Post #11-Research Paper Reflection:

            Writing this research paper has been an extremely difficult task for me, ranking with other difficult tasks that I have undertaken like completing my six-day eagle scout project, earning the swimming merit badge (I wasn't very buoyant), and completing my drawings for architectural design at the end of high school. The process of me writing this paper has taught me what not to do when I need to write a paper. Don't switch topics at the beginning of the last week to write. Don't choose a topic you don't really care about. Don't have thirty distractions around when you work. And finally, don't procrastinate.

            I chose the topic of the Kulturkampf  because it seemed to be related to my great-great-grandfather getting baptized in the night to avoid being found by the government. I also chose this topic to conform with the class theme of family stories. I wanted to do a research paper on the varying degrees of the stability of the isotopes of superheavy elements, but the only way that relates to my family story in any way is 1) my Grandpa Braun used to work with the air force and he might have dealt with nuclear warheads, and 2) my recent past where I have been interested in this worthy subject. Therefore, the superheavy element topic would have not satisfied the requirement and even the best paper about the varying beta decay, alpha decay, and spontaneous fission half-lives would have gotten me a meager score.

            On Thursday I looked up the lyrics to and listened to the song “How It Is” by Rush. One part is:

“It's such a cloudy day

Seems we'll never see the sun

Or feel the day has possibilities

Frozen in the moment . . .

The lack of imagination

Between how it is and how it ought to be”

I felt that these lyrics adequately described how I felt.

            On Thursday I also thought of the scripture Ether 12:27:

“And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”

I thought this scripture was very applicable to my life right now. Tough trials in my life keep me off of my pedestal of perfect test scores and life achievements. Also if I have faith in the Lord, then he will strengthen my weaknesses.