Image by J. Remus on Unsplash

I learned so much from silence

How my stubborn grandpa taught me acceptance and appreciation.

There is a sun-dappled bench in our garden that reminds me of the way my grandfather used to sit at the end of a long afternoon. In large, purposeful, wading steps he would step out onto the patio in his black sandals and take his usual place on the white bench, immediately in front of the house, not…