Reunions in graveyardsEffie Caldarola
How do you lose a casket? My friend hasn't figured that out, but eventually, as Julian of Norwich assures us, all was well. We lived in Alaska then, and my friend's widowed mother had joined ...
Deer in the dusky evening Effie Caldarola
On a dusky fall evening, I take a walk down a familiar neighborhood street. Ahead of me, a small deer looks my way at the same moment I spot him. Freezing, I realize he's being followed by seven companions. ...
Underground RailroadEffie Caldarola
The window is closed, yet the roar of the New Jersey Turnpike just beyond the trees disturbs the stillness inside this old house, built in the woods of New Jersey around 1845 before automobiles or turnpikes ...
Ripley and Rupnik Effie Caldarola
If you're looking for a creepy, unsettling thriller to stream, "Ripley" fills the bill. Based on Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel, "The Talented Mr. Ripley," the edgy film starring Andrew Scott ...
The mental health crisis crosses all boundaries and agesEffie Caldarola
It was hard to find joy in the day. Rain pelted the morning windows incessantly. I burrowed under the covers and, grasping for gratitude, told myself it was good we were getting needed moisture. After ...
'All the leaves are brown' Effie Caldarola
''All the leaves are brown. And the sky is gray." As we lean into another Advent, that opening line of "California Dreamin''' plays in my head. I love the Mamas and the Papas 1965 ...
Before Roe v. WadeEffie Caldarola
I went to high school before Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision establishing a woman's constitutional right to abortion and an absolute right during the first trimester. In early May, ...
Lessons from Monte Cassino Effie Caldarola
The hairpin turns were gasp-inducing, especially to someone afraid of heights. As we climbed higher and higher, I alternated between covering my eyes and then peeking out at the remarkable landscape unfolding ...
