Just before my grandmother passed away, she squeezed my hand and whispered with all the strength she had left, “Look behind the frames.” At the time, I assumed she was confused or drifting in and out of consciousness. But she wasn’t. For most of my childhood, I felt invisible in my own house. After my mother died, my father remarried quickly, and my stepmother made sure I knew I wasn’t wanted. I slept in a cold basement, ate whatever scraps were left after everyone else finished, and lived every

Just before my grandmother passed away, she squeezed my hand and whispered with all the strength she had left, “Look behind the frames.” At the time, I assumed she was confused or drifting in and out of consciousness. But she wasn’t. For most of my childhood, I felt invisible in my own house. After my mother died, my father remarried quickly, and my stepmother made sure I knew I wasn’t wanted. I slept in a cold basement, ate whatever scraps were left after everyone else finished, and lived every