It took me almost 25 years to go visit my grandfather’s grave.  Being neither religiously inclined nor a cemetery visitor, I say goodbye to people I love and remember them in my heart.   But I felt I needed to make this trip for one reason:  to make sure the gravesite was receiving perpetual care. [...]

I got out and walked back toward the sleek mass of metal and money.  The problem was obvious soon enough—the left rear tire was flat.  Actually, it was nearly shredded.  You get that sometimes; sharp bits of junk fall from the trucks hauling on the freeways.  Sometimes they take a tire, sometimes not.  They took [...]