I went to Wichita this past weekend to celebrate the life of my brother Ben, who passed away last month. It was a tough, sad weekend for me and my family. But it was also a really good time to reflect on Ben’s life, listen and share stories about him (many of which I had never heard before), and spend time with friends and family.
The celebration of life felt almost like hitting the reset button on my grief. The preparation leading up to the event was full of stress and anxiety, which I think had been serving as a distraction, but once the event began, all the emotions came flooding back. My brain is still trying to convince me that Ben can’t really be gone, but after this weekend, I know one thing for certain: Ben was loved by everyone who really knew him. ❤️
You can read Ben’s obituary on the Downing & Lahey website. A recording of the celebration of life can be viewed on YouTube.
One of Ben’s AmeriCorps friends created a GoFundMe to help raise money for family expenses. Ben would also have appreciated donations to the ACLU, Doctors Without Borders, and Habitat for Humanity.