Ben by seanoneill

Ben

Those of you who have followed me for a long time will know that last year I featured a lot of shots of my family, but this year I have backed off them. Today is a day where my family features again.

This is an old photo of Ben that has previously been posted in colour.

Since this was taken, Ben has made the transition from a boy to a young man. He no longer has this lovely long bouncy hair, now it is cut short and wax is applied most mornings. He communicates with girls too!

Tonight is annual prize giving for years 7-9 at Loughborough Grammar School. Ben has won a prize for academic achievement and progress, and we are so very proud of him. He has taken the challenges of working hard in his stride this year and steadily improved through the year and acheived 10 As and 3 Bs in his end of year exams.

A lot of the time he lives in the shadow (literally) of his taller, super intelligent older brother Sam, but tonight is Ben's night.

For those of you who don't know Ben's backstory, take a read of this. He has taken every challenge in life with this lovely smile on his face.

http://365project.org/seanoneill/the-difficult-2/2012-11-22

Ben, you are a top man!! You know how much we love you. Reach for the stars mate, they are within your grasp.
What an inspirational young man, enjoy your evening and well deserved success.
July 1st, 2013  
Awesome dude, congrats Ben, don't want to embarrass you but man you've got an adorable smile :)
July 1st, 2013  
Congrats to Ben and his proud parents! He has a beautiful, infectious smile!
July 1st, 2013  
Ben, you can have no idea at the moment how lucky you are to have the dad that you do! But you are one very fortunate young man.
July 1st, 2013  
Well if Ben gets another 48 faves he will have deserved everyone Sean!! Such a proud evening & I have said it before you are a great father to your two boys so credit to you too!!
Would love to see a photo of the ''jelled'' Ben!!
July 1st, 2013  
Wonderful read and great shot! Fav indeed!
July 1st, 2013  
Oh Sean, I saw a beautiful portrait then read some lovely lines to your son. Then I clicked on the link to see what a truly amazing son you have. I'm sitting with tears in my eyes thinking how lucky I am. What a truly inspirational young man - way to go Ben - this fav is for you :)
July 1st, 2013  
Lee
Nice shot Sean, and lovely sentiments.
July 1st, 2013  
An excellent photo of your son - would love to see what he looks like with short hair and wax. I also looked at your photo from last year - What an amazing young man he is. A chip off the old block? Hope you have a great evening
July 1st, 2013  
A lovely portrait with a very moving backstory. Congratulations to Ben on all of his achievements.
July 1st, 2013  
You captured so much joy and love in your son's magnificent portrait! Congratulations to Ben!!! BIG WOW! Thank you for sharing! Every minute is precious! This is a meaningful Fav. for me. My adult son died last December 10th.
July 1st, 2013  
Super portrait of a super young man. :)
July 1st, 2013  
Super image, super son, wonderful dad!
July 1st, 2013  
High 5 to Ben !!!!!----love this joyful image:)
July 1st, 2013  
FPG
Great portrait and expression.
July 2nd, 2013  
what a wonderful face - you have the most beautiful eyes and smile Ben ( always my favourite boys' name) - well done on all your successes - thanks for sharing your story :)
July 2nd, 2013  
such a wonderful portrait.... total fav! I love how much love you have for your sons, and Ben is so exceptionally wonderful!
July 2nd, 2013  
I had no idea about his health background. This smiling young face is inspiring. I showed this, and the linked photo, to Linda, who has had her aortic valve replaced, and she too was inspired.
July 2nd, 2013  
Congrats to Ben - and to you. I remember reading the back story when you posted that shot. He is such an inspirational young man!
July 2nd, 2013  
@paulaw @sjodell @lisabell @tishpics @happypat @sianb @ingrid2101 @gamelee @jocasta @dh @sunraye @humphreyhippo @ivan @jodimuli @fpg @annied @rockinrobyn @rvwalker @cmuir1963 Thank you all my friends, for such warmth. We had a lovely evening and Ben was thrilled with the response to his photo and his achievements.
July 2nd, 2013  
@sunraye Raye, I am so sorry to hear about your brother. We lost my sister in law 5 years ago, and it still hurts. Love and warmth to you my friend.
July 2nd, 2013  
@rvwalker Thanks Ross. It is incredible what surgeons can do nowadays, and I am delighted that Linda has come through her operation well.
July 2nd, 2013  
Gorgeous!!
July 2nd, 2013  
Awwwwww., you seem to have captured his very essence with this portrait! I love b andwfor pics such as these. It lets you see things in their expressions that color might detract from. You have to be so proud of him!
July 2nd, 2013  
You are an inspirational father and family man, Sean!
July 2nd, 2013  
Congrats to your Ben. Oh man, tough that he is growing up, though, I bet. Love his sweet freckles.
July 2nd, 2013  
We share a similar situation, Sean. Congratulations to you all. So pleased to hear things are working out.
July 2nd, 2013  
Lovely portrait, Sean. It works really well in B&w
July 2nd, 2013  
@tabbycat @espyetta @fishy @amandal @gooner46 @yrhenwr Thank you all for you generous and kind words. Ben is a lovely son, though is developing teenage attitude tendencies!!
July 3rd, 2013  
Congrats to Ben, and I do enjoy reading about your family. It puts a smile on my face. Lovely portrait of him.
July 3rd, 2013  
What a smile! Congrats to Ben and to the proud papa. :-)
July 4th, 2013  
This is an awesome portrait of a gorgeous young man -- and his backstory is really inspiring. All the best to him as he moves into this next phase of his life.
July 4th, 2013  
Awesome portrait of an inspiring young man. Well done Ben!
July 5th, 2013  
A fabulous portrait. Go Ben - you are an inspiration!
July 6th, 2013  
Ben and Sam are lucky boys to have you as a father. Your words speak volumes! Congrats to Ben for his achievements! Fav!
July 6th, 2013  
Lovely portrait of Ben ..... he is doing so well :)
July 7th, 2013  
Great to know Ben continues to excellent, I'm sure there will be many more proud moments in the future.
July 13th, 2013  
Leave a Comment
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.