Desperately seeking sisu: On family, resilience, and the desire to know where we come from

For years, my Finnish grandfather was a secret. Now, I'm trying to find him.

Sisu is a Finnish word, but it’s more than that - it’s also been described as a national identity. Roughly translated, sisu means resilience, grit, or determination.

“Do you remember Mom telling you some crazy story about us having a secret Finnish grandfather?” 

I blurted this out on a rainy November night in 1999 as my sister and I drove the hour-and-a…