Tag: homelessness

What Can I Do?

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on July 2, 2015. Posted in GOD, HOMELESSNESS, LOVE, Racism to Reconciliation. 5 Comments on What Can I Do?

I’m starting a new series here. I’m announcing this new series so you can skip over my followup posts if you want, ’cause I’m a polite Southern woman, and I sure don’t want to impose. But some of you want these posts. I know you do because I’ve been reading your comments and the question you’ve been asking...

Stepping Out in Faith

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on May 13, 2015. Posted in GOD, HOMELESSNESS. 5 Comments on Stepping Out in Faith

I’d ducked inside the Support Center to make sure he hadn’t already arrived, and I exited as he walked up the drive, waving. “I’m late!” he called, though it was still a few minutes until 7:30. He told me he saw me drive by. I didn’t see him. I was concentrating on hoping he showed up—when you make plans a...

Why Do You Go to Church?

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on May 7, 2015. Posted in GOD, HOMELESSNESS. 8 Comments on Why Do You Go to Church?

The incense hangs in the chapel air. We’re all squeezed in where we can fit, no concern for “our pew.” We listen to Gospel readings using The Message translation, so the words makes everyday sense. There is—or isn’t—an unpredictable response to the music.The blessing of the wine and bread is abbreviated. That’s okay....

Literary Gift to Those Once Known as Homeless

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on January 25, 2015. Posted in HOMELESSNESS, Writing. 8 Comments on Literary Gift to Those Once Known as Homeless

No one owes you anything in this world. Everything anyone does for you is a gift. Some gifts—the gift of love or forgiveness or a trust fund enabling you to graduate law school and make your way in this world for a while—are pretty damn big gifts. Others may seem small, but those gifts are the ones that often bring tears to my eyes. Chapter 16.org...

Scars on My Heart

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on November 5, 2014. Posted in HOMELESSNESS. 13 Comments on Scars on My Heart

Today as I was leaving the 8:00 church service, which is mostly attended by folks living on the streets, a man stopped me. I was in my car; he was on foot. He stood in the exit to the parking lot, flagging me down. He’d already stood before me in the hall where breakfast is served, asking me to go find the pastor. He didn’t remember...

So Easy

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 26, 2014. Posted in General. 6 Comments on So Easy

So my friend had three polyps; two benign, one malignant. So he had to have another colonoscopy this year to recheck things. So he’s on Medicaid. So Medicaid doesn’t pay for the prep material that you must drink and cannot have a colonoscopy without. So he had to postpone the colonoscopy until a day came when he didn’t have...

Thank God Dogs Gotta Pee

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 19, 2014. Posted in General. 2 Comments on Thank God Dogs Gotta Pee

Thank God dogs have to pee. My time at my dad’s family reunion this past week was invaded by the Door of Hope book, Writing Our Way Home: A Group Journey Out of Homelessness. Calls from TV news anchors; an interview with Leonard Gill of the Memphis Flyer, which resulted in this great article: MEMPHIS FLYER All wonderful stuff but, for...

My Wednesdays

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on July 2, 2014. Posted in General. 3 Comments on My Wednesdays

I never know what to do with Wednesdays. At 8:00, I go to church. The priest sometimes stops the liturgy to urge us to look overhead and watch the light show: dust motes floating in the sunbeams from the stained glass windows. Today, because it’s Fourth of July week, the guitarist during communion plays “This Land is Your Land.”...

Becoming a Writer

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on May 28, 2014. Posted in General. 4 Comments on Becoming a Writer

Way back at the beginning, I was puzzled about how 15 writers and a nonprofit could publish a book. What would be the arrangement between the authors and the nonprofit? What about the understanding among the writers, some of whom had many entries, some of whom had few? How would we make this fair? The questions overwhelmed answers. My former-lawyer...

A Good Book Day

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on May 21, 2014. Posted in General. 2 Comments on A Good Book Day

William and I began our lessons on “How to Play Bridge.” We established that you arrange your hand by suit; you must follow suit; the higher card in a suit wins; ace is the highest card. The rules called the winning process taking “tricks.” William called them books. We played. We made books. William made more books than...