Made It Through The Memorial

Actually fell asleep around 11:00 pm last night so I got some sleep. Linda got here around 9:00 am and we got the keys for the clubhouse and headed over there to start setting up everything. My friend Sandi showed up to help us set up the tables, chairs, etc. Everything went very smoothly. We had about 50 people…friends, relatives, etc. Linda and some of my other friends took care of all of the food preparations and Linda's boyfriend Manny grilled the beef and chicken. It was delicious. Could not believe all of the food we had and everything was so good. After the guests arrived, my brother Keith and a couple of his friends played music and Keith sang. I had asked Keith to sing "The Dance" as I felt it was perfect for the occasion and he also sang "Annie's Song". Keith talked about his memories of Ben as did my friend Linda, Ben's brother Lanny, Ben's sister Donna, my niece Stephanie and Ben's nephew Matt. Keith spoke of how God originally never intended for humans to die, but then when Adam and Eve ate the apple, "death" became a reality and part of "life". Then we ate and as I said, the food was delicious and everyone enjoyed themselves. I'll admit that I cried some when Keith sang "The Dance". I loved the stories that Lanny and Donna told about when they grew up with Ben. There were even a few that I had never heard before. My nephew Matt came down from Paradise, CA to attend the memorial and he is staying with me tonight so I don't have to be alone. He said he thought I probably would not want to be alone after the memorial and he was right. All in all, it all went very well. Thanks to my brother for all that he did today and to all of my friends and family who showed up at the memorial. I love you all.