Then Sings My Soul Saturday

My little hero Ben has been on my heart a lot lately. I know I haven't written much about him since his death. I think I'm still in shock over it, quite honestly. It's been just over four months since he's been gone- but it still feels like it was yesterday that I got the call from my friend telling me of his passing. It's just that there is something VERY wrong with going to the funeral of a nine year old child.

Let me tell you a little bit about Ben... I knew Ben and his twin brother James from church. I was incredibly blessed to be their church school teacher for the fall sessions of their kindergarten and first grade years. I had so much fun with these kids- they were so smart and really kept me on my toes with their questions and desire to learn about God. Ben in particular was very "deep", if you know what I mean. He seemed much older than his years. On the first day of church school in their first grade year, I gave the kids the project of some "fill in the blank" type sentences... things like, "my name is...", "my favorite thing about church is..."-- you get the idea. One of the fill in the blanks was, "I am special because...". I will never forget Ben's answer to that question-- he wrote that he was special because he was STRONG. Truer words have never been spoken... a week later, Ben received the diagnosis of Stage 2 Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in the upper right arm. So began a VERY long three years. To read the details of Ben's journey, you can look at his website http://www.greendrakkoman.com/. Over those years, Ben became an inspiration and true hero to each and every person he met, whether in person or through his website. His motto was, "Remember- Focus on the Positive!". The way he chose to live his life dealing with that awful monster, or as he referred to it, the "evil alien"- was something that will be with me forever. He taught everyone around him lessons in positive thinking, in finding joy in every little thing, in loving with your whole heart, in making the most out of each and every day... the list goes on. Ben's wake and funeral drew over 1000-- yes, you read that correctly, ONE THOUSAND, people!!! At the funeral, Ben's uncle stood and mentioned the quote, "it takes a village to raise a child"... but then quickly corrected it by saying that in Ben's case, "it took a CHILD to raise a village". After that, one by one, people stood up sharing about how Ben had touched their lives. Rumor has it that there were even two Red Sox players at the funeral... Ben's touch was far-reaching. Ben's touch continues today. Not a day goes by that I don't think of my little hero... there are days that I shed some tears at the loss of this special little guy- but mostly I rejoice that he is up in Heaven, probably playing a great game of baseball with Jesus (wearing his Red Sox cap, of course!) and no longer in any pain!!! I also rejoice that I can say I knew Ben, and thank God for the things he taught me- lessons in life that I will hold on to forever! I miss you SO much Ben!!

The song I picked for today's "Then Sings My Soul Saturday", is a song that we sang at Ben's funeral (do you have any idea how hard it is to sing while watching a small casket being moved to the front of the church?)... Anyway- Ben knew that Jesus loved him... there was NO question about that... and Ben loved Jesus- what a wonderful reunion they must have had!!!

Just a brief request, as you're reading this and listening to this song... please say a prayer for Ben's parents, Stacy and Tim, and especially his twin brother James. I can't even begin to imagine their grief... but God promises us that He will "comfort those who mourn."