Ken wrote this song sometime back in late 1983. It was written about a carpentry project Ken and his Grandfather Albert Benoit made in the basement of his Aunt Rita’s house in Pawtucket, RI.
Ken was always making little carpentry things with his Aunt Rita, so she thought it would be nice for Ken to make something with his Grandfather. The decision of a mirror was suggested by his Grandfather. When Ken’s Aunt Rita had remodeled her bathroom, she replaced the mirror and medicine cabinet that used to hang in the room. The medicine cabinet was a sliding mirror just under the main wall mounted mirror. It was from this original 1930’s mirror the carpentry project would be made.
Ken’s Grandfather, ‘Pepe Benoit’ thought it would be nice to make a colonial style frame and Ken’s Aunt Rita suggested an American Eagle to be placed in the center on the top. Pepe’ Benoit actually made the first and second cuts to the glass mirror and Ken, with his Pepe’s help, made the two remaining cuts.
Rita had some old pine shelves lying around, so Ken’s Pepe Benoit cut the pieces down into strips while Ken caught the wood as it came out of the other side of the table saw. Ken’s Pepe also thought wooden dowels would be a nice accent and told Ken where to drill the holes with the drill-press. Dowels were cut to length and glued into place. A grocery store brown paper bag was glued all the way around the back side of the mirror to ‘finish it off’. Ken Mother wrote on the back the date it was completed and it continues to be a high treasured item in the Benoit / Menard family.
After the entire carpentry project was completed in June 1980, Ken took very good care of the mirror and how it lasted 42 years is beyond belief. Although the wood has cracked in one spot, the mirror remains clear to this day.
Ken has said on several occasions that when he stares into the mirror he can ‘See People Of Yesterday’. The mirror shows times of great triumph and great sorrow throughout Ken’s life. Ken remembers in November of 1983 when he had been informed about his Grandfather’s death, it was hanging in his bedroom in Connecticut. As Ken looked into the mirror, he could see the reflection of some Autumn leaves on the trees outside as steady tears rolled from his eyes.