homeless Archives - Ellen Morris Prewitt

Spiritual Bottleneck

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on May 10, 2016. Posted in GOD, HOMELESSNESS. 10 Comments

Early Wednesday morning, the man who’d spent the night on the streets walked the hallway at St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral. He stopped at my table, lingering. He did not look happy. I think of this church hallway as the “neck” between Sister’s Chapel, where we hold the church service attended mostly by those living on the streets, and Martyrs...

We are The Champions

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on June 17, 2015. Posted in HOMELESSNESS. 8 Comments

When I began talking about a Door of Hope writing group book, people told me the book had to include my voice. Feature my voice, even. This was not what I wanted. Specifically, I didn’t want to be the well-off white woman who began working with those who had no shelter and immediately had the bright idea to write a book about her experience....

Stepping Out in Faith

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

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...

Literary Gift to Those Once Known as Homeless

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on January 25, 2015. Posted in HOMELESSNESS, Writing. 8 Comments

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...

That’s the Way Rumors Get Started

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on November 19, 2014. Posted in HOMELESSNESS, Writing. 12 Comments

This morning at the church service attended mainly by those living on the streets, one of the guys told me about two recent incidents when he’d been told he was an inspiration. He began the story by saying, “I’m not telling you this to to be bragging.” I’ve known him for about a year and a half. He wasn’t telling...

Scars on My Heart

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

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...

Our Failure to Address Violence Against the Homeless

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on October 19, 2014. Posted in General. 5 Comments

I knew him as a willing orator. At any given Memphis School for Servant Leadership gathering, he might rise and recite one of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speeches. “Recite” is too tame a word. He would perform the speeches. From memory, without notes, with passion. I knew him as a part of the life of the school. I was quite taken...

So Easy

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

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

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...

Old Stories Found

Written by Ellen Morris Prewitt on September 3, 2014. Posted in General. 5 Comments

After a long hiatus, I submitted a couple of short stories to literary magazines today. I’ve been working on the new website, mulling over what stories I wanted to include. The website will have a “Photo Bio” featuring a sentence about my life that reflects a dominant themes in my work and a representative photo. Click on the...

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