My Name's Meaning and History

A couple times people have brought to my attention the History of my name. Brennan Is a common last name and becoming a known first name as well. Here are a few facts about other people and some meanings to the name Brennan that I have come across through the years.

Brennan stands for the following. In German-To Burn (Spelled brennen), English- Firey Sword, Irish-Burning Hills

Years ago my mother made it known to the source how my name was decided. She read a romantic novel while pregnant with me and the guys character name was Brennan. She liked it so much she looked up in a baby name book and found the definition at the was "Heart of flame" So she decided that was it she was naming me Brennan.
Spiritual Meanings- Gift from God and Raven- (Which was in a book Theresa carries around at the Outlet)

A man named Brennan Manning is very well known. Here is some info about him.

In the springtime of Depression-era New York City, Brennan Manning -- christened Richard Francis Xavier -- was born to Emmett and Amy Manning. He grew up in Brooklyn along with his brother, Robert, and sister, Geraldine. After graduating from high school and attending St. John's University (Queens, NY) for two years, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was sent overseas to fight in the Korean War.
Upon his return, Brennan began a program in journalism at the University of Missouri. But he departed after a semester, restlessly searching for something "more" in life. "Maybe the something 'more' is God," an advisor had suggested, triggering Brennan's enrollment in a Catholic seminary in Loretto, Pennsylvania.
In February 1956, while Brennan was meditating on the Stations of the Cross, a powerful experience of the personal love of Jesus Christ sealed the call of God on his life. "At that moment," he later recalled, "the entire Christian life became for me an intimate, heartfelt relationship with Jesus." Four years later, he graduated from St. Francis College (major in philosophy; minor in Latin) I and went on to complete four years of advanced studies in theology. May 1963 marked his graduation from St. Francis Seminary and ordination to the Franciscan priesthood.
Brennan's ministry responsibilities in succeeding years took him from the hallways of academia to the byways of the poor: theology instructor and campus minister at the University of Steubenville; liturgy instructor and spiritual director at St. Francis Seminary; graduate student in creative writing at Columbia University, and in Scripture and liturgy at Catholic University of America; living and working among the poor in Europe and the U.S.
A two-year leave of absence from the Franciscans took Brennan to Spain in the late sixties. He joined the Little Brothers of Jesus of Charles de Foucauld, an Order committed to an uncloistered, contemplative life among the poor -- a lifestyle of days spent in manual labor and nights wrapped in silence and prayer. Among his many and varied assignments, Brennan became an aguador (water carrier), transporting water to rural villages via donkey and buckboard; a mason's assistant, shoveling mud and straw in the blazing Spanish heat; a dishwasher in France; a voluntary prisoner in a Swiss jail, his identity as a priest known only to the warden; a solitary contemplative secluded in a remote cave for six months in the Zaragoza desert.
During his retreat in the isolated cave, Brennan was once again powerfully convicted by the revelation of God's love in the crucified Christ. On a midwinter's night, he received this word from the Lord: "For love of you I left my Father's side. I came to you who ran from me, who fled me, who did not want to hear my name. For love of you I was covered with spit, punched and beaten, and fixed to the wood of the cross." Brennan would later reflect, "Those words are burned into my life. That night, I learned what a wise old Franciscan told me the day I joined the Order -- 'Once you come to know the love of Jesus Christ, nothing else in the world will seem as beautiful or desirable.' "
The early seventies found Brennan back in the U.S. as he and four other priests established an experimental community in the bustling seaport city of Bayou La Batre, Alabama. Seeking to model the primitive life of the Franciscans, the fathers settled in a house on Mississippi Bay and quietly went to work on shrimp boats, ministering to the shrimpers and their families who had drifted out of reach from the church. Next to the community house was a chapel that had been destroyed by Hurricane Camille. The fathers restored it and offered a Friday night liturgy and social event, which soon became a popular gathering and precipitated many families' return to engagement in the local church.
From Alabama, Brennan moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in the mid-seventies and resumed campus ministry at Broward Community College. His successful ministry was harshly interrupted, however, when he suffered a precipitate collapse into alcoholism. Six months of treatment, culminating at the Hazelden treatment center in Minnesota, restored his health and placed him on the road to recovery.
It was at this point in his life that Brennan began writing in earnest. One book soon followed upon another as invitations for him to speak and to lead spiritual retreats multiplied exponentially. Today, Brennan travels widely as he continues to write and preach, encouraging men and women everywhere to accept and embrace the good news of God's unconditional love in Jesus Christ.
His publications include:
Above All
Abba's Child
A Glimpse of Jesus: Stranger to Self Hatred
Journey of the Prodigal
The Wisdom of Tenderness
Ruthless Trust: The Way of the Ragamuffin
The Boy Who Cried Abba: A Parable of Trust and Acceptance
Lion and Lamb: The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus
Signature of Jesus
The Ragamuffin Gospel
Reflections for Ragamuffins: A Daily Devotional
Posers, Fakers and Wannabes
The Rabbi's Heartbeat
The Importance of Being Foolish


I just recently got told about Saint Brennan. Which I never knew. I could not find anything about him, but there is a Church named after him in Dorchester, MA

There is also a Restaurant named Brennan
http://www.brennansneworleans.com/ma_bkfasttradition.html

As far as my last name. Bradford is a very common last name.
So it's probably something another Bradford might find interesting to know. A Bradford is a type of Pear Tree.
Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana 'Bradford') is a beautiful spring-flowering tree that has gained popularity in the past 20 years and is frequently seen in nearly every city within its growing range. The species is a native of China; the cultivar 'Bradford' is adapted to the entire state of South Carolina.
The Bradford pear grows 30 to 50 feet tall and 20 to 30 feet wide. It has a narrower and more erect canopy than the species.
GROWTH RATE
A rapid grower (12 to 15 feet increase in height over an 8- to 10-year period), it has a short to moderate life span (25 to 30 years).
LANDSCAPE USE
The Bradford pear may be grown as a specimen, screen or street tree. When considering this tree for use in a design, be mindful of its short-to-moderate life span, requiring replacement in about 25 years. It can be used in urban settings because of its tolerance to pollution.
The Bradford pear grows best in full sun but will tolerate part shade. It requires low-to-medium fertility. It tolerates most soil types and conditions, including occasional wet soils or drought.
PROBLEMS
Disease resistance means that infections are few, do not progress very far or do not occur. This cultivar is resistant to most pests including fire blight, a common problem of the species. (For more information on fire blight of fruit trees, refer to HGIC 2208, Fire Blight of Fruit Trees . It is relatively free of insect problems. It does, however, suffer from severe branch splitting, especially in older trees (15+ years). The narrow branching angles cause trees to split in half, especially when subjected to ice and storm conditions. Pruning to correct this problem is difficult, but attempts to improve branch angles and structure should be done in winter or early spring, before growth begins.

Which is interesting, I have always like Trees. I use to climb one in my mother's back yard. I like drawing trees a lot. I love the symbol of trees. You know what I think I will go out side and Hug my brother tree.

A Bradford is a type of cow. Which I didn't learn until 1999. I actually like cows. They taste really good. :D also they are very nourishing. And one embarrassing fact. I owned a pair of Cow shorts and wore them to School once. LOL which I look back and tell myself I can't believe I wore those. LOL I wonder if anybody remembers that.

Here is an interesting fact a family member told me in April 2007.
The First Bradford's came to the United States were missionaries.
Also, the family Bradford line is related to William Bradford. Here is some facts about William Bradford.
William BradfordWilliam Bradford was born in 1590 and came to North America on the ship Mayflower, landing in Plymouth, Massachussets in 1620. He left a son in the Netherlands where his sect had been refugees, and his son's mother, his wife Dorothy, died on the passage. But he later married again, to Alice Southworth, who arrived at Plymouth in 1623 aboard the ship Little James. Bradford became governor of Plymouth early on and remained so nearly until his death in 1657 (300 years almost to the month before I was born), and wrote the first great account of the settling of North America by Europeans, the great journal Of Plymouth Plantation. Alice and William had three children in New England and now have many descendants.Here is part of Bradford's account of the Pilgrims' arrival, edited a bit for readability:"Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees & blessed ye God of heaven, who had brought them over ye vast & furious ocean, and delivered them from all ye perils & miseries thereof, again to set their feet on ye firm and stable earth, their proper element. And no marvel if they were thus joyful, seeing wise Seneca was so affected with sailing a few miles on ye coast of his own Italy, as he affirmed, that he [would] rather remain twenty years on his way by land, then pass by sea to any place in a short time, so tedious & dreadful was ye same unto him."But here I cannot but stay and make a pause, and stand half amazed at this poor peoples' present condition; and so I think will the reader too, when he well consider[s] ye same. Being thus past ye vast ocean, and a sea of troubles before in their preparation..., they had now no friends to welcome them, nor inns to entertain or refresh their weather-beaten bodies, no houses or much less towns to repair to, to seek for succor [...] What could not sustain them but ye spirit of God & his grace? May not & ought not the children of these fathers rightly say: 'Our fathers were Englishmen which came over this great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto ye Lord, and he heard their voice, and looked on their adversity….' "And so I should say, I guess, according to his instructions—he was my great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather.
More Info @
http://www.apuritansmind.com/PuritanArticles/IainMurraySpiritualCharacteristics.htm
For the longest time I believe he signed the Decleration of indenpence. But it appears he wasn't around to see that. I have no clue where I got that info.

Just to add to this. Another new fact. I currently am living on Slane Ave. Yes, Slane is spelled S L A N E.
As in Hill of Slane. If you know a little bit about history. Then you would know the story of Hill of Slane has to do with St. Patrick. Well, St. Patrick had a pilgrimage with St. Brennan. St. Brennan traveled to North America, when.. I don't know when. So that's just a brief history lesson.

So, those are the few things I have learned about my name. If anybody learns anything else please let me know.

Is that Normal

I was wondering the other day if people think it is abnormal to talk or change when you speak to different friends or different indiviuals. Like when it comes to a close friend calling me, I will talk and act different with them compared to another friend. Or sometimes someone I don’t really know has a different body language or voice attitude my own character changes it appears. I see that in others at times too.
So is that normal?

If anyone has some thoughts about this. Please share.

New Year 2008

Out with the old in with the new. Year that is. I had an enjoying year for 2007. Got to do a bit of everything. I didn't really accomplish much but the experience and fun was a enough to satisfy me. I have been reinviting myself, so to speak. My art, my way of eating, my daily routines have changed. Even last year I started listening more to life, people and media. For years I ignored a lot of that. But I am more and more interested about the whys and why not. I have been most my life. But I never felt like I was ever getting answers from anyone. So, I believe that is what 2008 will be one of my goals. Answers.

It is interesting that with the group doing the art with the Outlet decided the next project would be focused on "Questions". Which was interesting that Dyah has brought that up since I am trying to find more answers. So, it apears that listening and asking will be something to try out more. I am worried about the things to come. There is a sense or a hint of trouble lurking in the wind. I never like when my instincts talk to me. Especially when a lot of
times they have been right. So, close to being right it scares me. I collected up some items I have had around for awhile and going to donate them to use for the next project. It's not much but it will start it off so they will try to look around for found objects. I am excited about others looking at other object or trash or useless things becoming art. That kind of art is fun to me. I can't wait to see what comes out of the stuff.

Yep
I am going to finish this up by just letting it be known that 2008 is
going to probably be less exciting than 2007. But who knows what
2008 might bring.