Thinking of Ben

Benjamin Alden Shaffer. His middle name comes from the town where Mom and her sisters grew up; where Opa and his father before him farmed the land and raised livestock. It wasn't an easy living. Nana told me there were times when, at the end of the year, Opa said they'd have been just as well off to vacation all year, rather than toil day in and out with never a day off, to grow crops that didn't yield enough to even cover the cost of planting them. But through perseverence, dedication and hard work, he built an estate that is still providing for his family, nearly 30 years after his passing.

Ben couldn't have been more aptly named, unless he'd been directly named for our grandfather. I've often heard it said that God doesn't give you any challenges you can't handle. I strongly believe in that, and I think Ben is proof. Practically since birth, Ben has been overcoming health challenges which most humans would not have survived. He has grown into a handsome young man, a wonderful singer and dancer, and a gentleman wise beyond his years.

I often tell people that Ben is one of the strongest people I have ever known. So many times if I'm not feeling well, or things aren't going my way, I'm inclined to just quit - but then I think about Ben and the way he meets each new challenge head on, even if he's nervous or worried about what might happen. He doesn't let anything get in his way - no matter how hard it seems, no matter how frustrating it is, he keeps working toward his goals. It's hard to believe so much strength and wisdom can be contained in a six-year-old little boy.

Ben is having surgery tomorrow, to help make his leg work a little bit better. It is another in a long list of procedures this young man has endured, and I know that he will make the best of his wheelchair-bound recovery time, as usual. He is my hero, and I'm so proud to be his aunt. He is one of the shortest people I've ever looked up to so completely.