What do you know about the circumstances of your birth?
There are a couple of tidbits I remember hearing about the day I was born. First of all it was August and my mother just wanted me out. It was hot and nobody in Colorado had AC back then, except of course the hospital. My dad drove a truck for Valley Steel at the time. He was making a delivery to Pueblo when my mother went into labor. He had to quickly unload his truck and make the 4 hour drive back to Fort Colllins. At the time, this hospital did not allow men in the delivery room. My dad arrived shortly before I was born and was having a hot dog with my older sister in the cafeteria when I made my appearance.
Mom and Dad (Early Years)
My sister Becky
What is the story about your name?
I was named after my maternal great grandfather, Benjamin Alexander Best. My name is Benjamin Best Roberts. My son’s middle name (Alexander) came from the same individual. He was a cattle farmer in Hastings, Nebraska. He was famous in our family for making a fortune, losing it all and then making a fortune again (Great Depression). I never met him. He died when I was 2. There are numerous family photos of him, but there is not much of a resemblance.
Benjamin Alexander Best
Elderly B.A.B.
What are your first memories?
When I was about 3, my dad was hired by the Colorado State Patrol. He was stationed in Golden, so we moved to the Denver suburbs. We rented a house in Lakewood for three months while my parents sold their Fort Collins home. I have two sketchy memories from that house. One I remember getting my hair washed in the kitchen sink. Two I slept on the hid-a-bed in the living room because I used to sing myself to sleep and it kept my sister, who was in kindergarten awake. So I fell asleep while my parents watched TV.
What toys, people, games do you remember as a child?
When it comes to toys, a couple of things come to mind. Fisher Price made a music box that looked like a record player. It came with 5 little two sided records that played nursery rhyme songs. I am shocked that my parents did not go insane since I played it all the time. FP also made a Noah’s Ark that I loved. Looking back, I now think it is a wholly inappropriate theme for a children’s toy. But what’cha gunna do?
Me @ 4ish
Ethan @ 4ish
How did your early childhood help to form your faith?
I have very fond memories of the adults in my life when I was a child. The church I attended had numerous elderly couples that treated me as a surrogate grandchild. At the time, my church used the title of brother and sister for every adult. I get very nostalgic reflecting on that time of my life.
My awareness of god was never keener than in those first years of life. I did not have faith. I had an invisible friend named Jesus and we talked about everything. I often would carry on long conversations with Jesus. When I was alone, he and I would play together. My parents bought set of Bible story books that was a library the size of a set of encyclopedias (I still have a set). I knew all the stories inside and out. Sunday school teachers would often have to silence me when I would correct them on some nuance of the weekly lessons. I was in church every Wednesday night and twice on Sundays. When I add it up now, I was in church at least 8 hours a week. That does not count the time I spent in the church while my parents were in choir rehearsal or other meetings. At least twice a month we would have meals with other church families, not to mention all the regular potlucks and “afterglows.”
My world was saturated with God. My parents were core members of their congregation. God was not just omnipresent, he was ubiquitous.
