“Do you hear laughter, Ramses?” The Ten Commandments Ramses didn’t like the idea that the other royals and former slaves of the ancient world were laughing at him. It was a taunt strong enough to set him on the chase that would eventually land all his soldiers on the bottom…

According to the website, World Strides, “the last month of the year is a world of holidays.” What may have started out in pre-history as a solstice celebration has grown into a world-wide phenomenon of historical, religious, cultural and economic events. Many of us actually juggle multiple holidays in this…

some quick tips, because that is all you have time for! For those of us who have been “lucky” enough to be spending some of the pandemic isolated with our significant other (not to mention kids — but this isn’t about them this time) we may be losing some of…

As dusk darkens my yard, hundreds of tiny lights rise from the grass, like silent fireworks. The yard is alive with light. As I watch these little stars twinkle, it is hard to remember that this is the magic of an insect, not some ethereal spirit. I am awed…

a story inspired by a writing prompt in Stephen King’s “On Writing” Dick covered his face with his arms, vainly trying to avoid the fists that pummeled him repeatedly. Oh God, not again, he thought. This can’t be happening again. As he struggled to twist away from Jane’s fury it…

A fictional account based on real stories told to me by the people who lived them. Previously published in the US1 Newspaper’s Summer Fiction Issue. ©2003 Noreen Braman The house is silent, so silent; not at all as it was on that day forty years ago when the Schwartz Furniture…

This year, looking back may help us move forward. In 2018, I recorded a podcast about holiday traditions. It is now 2020, and a pandemic is keeping many of us apart, resulting in changes of plans. Perhaps this year is the time to look back at those traditions you took for granted or left behind in your box of holiday memories. As I look back at what I had to say about this in 2018, I invite you to remember holidays gone by, and maybe write about your memories and traditions too.

A simple pattern, an attainable goal, and a reasonable time frame for completion: the perfect chore to keep her from drowning. Doing laundry was a good thing. A traditional, household chore with an established pattern of steps. Sort the clothes, load the washer. Add the detergent and fabric softener. When…

We must preserve our first person stories We’ve been told we should capture our first person stories, especially for those who have been born since this happened. I remember my parents and their peers talking about the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7,1941. My babysitter, when I was very…