All Things Brooke

“There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day,

when we seem to see beyond the usual.

Such are the moments of our greatest happiness.

Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom."

-Robert Henri

Today, amongst the chaos of life, I was blessed with seeing the most beautiful sunset. Often days I miss most of the sunsets as I'm still in class or at work. Today though as I was out and about, I saw my first sunset in quite sometime. It was the most glorious thing. 

With Thanksgiving around the corner I fear that this blog post may become cliche as I intend to include stuff on what I'm thankful for. With that fear in mind I hope I can write in a way that does not leave you bored with the same old "I'm thankful for...".

I began this little post with a quote that has really touched on how I have been feeling these last few weeks. I believe that every day there are subtle shifts in our  life; things we hardly recognize but tend to mean the greatest. So here begins my list of subtle shifts.

I'm thankful for my family and being an Aunt!

I'm grateful for every Wednesday, for this is laundry day! To do my laundry I go out to my sister's. Since moving to college and being at BYU I have been blessed to have my sister so close. I love these visits. Is it chaotic when I go some weeks? Yes. Do I get all my homework done when I go out? Hardly ever. But it's completely worth it. I get to talk to my sister about life, catch up with my growing nieces, and hear the latest BYU news from my brother-in-law. But, there is a little boy in my life that lights up my world and makes these trips even better. A little boy that makes me feel like the most special person in the world when I come. He's my sweet little nephew Jacob. He always meets me at the door and pulls on my leg to come play with him. Sometimes when I leave he cries and it literally breaks my heart. He is why I love being an aunt. He has the power to melt all my troubles away with his sweet little countenance. When I hear him sing, or play the piano I smile ear to ear because he's so innocent and sweet. If there was nothing else in this world worth living for, he would be enough. 

I'm thankful for my education, health, apartment, friends, a warm bed, my comfy sweats I'm currently wearing, food, job, computer, a heater, dishwasher, car, free laundry, TV, cell phone, Ipod, clothes, shower, toilet, nice carpet, a couch, my camera, pictures etc etc.... Yeah that least faded off into some pretty lame stuff but nonetheless I'm grateful. I'm grateful that my poor college student fund can sustain all those things. I have been so blessed though to be able to afford what I need despite my whines of being a poor college student.

I'm thankful for my hopes and dreams, my plans for the future. I'm thankful for visits that come when I need my stress relieved, for the person who knows exactly how to make me smile. It's in these small things and people that subtly shift my life and make me reach for higher dreams and goals in my life that make me better.

I'm thankful for my creativity, my gift of photography, and for all the things that inspire me.

There are times when a moment comes and I see things differently; I see beyond what I'm used to typically seeing. When the world seems to make a bit more sense. Those moments of inspiration, creativity, and pure happiness come. I got that today as I looked at the sunset and regretted not having my camera. The beauty as the light streamed through the clouds and hit the mountians and lit them up outlining the beauty of the trees and snow that rest upon them; when the clouds with their dark menacing look are interupted by the piercing light. When the heavens open up and God lets you see in for a brief few moments. Those are the moments that inspire me; that change me; that bring me my greatest happiness, and wisdom. When all things in my head stop and stare in awe at the glorious beauty that is around me that pushes me to create.

I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father, and my Savior. I'm thankful for my testimony. I'm thankful for a prophet, for my bishop, for my living father here on earth. I'm thankful for my Heavenly Mother and my mother that raised me so well these last 20yrs (whether or not I turned out so well is still up in the air). I'm thankful for the atonement, for the life of Joseph Smith. I'm thankful for the scriptures. I'm thankful that there is a true church on the earth and that I was blessed to be raised and brought up with. 

So while I may be a poor young college student who still has a lot of life to experience I do so with these things in mind. With a knowledge of what my purpose is and to know that I am able to live and achieve whatever I choose. I know that things will come, storms will rage, and unexpected not so great things will happen but my hope is that when they do come I will find my own sunset; my own small piercing light that will break up the storm. So cliche or not I simply end with, I'm thankful. 

Some pictures of what I'm thankful for.

Nights with my nieces who make goofy faces just like me!


My wonderful parents, who are amazing hikers and go on adventures with me.


My wonderful nephew Jacob.


Moments like these that I get to capture.


The reminder that there can always be light!