Brenden at Twelve
Time for a great Birthday!
July 3rd was Brenden’s 12th Birthday – I am so proud of this son of mine! He is growing into a thoughtful, kind, vigorous young man! He brings his unique energy and focus to everything he picks up – solving Rubik’s cubes in competition, exploring and building upon his grandfather’s coin collection, learning history and math: his mind is constantly absorbing and taking in the world. He is also one of the most well-spoken people you will encounter even at his age. Still shy around many adults, yet when drawn out, he can captivate with his knowledge and ideas. But perhaps the greatest thing is his desire for integrity. Like many you men his age, he can be captivated by something he wants or wanting events to be fair all the time. This can lead to some frustration. But almost always, when given a moment to consider, he thinks it through and discovers the wisdom for right choice.
There are so many memories that I treasure about Brenden. But for some reason, one of my favorites that often come to mind is when he was about 5 years old and was not feeling very good, running a bit of a fever, and just having a hard time sleeping. I took him downstairs, and he laid with his head on my chest as we watched Ford vs Ferrari. I thought he would fall asleep quickly, but he stuck with it almost all the way through. We were just close, and he just wanted to be with me when he wasn’t feeling good. It was just a night when being close to Dad was enough, and that made me content as well.
He has great enthusiasm but is learning to harness all that passion with wisdom. For his birthday, he wanted to see the movie Young Washington, and to visit a battlefield. We did both over the weekend. I love my son and see the journey he is on, and I am blessed to have some measure to walk with him.
