The Grandfather Who Carried Me Through Every Fire Life Ever Set

in my life, all at once.

We were not perfect, of course. He burned dinner sometimes. I forgot my chores. We argued about curfews the way any family does. But we worked. We always worked.

When I got nervous before school dances, he would push the kitchen chairs aside and hold out his hand.

“Come on, kiddo,” he would say. “Everyone should know how to dance.continue reading …