The magic of a campfire

My DH is a lover of all things outdoors. Lucky for him we live in the country. Anyway, we have a very large firepit where at least a couple times a week he starts a fire in the evening. Tonight was his birthday, and we went out to the pit after diner. After watching the kids play for a while his dad showed up and took a seat with us, and I am so lucky that he did. There's something magical about a campfire that allows people to open up and share things. Maybe it's that everyone stares at the fire as it leaps and moves rather than looking at each other. Maybe it's being outside and feeling the tinyness of our lives in the vastness of the outdoors. Whatever it is, he shared with us about his life tonight. Some of the stories I've heard before, but many I had not. His mother died when he was 14 years old and he was pretty much on his own after that. He was not the greatest father to my husband as he traveled with his job, but after listening to him talk tonight I have a great admiration for what he has been able to do with his life given his beginnings. He was never able to finish highschool because he was responsible for himself. He joined the Navy and served in the Korean war. When he returned he was able to attend Indiana University and graduated with a degree in business. Apparently this was before transcripts and all that since he didn't have a highschool diploma - they asked him where he went to school, but they never asked if he actually graduated. He was recruited straight from college for a Jr. Executive program with General Motors. He married the woman he is still married to today and had 6 children. He lost his youngest child when that boy was 14. He has had a hard, hard life. I think I've posted before that he is the polar opposite of my dad, so it took awhile to get past that. But now, I love him and I'm proud to know him.