General Archives - Page 79 of 84 - Ellen Morris Prewitt

Terrible in its Sorrow

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on July 26, 2012. Posted in General. 1 Comment on Terrible in its Sorrow

Sometimes I read what I’ve written and I think, how could you do that? The Bone Trench novel is pocked with very brief flashbacks of the deaths of the bones in the trenches. Despite their brevity, they are intense. When I re-read them, I wonder how I could write scenes filled with such sorrow. I’ve just finished revising a short story...

The Land Behind Pickwick Lake

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on July 25, 2012. Posted in General. No Comments on The Land Behind Pickwick Lake

One novel is under consideration by two publishers and an agent. Another is with a final set of readers. I’m revising my first set of interlocking short stories. Suddenly, I’m running like a well-oiled writing machine. These very early short stories are good. Their problems lie mostly in mechanics. Too many words to describe simple movements....

The Endowment Emperor has No Clothes

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on June 27, 2012. Posted in General. 4 Comments on The Endowment Emperor has No Clothes

We are being hoodwinked. Those who operate in the nonprofit world, and those of us who give to nonprofits. We’ve all drunk the endowment Kool-aid. Nonprofits whose hearts are in the doing of good have adopted as the gold standard sitting on a big fat pile of money they never intend to spend. This hoard of cash, they’ve been told, will...

The Robot

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on May 18, 2012. Posted in General. No Comments on The Robot

My uncle imagines me so lonely in my writer’s world that, inspired by a Wall Street Journal article, he has recommended I buy a mop-and-dust robot to keep me company. The little robot would travel the floor, hard at work, while I scribbled away, creating my masterpieces. Lots of folks have one of those hand towels that says, “My...

Easter and Those Bad People

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 10, 2012. Posted in General. No Comments on Easter and Those Bad People

All the hymns we sang Easter morning were full of me’s. Me, me, me, paired with the occasional I. Jesus died for me. Jesus saved me. Jesus sacrificed for me. I am not worthy of what Jesus did for me. What if we changed the me? What if we made it, Jesus died for the man sleeping on the sidewalk whom you just walked by? Jesus died for drug lord...

Holy Week and the Sour Wine

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 4, 2012. Posted in General. No Comments on Holy Week and the Sour Wine

I always saw the “sour wine” incident as just ugliness. There Jesus is, dying, and those watching run and put sour wine on a stick and offer it to him. Taunting him, it seemed to me. “Yeah, he’s calling for Elijah – let’s see if Elijah comes to him.” This Palm Sunday, I heard the incident differently. When Jesus called for God, the bystanders...

Holy Week and the Kiss

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 4, 2012. Posted in General. No Comments on Holy Week and the Kiss

The Kiss, for me, has always been one of irony: Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss. My reaction this Palm Sunday was different. This time, I saw the necessity of the kiss. Judas had to have a sign to identify Jesus because he couldn’t be picked out of the crowd. Jesus didn’t “look like” a rabbi. He wasn’t wearing “leader” clothes—no suit and tie...

Holy Week and the Best of Intentions

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 3, 2012. Posted in General. No Comments on Holy Week and the Best of Intentions

Peter’s betrayal of Jesus has always seemed so predictable to me. Jesus just told you that you would betray him! Weren’t you listening? But this Palm Sunday, I saw Peter differently. Before, I’ve always seen Peter skulking in the courtyard, afraid of being recognized. But what if Peter were in the courtyard because he was trying to stay as close...

Holy Week and The Other

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 2, 2012. Posted in General. No Comments on Holy Week and The Other

Most likely, you know that Barabbas, in contrast to Jesus, was a real criminal. I admit I must have conflated him with the two bandits who were crucified with Jesus, because only this Palm Sunday did I hear his actual crime. According to Mark, Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who committed murder during the insurrection. The insurrection,...

Holy Week and Money

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on April 2, 2012. Posted in General. No Comments on Holy Week and Money

For fifty years, I’ve attended Palm Sunday services. Every service has featured a Passion Play. This Palm Sunday, thanks to the presentation co-produced by Virginia Ralph, I heard something different. Actually, I heard many things differently. I’ll share them with you this Holy Week, beginning with the anointing of Jesus. I’d always heard this...