Grandpa Ben

RIP Grandpa Ben

1932-2008

I gathered some the items for the alter I am dedicating to my Grandpa. It was really hard to do. The two pictures of him have been on our fridge. I borrowed them for this. The candle is a white tea light that I put black paint on. I probably wouldn't be able to light it anyway, as my parents don't like me having candles in my room. The card is from his funeral. The shotgun shell is from his 21 gun salute. The lighter was the one in his pocket on the day he died. He always had one with him.

The relationship I had with my Grandpa is hard to describe. I wouldn't say we were close. When I was younger I didn't see him much. He always worked a lot. When I did see him, he was a strict person. I think I began to understand him more as I got older. We still never got very close, but I began to care for him more. It is so different without him, and our family is not the same now that he is gone.

At this point words fail me. I never realized how much I missed him until very recently. He was there my entire life and then all of a sudden he's just not. We lost him in April and over the past few months things have changed dramatically in my family. It's hard to explain, but he was like the glue holding my dad's side of the family together. It seems to be falling apart now. Everyone in my family will always miss my Grandpa. Things can never be the same, but I hope they can get better.