Benjamin is 13, thus a wordy post

Ben celebrated his 13th birthday on May 9th.  I've been waiting to transfer his Confirmation photo from a website onto this page for quite a while, thus delaying the publication of this post.  I've finally thrown up my hands and left the Confirmation photo where it is because I'm just too tired to wrestle with technical details at the moment.  Instead, here is a photo dump about Ben.  This photo, as Sarah keeps chirping over my shoulder, is not from Ben's birthday.  Rather, it is from Easter morning when the boys opened a package filled with sugary goodness from our former parish priest.  However, it was the only photo I had of all the boys together.  Matthew seems most interested in the goodies; this is a lie.

Ben is an absolute pleasure to know.  As my dad noted, Ben is characterised by that most rare and undervalued of qualities:  he is meek.  He is also gentle and kind and a young man of service.  As Sarah once remarked, "Ben is like an ambulance; he always stops to help us."

He loves to read, especially any history about either of the World Wars.  And to think that I once thought he would never read a novel!  He is quite often found curled up in the corner of a couch or chair with a book in hand.  Shortly after his confirmation, he found a first-year Spanish textbook of mine and decided that he wanted to learn the language.  I thought this was a passing fancy, but he spends an hour almost every evening studying vocabulary, learning how to conjugate and deciphering pronunciation.  He also discovered without my help the website duolingo which allows him to hear the language and practise conjugating and choosing the correct vocabulary.  This latest venture of his truly surprised me and I can't help but wonder if it is some movement of the Holy Spirit in his life resulting from his Confirmation.

This photo is just very Ben:  athletic clothing, baseball cap, even-tempered and slightly contemplative.  Our deacon at church (who is also a psychotherapist) once said to me, "Ben is quiet, but he is a very busy quiet."  I agree; there is a lot going on in that head of his.  However, in that most refreshing and delightful of male characteristics, sometimes there is really not much going on at all.  I don't say this with my tongue in my cheek, I actually really admire that ability of men to just open an empty mental drawer and sit there for a while.

Ben with his birthday cake.  If memory serves me correctly, my mother was sick for Ben's birthday and so we bought an ice cream cake for him rather than the standard GF "donut" (read bundt) cake.

Here he is just back from a run.  He is a very dedicated athlete and loves running and long-distance biking.  His birthday gifts were running clothes, a satellite watch and padded bike shorts.  He is a good enough runner that Dave doesn't mind at all if he tags along for a run.  However, Ben is also kind enough that he doesn't mind accompanying me either.

Why post a headless shot?  Mostly because Ben is often found with a younger sibling at his side.  Mariana adores him and affectionately calls him Benny.  He brushes her teeth at night and often lies next to her and reads as she falls asleep.  Sometimes I find him passed out and she is still up reading.  Precious relationships, these.  Precious son.  (Don't worry, Joe, I will be just as effusive when you turn 13.)