The Dazzling Uncertainty of Life

Often, it's the small details of an event that we remember most-the warm melting of a cookie on the tongue, how the early morning sun shimmers through the leaves of a maple tree or the piercing look of a hawk's eye as she wings her way to the sky.

Sometimes, however, it's the small events that turn the great tides of life in unexpected directions, events such as this year's school board election in Carding, Vermont. All four candidates are running unopposed, and that bothers Stephen Bennett. So he throws his hat into the ring, asking the good folks of his home town to write his name on the ballot. His daughter, the fierce and feisty fifteen-year old Faye, is proud to stand next to her beloved father on election day, and she's the one who cheers loudest when he wins.

But when Stephen starts asking pointed questions about contracts and money and public disclosure-all the due diligence stuff that others would prefer to ignore-his queries alter life in Carding in ways that no one could have ever foreseen.

Welcome back to the Green Mountains, and the beloved small town that no one can find on a map. Walk down Meetinghouse Road, grab a cup of breakfast blend from the Crow Town Bakery, and warm your heart by the woodstove in Cooper's General Store.

Just remember, beneath that peaceful exterior, the uncertainty of life is just waiting to dazzle you.