For the Love of Ben

The music group Mercy Me put out a song several years ago titled Even If. A friend posted the YouTube video of it on his Facebook page recently. I clicked on the link and listened to the song. Tears of course ensued. Here are some of the lyrics from the song. They say sometimes you […]

A couple of weeks ago much of the area around where I live was blanketed in almost 2 inches of ice. It has been a few years since we had a big ice storm. Whenever one rolls through the area, many lose power and many trees lose branches or are brought down due to the […]

I flipped the calendar from January to February last week. The end of January marked 15 months since Ben’s last heartbeat. Life goes on and time doesn’t slow down. When I reflect back over the last 15 months, so much has happened. So many things that Ben has missed. His absence is very noticeable much […]

A couple of weekends ago I attended the funerals of two wonderful ladies. The first on Saturday was the funeral of a wonderful woman that cancer stole away at the young age of 60. On Sunday it was the funeral of the mother of a friend whose husband passed on the same date one year […]

Difficult times in life cause us to grow and change. Extremely difficult times can be life altering and perspective changing. The things that we used to think were so important lose their significance. It doesn’t matter anymore what the score of the big game was. Watching the latest blockbuster movie doesn’t matter. Keeping up with […]

Christmas Day has come and gone. The kids and I sat on the couches after all of the Christmas presents had been unwrapped. But there was one item let unopened. It was an envelope sitting in the branches of the Christmas tree. Sabin volunteered to open the envelope and read what was inside. Last year […]

The Christmas season is upon us. Christmas lights decorate houses everywhere you go. Christmas music plays in the stores and on radio stations. Stores and malls are decorated. The Christmas season is a joyous season. That is until you are walking through it in the aftermath of the death of a loved one. This year […]

A couple of years ago I made shirts for Ben and Sabin for their birthdays. Ben’s said Legend and Sabin’s said Legacy. Sabin wore his for Ben’s funeral and I had Ben’s on the table at the front of the church the day of the funeral service. Ben was a legend of sorts. And Sabin […]

On this day one year ago I stood next to Ben’s bed in the ICU and watched as he passed from this life. I had my sister, my kids and son-in-law in that room with me. It was the hardest thing I have ever been through. My life changed forever that day. Nobody plans to […]

The loss of a loved one can be and often is a very traumatic event. Trauma changes the brain. It changes how we think and process things. It is quite amazing how the brain works. Most of us have certain things that trigger good memories. Maybe it is the sight of a Christmas tree that […]