'Yellow Canyon'

After an anniversary dinner out this week, Rob and I decided to drive down Rainbow Canyon near Caliente (Panaca has no restraunts). We had such a good time that we decided to take the whole family today. Watching for a road off the main to take, we discovered a place that we loved so much that we named it. (For the locals, the turn off is exactly 13 miles on the left after Kershaw Ryan.)

These two pictures are actually on the way out, but this is what this 'side' road looked like. After a recent adventure where Rob and the kids got stuck, we were anxious NOT to get stuck. Consequently, this well groomed road was especially important for us.

 The road was narrow, but at the end of it we found room to turn around and a picnic table. Wooo hoo!
 

A rural 'gate' let us through to some fun hiking.

Yellow rocks='Yellow Canyon'

lots of fun hiking

 More random pictures from the hike:

This place will look even better as more and more trees regain their leaves. We'll be back!!!

Who's with us???

~vbb

A Tribute to Dad

We buried my dad today. He passed away exactly 3 months before his 90th birthday. 

May 23,1923 - Feb 23, 2013

His last Sunday at church

Here's my tribute to him that I shared at his funeral today 

(taken from a talk given in the 76th ward 5 years ago):

    Goethe said, “Happy is he who remembers his progenitors with pride, who relates with pleasure to the listener the story of their greatness, of their deed, and, silently rejoicing, sees himself linked to the end of this goodly chain.” How blessed we all are to be linked in a chain with this great man and my father, J Howard Broderick. Strong families and communities, particularly those daily blessed by the sealing and redeeming power of the Restored Priesthood, make those links possible.

   Richard Bushman, in his book Rough Stone Rolling, shows us the roots of how the Restored Gospel and Priesthood impacted my father and his influence on those around him. Though just “an obscure boy” whose “circumstances in life [were] such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world,” Joseph Smith’s impact on the ordinary man was monumental.[1] Joseph ennobled the ordinary father, and thus fatherhood, by restoring the priesthood. Bushman said, “Joseph Sr had given his son nothing for a worldly inheritance, and Joseph Jr. had met this lack by giving his father the power to bless his sons. . . . Whether weak or strong, rich or poor, priesthood holders could pass priesthood to their sons.”²⁶³ Enlarging fatherhood even more, the Melchizedek Priesthood made the sealing of families for eternity available for any in the Church who would embrace it. This included “the millennial purpose of fashioning a righteous generation on the eve of the second coming.”³²⁶ Thus “procreation was lifted to the highest level of human endeavor,” defining the “greatest work” as that carried out ”at home where women were present and central”.⁴⁴⁴

   As a child I learned of the simple, nurturing power of the Melchizedek Priesthood at the hands of my father. “These bodies of ours just get sick sometimes,” he would tell me before also using his priesthood to anoint and bless me. Sweet counsel and encouragement along with similarly beautiful priesthood blessings soothed illness, calmed fears, and strengthened me and my family through times of personal challenges.

   Surely I have seen the priesthood in action in my life, but what was it that made so many people of Joseph’s day “happy to grant [Joseph] the authority of a prophet”?⁵⁶⁰  “Joseph used his immense authority ‘to return power to illiterate men’ . . . electoral democracy was absent—but if democracy means participation in government, no church was more democratic.”⁵⁵⁹ Church service for priesthood holders and for women offered members real opportunities to serve in God’s kingdom today and in the eternities. Bushman said, “Constructing a kingdom of priests meant as much to [Joseph] as propounding a set of doctrines.”³¹⁶

   In restoring the priesthood Joseph restored power to common men  such as my father. My father liked to say that as a youth his teachers did not expect him to attend college, but his mother and activity in the church gave him a desire to continue his learning in college and from the world around him. In college he wrote this beautiful essay:

   "The cool breezes begin to move softly by. Where the air is going is as endless as from where it originated. The way becomes a little more difficult as the shallow ruts guide my feet along the dusty road. My feet are first directed to the right and then gradually off to the left. Gradually at first, and then, almost suddenly, the ground begins dropping out from under my feet. The land had sloped down to allow a quiet, fresh smelling stream to go by.

   Across the stream the ground seems to be reaching up towards me. This sensation continues on for several steps. Then walking becomes easier. I can feel my trouser legs and loose shirt flapping in the stronger breeze. A faint smell of rain is riding with the wind ahead of a coming shower. The warm rays of a setting sun plays on my face. The tired feeling of worry and toil is relieved by the penetrating rays of the sun to drift away with the wind.

   The sounds of the ending day drifting up from the valley below are different. The loud rumbling noises of the day [have] slowed down to sharp, understandable, disturbances from different parts of the valley. The laughter and shouting of little children can be heard as they head home for supper after a day of play. Someone slams a door that sends an echo across the valley. The faint tingling of a cowbell drifts up from far across the valley. On this side of the valley, a farmer is hammering the lid off of an empty milk can. Occasionally the barking of a dog disturbs the gathering silence, but gradually and surely the day gives way to the night. When the wind starts to draw its cool breath from the darkening night, my feet feel their way back down the road.”

   Continuing his growth throughout his life, my father’s monthly home teaching visits, temple attendance, dedication to church callings and a passionate love for his family helped make him into the wonderful man he is today. His desires and actions made possible the impact he has had on every heart here today and on countless others.

   Of my grandfather, Hillard Ruben Broderick, it was said, “He had the sweetest, meekest, most humble personality with which I have come in contact. He was strong in convictions, strong in his love for his family, and strong in his love for his fellowmen. . . . I have often wondered when in the Bible it says ’that the meek shall inherit the earth, ‘ but in Hillard I can understand.’” The same could truly be said of his son and my father.

   I testify of this and the power of the Restored Gospel and Priesthood to facilitate that impact for my father and each of us. 
   I look forward to learning with you forever, Dad! 
   In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

My favorite pictures from the day

My mom & my siblings

It's been a wonderful day!

~vbb

---

[1] Pearl of Great Price | JS-History 1:22

And?

Lots of people may be wondering what we’ve been up to. I hope to post a slideshow soon to show you. But I also really loved this blog post by Seth Godin. So partly for my own record of it, here it is:

Waiting for all the facts"I'm just going to wait until all the facts are in..."All the facts are never in. We don't have all the facts on the sinking of the Titanic, on the efficacy of social media or on whether dogs make good house pets. We don't have all the facts on hybrid tomatoes, global warming or the demise of the industrial age, either.
The real question isn't whether you have all the facts. The real question is, "do I know enough to make a useful decision?" (and no decision is still a decision).If you don't, then the follow up question is, "What would I need to know, what fact would I need to see, before I take action?"If you can't answer that, then you're not actually waiting for all the facts to come in.

We’re not making any decisions other than that we’re here with Grandma and Grandpa Beckstrand in Panaca, NV through the semester for Ema and Anne who are in school part time (Seminary & band) and full time respectively. I’m working for Ashford University grading papers, and Rob’s still looking for work. But when we do get more facts worth making a decision on, we’ll let you know!
~vbb

FHE Chinese "Quarters"

Here is a video of our chinese version of the game of "Quarters", played Monday evening for Family Home Evening. Silly acts: Merisa, Mathew, Ema and possibly others. In Chinese we call it 一块  yī Kuài or 两块 Liǎng Kuài in this, case since we played with two.

Note: Ema (me) was taking the video WHILE playing. This. is. not. easy.
Enjoy:

Summer Trip to Beijing, China

Pictures from our recent trip via train to Beijing to see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.

This free digital slideshow generated with Smilebox

Hope everyone else is having wonderful adventures too!

~vbb

Hope