Remembering Benton

We left Pasco, WA after lunch on a hot 90* day. This was the first we really needed to run the air conditioner! We drove about an hour east near Toppenish, where friends/cousins, Shane & Cindy live. Alas, no bountiful shade at their place either! So we escaped the heat in the cool, dim house. Visitors from CA were there with us for supper. 

smiling Cindy serving drinks in her kitchen

ham & cheese sandwiches, chips, apples, sheetcake & mini cupcakes

We all went in to Zillah for the viewing of sweet 7 year old Benton, who passed away after over 2 years of fighting cancer. The funeral was in the morning at 10am. We returned to the Zillah Brethren meetinghouse and sat in the crowd overflow (dining area) and watched the service on a screen. They had little memorial songbooks for each visitor with pictures on the front and back of Merle, Rachel, Wilson, and Benton. And Jesus said, "Let the little children come unto me, and forbid them not: for such is the kingdom of Heaven."  I'm not sure how many friends gathered to support the mourning family, but heard they planned on 800 for the funeral meal.

 crowd gathered at the graveside service

cemetery north of the church building

Our family returned to Shane's to share a blessed evening sharing with two other couples late into the night!

snuck in a load of laundry Sat.

Saturday evening mealtime on Shane's  front patio
(Gus the Bus in the background)

Nikita, Annie, Kaylea

Ethan, Hank, Riley
(the PPA in the background)

sweet shugie love

Shane serving Eric

Daylight hours are quite different here in the northwest than what we're used to; it has been getting light before 6am and night comes later than 9:30pm. In the spring! Makes for lovely long evenings!