Reflection

As usual this whole "moving on to my new life" process has been causing me to reflect more. So I have a list: a list of attributes I've acquired and been taught, etc. for which I'm grateful.

Writing/Reading: I have Siovhan to thank for giving me a love of words. When I was younger she would write me notes, and she would put emphasis on certain words in the notes. I loved how powerful words were to her, and I envied how they spoke to her. Thank you Siovhan, for everything you do.

Love/Reading: My mother has blessed me with my openness for compassion and charity. Although I fight it sometimes, I actually care about a great number of people. I have a hard time seeing people suffer. I've learned how deep love goes, as my mother has been with me through some of the toughest times in my life (72 hrs full labor anyone?!). My mom loves to read. She reads really quickly and I'm so jealous. She has always told me that all books contain some form of truth and that they have power and knowledge contained in them. Because of her I love to read. Thank you mom, I love you soo much, and I really hope you know that.

Learning/Languages: My dad inspired me to learn. He has always been brilliant and I have always wanted to know more than he knows! Odd, but true. I envied his brain. But because he has always pushed me and wanted me to excel, I have. He also inspired me to pursue my interest in Spanish. Y, por el, he recibido un gran amor para la idoma espanola y para idiomas en general. Thanks daddy, I love and admire you.

Patience: Even though my parents have desperately tried to instill patience in my personality...I have to thank another party for helping me. His name is Brandon. He was a missionary in my ward, and he taught me to slow down and take life as it comes. He was always open to change and new things happening, and I admired that about him. I'm not always as patient as I should be, but because of his example I am more patient. Thanks Brandon (even though you can't read this tehehe).

Perspective: This one is for the Branch fam. Mama Lisa, you always listen to me, and help me to understand that people think differently. You helped me realize that I am very different from other people (in a good way), and I know now that I just have to give people time and allow them to change in ways they come to realize. Emily has taught me to enjoy life, and be brave, to never give up and love everything! Thanks you two!

Everything else: My parents and my Heavenly Father have helped shape me into the person I am today, so they are to blame! Hahaha. Just kidding. I enjoy the love that come to me from all three, and I enjoy the support and strength they are. Thank you. Gracias por todo, mi vida, mi alma, mi todo.

Me

Write a letter to our future selves 15 years from now. Give advice, insight, etc.

Dear Braden,

You may not remember this note, but you will...i'm writing just to remind you of a few things.

Don't every be pushy and constantly correcting people. Yo may still do it from time to time, but be polite and kill 'em with love after doing it! Don't be too hard on your kids, they're bound to mess up from time to time, as you did many-a-time as well. Let them learn and grow like your Heavenly Father meant to have them do. Don't try and have them grow up too fast, and let them develop their own interests, hobbies, personalities, and friendships.

Be nice to your wife (mom will kill you if you don't), listen to her thoughts, worries, concerns, feelings. Be respectful and never judgmental. Never dishonor her.

Tolerate people and be patient. Never sell yourself out and pretend to be something you are not. Your friends like you just the way you are (or were :P) and you should never change just so that other people will accept you.

Above all else...love Christ, love your family, love the gospel, love others..love, love, love. Charity, true love, is the key to life.

Sincerely yours,
Braden

My Heart in a Nutshell

My inspiration--for more than just this post.

Instructions: "with as much creativity as you can muster, show your heart in: a picture, a poem, a song (or piece of music), a phrase (or quote), an item of clothing, a place, and (just for fun) a Disney princess."

Photo:

some of my favorite flowers are dahlia. they are so beautiful...and i love this one because it is so colorful and bright.

Poem:
The Road Not Taken Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

so good...sometimes the road that is the best is the one less frequently taken.

Song:
August Moon by Sara Bareilles. I love her, and I love this song.

Quote:
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
-Eleanor Roosevelt
sure, i heard this on princess diaries when i was younger, but it is so inspirational, important and true.

Clothing:
could not live without my hoodie. so serious..i love these things.

Place:

my favorite city in my favorite condition. i love the rain, and i love england.

Disney Princess:

i love, love, love, love aurora. she is beautiful, she can sing, and she is gorgeous when she sleeps! what more can i ask for?

You Oughta Know

So, after Siovhan had her post based on the prompts given by Twenty Something Writers, I felt inspired to try it.

To my future children,
you oughta know:

1. Be yourself. Never sell yourself out to be something you're not. Never become or try to be what others want to you to be. Never be anything but you. If I had known that I might have been able to be happier through high school.
2. Don't be clingy. Apparently smothering your friends with love and trying to spend lots of time with them does little to help a friendship. Find a balance in your life, and find balance in your friendships.
3. Know your place. I don't mean know your limits, I mean know where you belong, know your strengths. Take time to learn about the gifts that you've been blessed with and learn to hone them. Know that you always have a place in your family and in the Lord's kingdom.
4. Pray, pray, pray. A wise woman once told me that even when I think I've done all that I can, I can always pray to be able to do more. We may not know when out lives are turning around or when our trials are over, but never forget that you have a Father in Heaven who knows you and loves you and is always willing to help you.
5. Read. I regret not reading a lot when I was younger because now it takes me forever to read anything. The more you read in your youth, the more quickly you'll be able to read in the future.

I may be an annoying dad, one that you don't think can understand, but know that I love you and that I'm always here for you.

Peace

Recap

So a lot happened this past week. I'll do a brief recap for all y'all.

I had my last senior prom last Friday/Saturday and had a blast, but I woke up Monday morning with an illness. It only got worse, and Tuesday I developed a fever. So I had the missionaries and my dad give me a blessing because I felt very, very ill. It was a very beautiful blessing and an elder that meant very much to me gave me a beautiful reminder that my Father in Heaven loves me. Then he was transferred. Sad. But he's learning and growing in another place where he has been called to train a greenie...

Grandma and grandpa flew in on Wednesday and that night was my Senior Awards night. I earned two certificates/awards and three scholarships totaling almost $1000! Then Kirsten flew in on Thursday and that night I was ordained to be an Elder! It was such a great thing, but even better was what came after. Not even a minute after i was ordained my good friend asked me to give him a blessing (as he had a very important test coming up). It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I was very happy. Later on was the Senior Night, a weird form of a talent show. it was very nice but just felt weird...being with my class after being away for so long.

I had an open house on Saturday and about 100 or so people showed up in about two hours. Graduation was Sunday afternoon. It was nice, and all of my friend's speeches were wonderful (the class president, valedictorian, and salutatorian are all my friends).

It was a very eventful week and very exciting...but now things are settling down and I need to find things to do.

Que todo vaya bien.