I love the "Lives" essays on the back page of the Sunday New York Times Magazine. As I do with other magazines I frequently flip to the back page first. This week, Disco Papa struck a chord with me - partly because of the impish image of grandchildren in their 20's smuggling their 85 year old grandfather out to a cruise ship disco after their mother had told them to put him to bed. But also because of the way this mini-adventure brought forth stories he had never told before. Our parents or grandparents may be reluctant to tell their stories; maybe they think we're not interested or their stories are boring. But finding a way to elicit their stories could be one of the most gratifying efforts of your life, even if it requires uncomfortable slow dancing with your grandfather to a reggae song with suggestive lyrics.

~Kristi Woodworth