Exploring the Third Season of Life

Notes from Vanaprastha

Reflections on Faith, Nature, and Writing

Recent Posts

Holding It Together

Holding It Together

“Is that thunder I’m hearing,” I asked my friend and former colleague Sarah. We were sitting across from one another in a booth at the local seafood restaurant near Sarah’s house in Maryland and eating our usual, broiled crab cakes. I turned around to look out the...

Emmanuel

Emmanuel

“Emmanuel! Wait! Stop!” A woman's frantic shout, and the pit-pat-pit-pat sound of a child’s sandals hitting pavement, came from behind me. I was standing on a busy, New York City street corner, staring at the “do not walk” hand sign but turned to confirm what I...

Perspective

Perspective

A string of petty annoyances happened last week. My author web site caroleduff.com got flagged for malware; the living room smoke alarm associated with our security system alerted low battery even after we replaced it; making a simple checkup appointment turned...

Try and Trophy

Try and Trophy

Last week, a rejection email showed up in my inbox. “Although I don't find your essay right for our needs, I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to consider it,” the editor wrote. Nice Try but no Trophy. Submitting a piece for publication is like auditioning,...

Frontiers

Frontiers

Rain fell softly over the Rockfish Valley that morning in May, and fog hovered over the Blue Ridge Mountains. The weather forecast called for a break in the rain from mid-morning to early afternoon, enough time for our guests and us to visit The Frontier Culture...