace book, to remember who I want to be, and how I want God to use me in this world, because, as Gandalf says "All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given to us."
