My dear Cutie friends, We are back home now from taking our Benny's ashes for burial in Indiana. We had lots of family and friends at both the graveside service and the Celebration of his life at the church fellowship hall where I grew up. A bagpiper played at the beginning (How Great Thou Art, What a Friend we Have in Jesus, and Jesus Loves Me) of the graveside service (and then played Amazing Grace at the end. The first picture shows the table with his Urn/Vault with the quilt I made and the square from Sue and Meganne, and of course Kermit and Elmo, and the flowers, and the second shows my brothers, my dad, mom, me, Willie, my son with Evie on his lap, and my daughter with lots of family all around. We asked that instead of flowers donations be given, so there weren't many flowers.The cross has John 3:16 on it.

It was a beautiful graveside service and everyone sang It's a Small World and closed with singing the old hymn God Will Take Care of You. My dad read a poem he had written for Ben when he was just 3 years old that still fit just perfect. Willie and I both spoke and there was lots of joy with the tears. It's a beautiful cemetery where generations of my ancestors are buried, far from any houses, among corn and bean fields, nicely kept. There were lots of flowers on the graves all around, birds singing and butterflies. One of Ben's cousins found a little lost kitten, with a sore eye, and took her home to find a new home, and decided to keep her. How appropriate for our family of cat lovers. We went back to the cemetery afterwards and had a photo taken of our daughter Lana, myself, Willie standing in the back and our son, Jake. Willie had injured his back badly trying to save Ben, so all he could do was stand painfully, and of course people kept trying to his him long, strong embraces. He is a rock, and a strong Christian man, but his heart, and mine are broken. We thought we would have Ben longer. We are so proud of Ben and we were incredibly honored to be his parents.