He sat with his wife’s photo, waiting for a son who had already boarded without him

and weighed in silence. It was determined by how well you played along with the charade.

But Grandpa William? He was entirely different. He was the chaotic splash of color in our beige world. He was the only person who ever told me that I didn’t need to do anything to be worthy.

“You don’t need to earn love, Elena,” he would say, his voice raspy from continue reading …