STREETZine
Offering financial opportunity to homeless and economically disadvantaged individuals. STREETZine is a program of The Stewpot and a member of International Network of Street Papers
Change is Scary Change is Hard Change is Growth
By Wendy Rojo
Change is hard, no matter how prepared or accepting we are of change. However, it can bring new challenges and new opportunities. Change can seem intimidating but approaching it with an open mind is key. Change is not static and is always fluctuating. Change is not always seen as positive, and it should be noted that negative changes do occur.
The uncertainty that comes from change can create higher-than-normal levels of stress. Managing this stress or learning to manage it is crucial in coping with change.
According to WebMD, change can have a large impact on a person’s mental health. The uncertainty that comes from change can create higher-than-normal levels of stress. Managing this stress or learning to manage it is crucial in coping with change.
WebMD also argues that the stress we experience from any sort of change can have physical effects on our bodies. Some of these effects include headaches, insomnia, digestive problems, anxiety, irritability, and irregular eating habits. I get insomnia and anxiety with stress of any kind, regardless of the cause. I have been told to do breathing exercises or write down my stressors, and these methods do work at temporarily managing my stress.
Changes are difficult because we lose that sense of control, but the best advice I received on managing stress or change is to find something small.
However, accepting change can mean simply taking a step back and assessing what is controllable in the situation. My mom always tells me, “No puedes cambiar lo que no puedes controlar.” You cannot change what you cannot control. Changes are difficult because we lose that sense of control, but the best advice
I received on managing stress or change is to find something small.
This means finding the smallest similarity between the previous and the new. When my professor told us this, I was very confused, but when you think about how even the smallest connection can make something feel more approachable.
Change is hard but it can be easier when it is a positive change. This is exemplified by the Writers’ Workshop participants. Many of them have been coming to the Friday sessions for years. Seeing the changes they have experienced is truly impressive. For example, a few participants went back to school through Dallas College and have completed their studies. A couple of participants have gotten fulltime jobs.
Their work has been the most rewarding to see. They were all wonderful writers but seeing their confidence and their voices glow through their writing is magnificent.
These are just a few examples of the incredible changes some of the Writers’ Workshop participants have gone through since starting their writing journey. Their work has been the most rewarding to see. They were all wonderful writers but seeing their confidence and their voices glow through their writing is magnificent.
With change comes the hope for a new beginning or a dreadful feeling about what is to come. Regardless, it is important to remember that we get to decide how we handle transitions and finding similarities can be a useful tool in dealing with anxiety or uncer-
tainty. Change is inevitable. In fact, it keeps us growing and becoming the best version of ourselves.
Wendy Rojo is managing editor of STREETZine.
Artwork by Stewpot Artist Colleen Pryor.
Artwork by Stewpot Artist Darrell Plunkett.
STREETZine
STREETZine is an enrichment program of
the Stewpot.
The STREETZine is a monthly newspaper published by The Stewpot, a ministry of the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas. The Stewpot provides services and resources for people experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of being homeless. The organization also offers opportunities for a new life.
As part of this ministry, the STREETZine seeks to raise awareness about the issues surrounding homelessness and poverty. The monthly publication also offers financial opportunity for Stewpot clients who sell the paper to Dallas residents. Vendors are able to move towards economic self-sufficiency by using the money they receive from selling copies to purchase bus passes, food, and necessary living expenses. Clients also receive stipends for contributing articles to STREETZine
The content in STREETZine does not necessarily reflect the views or endorsement of its publisher, editors, contributors, sponsors or advertisers. To learn more about this publication, contact Betty Heckman, Director of Enrichment, 1835 Young Street, Dallas, Texas 75201 or BettyH@thestewpot.org. To read more about STREETZine, a member of the International Network of Street Papers, go to www. thestewpot.org/streetzine.
Managing Editor: Wendy Rojo
Editorial Advisory Board:
The Rev. Amos Disasa
Brenda Snitzer
Suzanne Erickson
Russell Coleman
Poppy Sundeen
Sarah Disasa
William McKenzie
Betty Heckman
Dee Leone
Pastor’s Letter: Mary Weeps
By Reverend Amos Disasa
Editor’s Note: This essay is excerpted from a sermon that Rev. Disasa delivered at the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas on March 22, 2025.
Not too long ago I saw a grown man cry. The tears fell when he wasn’t supposed to cry. Weeping was not on the agenda for the meeting. He was supposed to deliver a report. The same kind of report that often ended with resolutions honoring the legacy of people I’d never met. The story of their contribution to the institution was recalled solemnly, officially with a series of whereas’s.
After the resolution was read, the board would vote. If the resolution was approved, which it always was, the tribute would be recorded in our minutes. But this time, he couldn’t finish. Unlike me, he knew the people we were honoring. Still, I didn’t expect his voice to catch before he could get to the first “be it resolved.” He had two more resolutions to go, and he was already apologizing for the sudden outburst of emotion.
I looked down at the table and picked up my pencil. Suddenly there was something important I needed to underline on the agenda. Then there was a doodle that needed attention. His sobs had stopped the practiced rhythm of official business.
Before he finally surrendered and handed the resolutions to someone else to read, I think he said, “I don’t know what got into me.”
He attempted to press through after expressing surprise with words I don’t know if I remembered exactly because I was concentrating so hard on looking like I wasn’t listening at all. Before he finally surrendered and handed the resolutions to someone else to read, I think he said, “I don’t know what got into me.”
I’d heard these words before. I’ve said the same to myself: “I don’t know what got into me.” The expression is handy to have around for those moments when our bodies refuse to stick to the agenda.
When the official agenda is interrupted, something must be said so we can turn
back and look again. And so, he said, “I don’t know what got into me.” Without pausing to consider that he just admitted to being possessed by an uncontrollable spirit that made his body heave as if it was trying to escape, we snapped right back to the official agenda satisfied that he was only dealing with a little demon possession today.
I want to hear Jesus say the same.
*The official agenda has him arriving in Bethany two days late on purpose.
*The official agenda has him taking his time to get back to Mary and Martha’s house after he receives an urgent message that their brother is ill.
*The official agenda has the disciples urging Jesus not to worry about Lazarus because in Jesus’ own words, Lazarus is just sleeping.
*The official agenda has Jesus correcting the disciples’ confusion by explaining that Lazarus is already dead.
*The official agenda has Jesus admitting that he purposefully waited two extra days before going back to Bethany for Lazarus to die and cooly confessing to the disciples that quote, “For your sake I am glad I was not there, so you may believe.”
*The official agenda has Jesus finding out that Lazarus was already in the tomb when he got to Bethany, and he didn’t weep, nothing got into him.
*The official agenda has Martha meeting Jesus on the way in and saying, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died” and he didn’t weep, nothing got into him.
*The official agenda has Martha going back to tell Mary that Jesus was in town, and he didn’t weep waiting, nothing got into him.
*The official agenda has Mary and her neighbors meet Jesus where Martha left him.
*And the official agenda has Mary read the death resolution her sister Martha just did. Word for word in verse 32, sticking
Continued on page 5
Executive Director’s Report
By Brenda Snitzer
Editor’s Note: In keeping with the “change” theme of this edition, STREETZine asked Stewpot Executive Director Brenda Snitzer questions about The Stewpot’s big move to a new location.
The Stewpot is in the midst of a major change, moving from its location on Young Street in downtown Dallas to a campus setting that City Square previously owned in South Dallas. What services are being offered now in the new location?
The Stewpot programs from our old location continue at our new campus, except for the Children, Youth and Family program (see info below). We already have moved over 95% of the programs as of early April. They should all be there by the end of April.
The Stewpot now runs two former CitySquare programs: the Food Pantry and Neighbor Resource Center. Additionally, several partnerships continue on the campus. For example, Workforce Solutions remains on the campus offering employment assistance and training. AT&T’s Connectivity Center continues providing our neighbors training and internet access through its computer lab. And PNC Bank still operates a mobile banking truck to help families with financial literacy.
We also are continuing the two-year partnership with Streetside Showers that we had on the old campus. Streetside will provide an opportunity on the new campus for unhoused neighbors to have access to a shower, toilet, and sink so they can take care of their hygiene needs. This program happens on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month for the first 60 individuals who sign-up on those mornings by 9 a.m. A group of barbers also provide haircuts on Tuesdays.
The larger campus and courtyard make these and other programs possible.
Transitions are hard. How have you and The Stewpot team prepared for this move?
Change is hard. Even good changes bring about challenges and stress. The
move to the new campus has been bittersweet.
First, we were saddened to have lost a wonderful organization and partner in CitySquare. Second, there were all sorts of feelings because we had been serving folks downtown for 50 years. That included 16 years in the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas (FPC) and 34 years at the campus across the street from FPC. During 16 of those 34 years, we also have served meals at The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center. (We will continue to serve meals there three-times-a-day, seven-days-a-week.)
Our long history in these locations downtown created a sense of permanency and expertise in the inner city of Dallas. Seven years ago, we went through a major facelift of that facility to make The Stewpot more welcoming and updated. We also customized areas such as the Art Studio and built out offices for our housing program. That made it much harder to leave behind these renovated spaces.
We were comforted, though, by the fact that we can continue to serve our downtown unsheltered neighbors. They can ride the free Connector bus, which we started a few years ago with other collaborators, to our new campus.
Staff leadership prepared for the transition through many planning and listening sessions. We only had six months to prepare and most of that time was spent busily raising funds and planning the absorption of programs and staff.
A number of our programmatic and operations staff had to think through the best way to integrate the campuses, particularly with the continuation of CitySquare’s Food Pantry and Neighbor Resource Center. The hardest decisions were what to continue and what might be irrelevant because of the potential duplication of program or staff. For the most part, all programs continued, but we did have a little overlap. We had to make a couple difficult decisions in staffing.
We also had to prepare for the combined staffing — we hired 13 CitySquare staff to continue the programs — and the larger campus. Stewpot leadership planned the orientation for the new staff and prepared for staff retreats so all of us could get to know each other and reset, refocus, and reimagine our going forward. We have
tried to be very intentional on the phasing of staff and programs moving to the new campus.
Transitions also open up possibilities. Any new ideas already coming to the fore?
Even before the decision to move to the new campus at 1610 Malcolm X Blvd, we had been considering moving The Stewpot’s Children, Youth and Family program to a location closer to the families we serve. Over the past five to 10 years, many of our families had moved to Pleasant Grove. So, once we decided to make the larger transition to a new Stewpot campus, it became clear this was the time to more seriously consider finding a location closer to those families.
Thankfully, God provided a wonderful location in Pleasant Grove. It is at a new property that Cornerstone Baptist Church, a long-time South Dallas community leader, recently purchased. This partnership and campus are opening up all kinds of growth opportunities for our program and families.
We are also finding many new partnerships and opportunities at our Malcolm X and Pleasant Grove campuses. We are meeting with community organizations and neighbors to figure out what additional things we can do to serve both the unhoused and the housed in Dallas and in South Dallas/ Fair Park, as well as in Pleasant Grove.
Throughout all of this, we have used skilled project leaders. And the transition was led by Director of Operations Danny Buford and HR Consultant Sedrick Evans. Our entire staff and leadership have been instrumental in the transition.
Brenda Snitzer is the executive director of The Stewpot.
Change in the Blink of an Eye
By Poppy Sundeen
When Lisa Lopez began having vision problems and dizzy spells, she shrugged them off. As a wife, mother, and teacher, she was too busy to stop and listen to what her body was telling her. Then one morning, she awoke with a crippling headache and severe nausea. Ignoring her symptoms was no longer an option. She headed for the ER, where an MRI revealed the source of the problem: a brain tumor. “That was on a Wednesday,” Lisa recalls, “and on Saturday I went under the knife.”
The procedure that saved her life also changed it — dramatically. “The neurosurgeon told me that after that kind of surgery there’s often a personality change.” For Lisa, it was a total life transition. “It was as if I was reborn. Emotionally, mentally, spiritually, it was like a restart.”
The follow-up to surgery included cognitive testing. “They asked me to draw a clock and I wasn’t able to.” This came as a shock to Lisa. She had loved art all her life and even used it as a teaching tool. “First you draw; then you write,” she would tell students. And suddenly Lisa herself couldn’t complete a simple drawing.
Putting the pieces back together
When Lisa came home from the hospital, it was clear that returning to work was not an option, at least for the time being. Fortunately, disability benefits paid 70 percent of her salary for the first six months after her surgery. It was time she needed to regroup and find a path forward.
“At the time, I was still raising a family.” Her four children, ranging from 11 years old to college age, were used to seeing their mom in the role of caregiver. Suddenly, she was the one who needed care. She began a process of self-healing based on the teachings of an online counselor.
Little by little, Lisa confronted issues she had papered over. “Bits and pieces of hidden truths started emerging,” she explains. At the same time, she re-evaluated her relationships. “My marriage looked perfect on social media. When I faced the
truth, I had to deal with it.”
The “perfect” marriage
Lisa met and married her husband in the 1990s. After living abroad, they returned to the U.S. and settled in Atlanta, Georgia, where Lisa taught in a Montessori school. “I had a huge home, a husband, a handful of children — all that. Then, as Buddha says, everything changed in the blink of an eye.”
After 26 years of marriage, Lisa decided it was time for a divorce. Her children, skeptical of her self-healing process, urged her to go into counseling. “They wanted to keep me in the old version of myself.” But for Lisa, the genie was out of the bottle.
A tumultuous path ahead
While looking for answers about her past, Lisa reconnected with a cousin in her native Mexico and went to live at his home. Then the two had a falling out, and Lisa found herself on the street. “This was my first foreshadowing of being homeless.” At 46, she found herself living in a hotel and working a restaurant job.
Meanwhile, her family in Georgia faced challenges as well. Her ex lost his job, and they were in danger of losing their home. “They wanted me to come back and sign refinancing papers, so I went back to Atlanta.”
After the papers were signed, Lisa had no place to go. Her one ray of hope came from a former colleague who had moved from Georgia to work at a school in Texas. With the promise of a place to stay and a possible teaching position, Lisa made her way west. But this stretch of her journey turned into another dead end.
Seeking shelter
When the living situation in Texas soured and the job opportunity evaporated, Lisa became homeless. She made her way to The Bridge. “At first I never left the shel-
ter, because I didn’t want to leave my belongings.” Then she met Betty Heckman, Stewpot Art program director, a meeting that resulted in rekindling Lisa’s love of painting and led her to the art studio.
“My art is my savior,” she says, adding, “The Stewpot is my savior. It’s number one on my gratitude list.”
While Lisa is now comfortably housed in East Dallas, she continues to spend her days at The Stewpot working on her paintings — and working on herself. “I’m trying to feel everything that I wasn’t allowed to feel, accept where I am, and work on my trust in the process.”
Poppy Sundeen, a Dallas writer, is a member of The STREETZine editorial board.
Photograph of Lisa Lopez standing against her gallery wall. Photo courtesy of Betty Heckmen.
Continued from page 2
right to the agenda, “Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
No new business on the official agenda today. He’s already heard the news because he’s the one who scripted the whole meeting. He knew Lazarus was dead before anyone else did. No new business on the agenda, but Mary. Mary can barely get the words out.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the neighbors who came with her weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. Something got in him. And he asked, “Where have you laid him?” Something got in him. And they said, “Come and see.” And I don’t know what got in him, because then Jesus began to weep.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the neighbors who came with her weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. Something got in him.
Some said his love for Lazarus got in him. Some said his failure to come sooner got in him. I’m glad he didn’t say, “I don’t know what got into me.” Because if he did, we’d never know how to get it into us.
Love is an elusive word. We talk about it often. But it means different things at different times depending on where it is said and to whom you are talking. As soon as you conclude that it is near, something happens, and then it is gone only to be replaced by something else.
At various times, I have described to someone else that state of being or feeling I desire above any other is the exuberance of love.
If love could be purchased, the price would be high more than anyone in this room can afford. Billionaires are incapable of buying love, many of them have attempted to do just that, and they have failed.
At various times, I have described to someone else that state of being or feeling I desire above any other is the exuberance of love. In fact, love is my current ambition. Everything else that I dare to pray out loud is a reflection of my intense desire to know and then hold onto the
Love is never on the official agenda. We cannot resolve to feel the fulness of it. We cannot pray our way to knowing it completely. It can only be known by its absence. By the way it inhabits our body in heaves and leaks out in tears as if we are possessed.
Love is never on the official agenda. We cannot resolve to feel the fulness of it.
It is true, we don’t know what got into us, because if we did, if we knew it was the absence of love knotting up in our throats, if we knew we’d be greatly disturbed in spirit, I know I’d look away and never try.
I remember the first time I heard my father weep. I was young. One night I caught him awake after he’d put us to bed. I was going to get a glass of water from the kitchen, and I saw him sitting in the dark. He had squeezed himself into the corner of the couch. His hand covered his forehead and his shoulders bobbed. I asked him what was wrong, and he said his friend, bonded by love, the one he’d traveled from one corner of the world to the other with for college, his friend from home had died unexpectedly and too young.
His name was Degafa. Until that night, I’d never heard him mention Degafa. He didn’t exist to me until he was dead, too
late for me to weep for him. But I wept for my father, who wished he was there with Degafa when he died. And I think it was then, when something seemed to get into him, that I knew he was human, that he would miss me in the same way, that he was capable of love.
To believe in God’s love I must believe in God’s grief — that God too was greatly disturbed by love’s absence.
For this reason, I need to believe that Jesus wept because Mary wept. Not because he loved Lazarus but because he saw how much Mary loved her brother, and he was greatly disturbed that his delay in coming had caused Mary grief, sorry, longing; had made it so something got in her.
To believe in God’s love I must believe in God’s grief — that God too was greatly disturbed by love’s absence. Hear the good news: By his tears we are saved.
The Reverend Amos Disasa is senior pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas.
love of Jesus Christ. To love someone to death.
Artwork by Stewpot Artist Herbert Lee Jackson.
Writers’ Workshop Essays
Editor’s Note: Each Friday morning at 10 a.m., The Stewpot hosts a Writers’ Workshop. During the sessions, participants address selected topics through prose or poetry. In this edition of STREETZine, we feature the essays of writers that discuss changes they have experienced.
I’m Now Working with a Purpose
By Mike McCall
If there is one thing that is certain in life, it would be the inevitability of change. For better or worse, we are not the same person we were years ago, and nobody knows what the future will bring.
You can’t control all the changes in your life but some of them can occur through your efforts and decisions. My life is unrecognizable to the one I was living five years ago. Out of all the differences, one of my major accomplishments has been the completion of school for my return to the workplace.
From the time I was allowed to start mowing lawns as a child, I have always enjoyed working. Making money and staying busy has always been a part of me. Over the years, I have been a waiter/ bartender, car dealership manager, emergency management technician, and then
Changes I am Experiencing Right Now
By Kenneth Henry
a journeyman electrician.
While I enjoyed working in all these positions, I think I’m the proudest of my most recent job title. I attribute this to the change in my view of what a good job really is. In March, I received my state license to become a licensed chemical dependence counselor intern. For once, I am working with a purpose instead of a paycheck.
While I have been successful in my other ventures, I struggled with substance abuse through it all. That made me focus more on the money than on how I felt doing my job. Working as a substance abuse counselor has opened a whole new way of living and changed the way I feel about work. I can honestly say that the old saying is true, “When you find something you love to do, it never feels like work.” After not working for over five years, I feel so blessed that I found my way back into the workforce with a career
I’m currently experiencing patience while waiting for housing. I am in the process of applying for Supplemental Security Disability Income (SSI). My application is in the examination phase. I do get retirement Social Security income, and I am fortunate that I am able to save money while I wait for my housing.
Once I get settled, I will look for a part-time job so I can stabilize my income. I’m now at The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center in the transitional shelter program. That provides me my own space and bed. I can eat three meals a day there and have access to Parkland and Metrocare services.
I am thankful for a place to stay and that I am not living on the street. As long as you continue to trust the process and trust the rules, you are in a good place. I have been at The Bridge for 14 months and it takes patience. During that time, I had eye cataract surgery through Cornerstone Fort Worth. It is another great organization that helps homeless people with meals and grants at no cost.
I see Metrocare for help dealing with my depression and anxiety. At The Bridge, I attend group meetings that help us stay positive and have a better outlook. I see Parkland for my blood pressure and high cholesterol, which is available through The Bridge at no cost.
I’m now in a holding pattern waiting for my housing to come through. I’m thankful that I am currently in a good situation in my life. I thought writing this down could be good therapy for me, and I am grateful The Stewpot was able to provide the opportunity to do that.
that I have so much passion for.
I believe I’m doing something that could really help some people. I’m constantly seeing signs that I’m right where I need to be, and this is why I was put on this Earth. I’m one of those addicts who had almost given up on being able to change until I finally let go and allowed those who know the way lead me to a new life.
Three years later I have made that my mission for those who are still suffering. I’m using my lived experience and the knowledge I have gained to show others that there is another way. While this is quite a daunting task, I assure those who will listen that it is possible to make a change. We are unable to change what has happened in the past, but we can sure write a new ending as long as we embrace change.
Mike McCall is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
Kenneth Henry is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
Artwork by Stewpot Artist Sam Cooper.
A Season of Revival
By Marilu
Springtime makes me forget the cold spells that had us in their grips not long ago. The drafty double-decker shotgun where I rent a room, like a living creature, begins to expand with ease as temperatures return to a comfortable zone, although just until early May.
Outside our front door and out of their hiding places, lizards, beetles and twotoned insects in grey and orange, explore the awakening earth. Weeds of all kinds, oblivious of their less favorable shapes and textures, stake out more territory, while fresh green lawns thrive in the lengthening daylight. Woodpeckers tap the tree trunks with their robust beaks, adding a nice timbre to the bird songs. Someone across the street turns up their loudspeaker, hit songs from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s drown out nature’s symphony.
Someone in the same building as mine has being suffering from a breakup. I think of the heart predators who sneak
The Exchange of Change
By Gershon Trunnell
up to their victims, playing deceitful games, only to abandon them in the dead of winter. But spring will vanquish the specters of the unkind and guide him out of harm’s way.
The loudspeaker stops playing hit songs one day. Taking their place is the wrath of a power tool at work stripping paint from an iron fence that shows no apparent sign of rusting. I cover my ears to silence the noise. A gust of wind carries flakes of paint and a metallic smell across to my nose. A neighborhood cat abandons his favorite blade of grass and disappears into the crawlspace under a shotgun. Sensing a paranoia attack coming on, I step away for a walk around the block.
A small art gallery languishes on the corner of a neighboring street. Spring has brought few visitors to this gallery despite a sign showing its uniqueness and its location near an avenue one block away. I haven’t gone inside though it’s ticketfree. Its quaint name in baby blue against a splash of light pink beckons from a sign above the entrance.
I was in a conversation the other day with a friend from my old neighborhood on the subject of change. Moving back to the neighborhood I grew up in took me back 25 years and better. Landmarks for me were no longer there, like the church that was on the corner of Stults Road and Forest Lane, the Tom Thumb on Forest and Abrams, and many other additions and subtractions to the community.
The moral character for the most of my observance was the same. The children were still taught by their parents to respect their elders. I noticed the children were free to communicate with older people. That hasn’t changed. The children gather around to learn how to do whatever I’m doing at the time or just hang around for some reason. They don’t want to go home, so I share what knowledge I have to share. I have to set up boundaries or they would never leave or know what structure is.
My journey here on Earth has been full of change. I’ve gone from being housed to unhoused, employed to self-employed and even unemployed for a period of time. I’ve been in great shape and felt like I was taking my last breath. I’m still breathing, but all in all I must say that no matter what people try to do to make life difficult and different these children still look for good values in people.
In the conversation I had with my friend, a lot of things my grandfather and dad did were different due to the change in technology. I don’t do some of the things they did, and I’m pretty sure my children won’t do the same as I did.
For example, the games went from checkers to Atari to video games. But the one thing that has not changed is core values like dignity, respect, honor, and love. There may be changes through the generations from my grandparents to my parents to me, but we keep the same concept of respect for our elders.
The paint stripping stops. Two days later, a fresh coat of paint glistens on the iron fence. I suddenly understand why this has to be done in spring, as the summer heat, humidity and torrential rain will easily peel off last year’s paint.
When I take a walk around the block again, a piece of mural sculpture in the shape of waves with warm hues appears outside the gallery. The colorful poster on the entrance gate with inspiring words is replaced by a blank white board. My heart sinks a little, then recovers. Behind the scene, new creative ideas take place in this season of rejuvenation. A street musician at Jackson Square might fret over tourists bumping into and toppling his carefully constructed little stage with three guitars on standby, an accordion, a foot-pedal-controlled percussion set and several tip buckets, but he recovers quickly from the collapse and picks up where he left off. Spring is a season of revival.
Marilu is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
Gershon Trunnell is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
Artwork by Stewpot Artist Jennifer Moore.
Ready for Whatever
By Jason Turner
“That’s just the way it is (changes) things’ll never be the same.” —Tupac Shukar.
After relocating to a different apartment, I passed by a college and wondered if I could ever go back. Six months later, I found myself taking part-time courses for credit at that same campus.
I previously obtained a class A driver’s license. I lost it years ago, and it has been my goal to get one again. That’s why I’m taking a driver’s test in mid-April.
These are two ways in which my life is changing. Changes are so easily overlooked and minor accomplishments can be easily drowned out by weakness such as gaining weight and smoking cigarettes. I count my blessings, though. I have helped write a book and replaced a missing front tooth after I wrote about the loss of that tooth in a previous blog.
Working on My Business Plan
By Darin Thomas
I’m now in a Texas prison in the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP). This program will help me with my business once I’m out. I’m working on my business plan, learning about topics like financing considerations of new firms, establishing a bank relationship, and finding a suitable location.
We also have a class that’s called “Toastmasters International: A Practical Guide to Become a Better Speaker.” We talk about why we are here in prison and when we will get out. The leader of the class writes a letter for the parole broad when we come up for review.
PEP also uses a workbook called “10 Driving Values.” It focuses on topics like having a fresh start outlook, wise stewardship, love, integrity, integrity, execution, innovation, fun, accountability, and a servant-leader mentality.
Another workbook — “Living in the Village” — focuses on building a financial future and strengthening your community. And we are reading national bestseller Bill George’s “Discover your Authentic Leadership.” It is about pursuing purpose with passion, practicing solid values,
I maintain structure in my life through this writing workshop, participating in the Dallas Street Choir, and taking breaks. I’ve made new close friends, which I never saw coming. I have now been in Dallas for three-and-a-half years. I know my way around more and more each passing year.
My range of comfort zones has spread further than I could have handled when I arrived. I’m even trying mental health medications.
I can always see God right beside me in the midst of change, even when I have felt so alone. I’m 37 now, but my brain was abused when I was younger. Cognitively, I’m a little kid but my level of experiences is older than that.
Sometimes I try hard to maintain a smile. Just knowing I care enough to make that effort runs deeper than the smile itself.
Change sometimes comes when I reflect upon my writings. I pull up my pieces and look back on a new attitude and
leading with your heart, establishing enduring relationships, and demonstrating self-discipline. We talk about the transformation from “I” to “we.” The book has interesting stories.
I’m really thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this program and getting the information and help to have my business back up and running by 2026. I just finished working on my company’s name and start-up costs.
We get tested every Monday about what we are learning about entrepreneurship and other topics. My graduation is in May, and I hope to see some here for my big day. I’m learning a lot.
When I first got here, we had a “heart check” to see if I had the heart to do all this work. PEP used to be a nine-month program. Now, you do it in four months. That’s five months earlier – wow! So, we have to work extra hard to graduate.
I can say one thing though: I’m really having a good time getting information about my business and building my character and becoming a better person -- a successful person, that is. God is great!
light shining through. My goals bend but they don’t break. Nothing is concrete. I’m always ready for circumstances to carry me away. But I keep plans for everything I can possibly think of. This helps me feel more confident to go forward.
Opportunity presents itself when you plan ahead. God takes care of the rest, and I’ll never give up like I did long ago. Sometimes, I’ll be slow and unwilling to go. But I quickly recover every morning when I awake and no longer contemplate negative outcomes. If it happens, it happens. Whatever will be, will be.
I enjoy change as long as it’s not supernegative. Shifting how I view change can bring positive energy to a situation and makes me excited instead of timid. I welcome anything that may come my way and aim to make change something I look forward to in my life.
Jason Turner is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
I’m blessed and thank God for never leaving me. I’m working on being successful and providing for my beautiful family. I can’t wait until I’m released and get the help I really need.
Darin Thomas is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
Artwork by Stewpot Artist Teresa Zacarias.
Prey Birds: Habitats and Habits in NaturePart 2
By Vicki Gies
Has anyone ever tried to have a staring contest with an owl? I tried to once at the Dallas Zoo. This beautiful Great Horned Owl was sitting on a perch in its enclosure. He was staring at me, so I started staring at him — eye-to-eye contact! I’m not sure how long we stared at each other, but after a couple of minutes my eyes started watering and I had to blink. Shortly after I blinked, the owl blinked!! The outcome of the contest: Owl-1, Human-0.
If you can find them in the woods, they really are fascinating to watch. An owl can sit on a tree branch for what seems like an hour, occasionally turning its head and looking all around to see any movement on the ground. By movement I mean food to eat (which mostly consists of field mice, young nutrias and bunnies). They will also eat tree rats, which are smaller than other rats. And the odd thing about their eating habits is they don’t pick apart their food nor do they chew; they swallow their prey whole!
As big as most owls are, their flight is silent. Their wings have a lot of feathers, and the more feathers, the less sound they make.
As for their habitats, they make a home inside a hollow tree or log (and there are a lot of downed trees and large branches where I live). The ones I’ve come in contact with are the Great Horned Owl
(which is black, brown, and yellow), the Big Gray Owl (the name says it all) and a very small brownand-yellow owl. The Horned Owl is the biggest and most aggressive of these three. The Big Gray Owl is almost as big and the little owl is about six inches tall (I’ve only seen it once)!
The two big owls are the noise makers. One hoohoos and the other one sounds like it’s laughing. Hard to believe, but it’s true!
Another beautiful prey bird is the Red-tailed Hawk. There’s a nest close to me, and it’s high up in the tree. I’ve seen two. I believe they are an adult and an offspring as they are two different sizes. They are very avid hunters. Unlike the owl that sits and searches for movement, the hawks fly back and forth and then circle around looking for food. They make a high-pitched shriek while flying and when they spot the prey, they make a sudden and direct dive to capture it. They usually come in from behind and catch the prey off guard, sink in their talons, and off they go back to their nest! I named the two here Rosie and Rosie Jr.
is the vulture, but it doesn’t hunt for food like the other prey birds. They are the garbage collectors; they eat whatever is left over from other kills, whether it be meat or fish or something else that’s dead or dying. They have their nests in rotted trees and if approached they will most likely fly off, unless someone gets too close to their young. At that point they might attack, as with any of the animals when their young are threatened!
The only other prey bird around my area
Vicki Gies is a STREETZine vendor and frequent contributor.
Artwork by Stewpot Artist Leslie Johnson.
Writers’ Workshop Blog
Editor’s Note: The following essays are two blog post that address a misunderstanding about homelessness. These blog post, along with many others, can be found online at www.thestewpot.org/street-level
Just Get a Job
By Savita Vega
There’s an ‘80s song by Bruce Hornsby and The Range that captures many people’s sentiments today about those experiencing homelessness. The chorus chimes, “A man in a silk suit hurries by/ As he catches the poor old lady’s eyes/ Just for fun he says, ‘Get a job.’” The basic ideology underlying the comment, of course, is that if she would just get a job, her problems would be solved.
This may well have been the case in 1935 at the height of the Great Depression when my father was born — or even in 1950 following World War II. But today’s economic landscape is very different. According to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, as many as 40 to 60 percent of people experiencing homelessness are employed, as was I when I became homeless.
I still remember the timing very well — precisely when I was evicted — because it corresponded with seasonal lows in sales at my work in a retail store and, thus, with a cutback in hours. In December, during the Christmas rush, when my employer needed all the help they could get, I had been working not just fulltime but overtime for weeks on end. Then
came January and the seasonal slump in sales, and suddenly my hours were cut from 45 or 50 per week down to five with no warning.
I just opened the app on my phone with my new work schedule and saw that I was only down for five hours. At the same time, I had rent that was coming due in a couple of weeks. My income had just gone from $2,200 a month or more with overtime to something like $270. I had no idea what I was going to do. I knew that this was not the time of year to be looking for a job. No one in retail would be hiring then. At the same time, my boss was encouraging me to just “hang on,” explaining that this happened every year in their store and assuring me that the hours would go back up soon enough.
So, with what money I had saved from the overtime pay I made during the holidays, I managed to scrape up just enough to cover rent for February and March, which brought me to the end of my lease but also left me completely broke and behind on some of my other bills. In addition, my car had broken down, and I didn’t have the money to fix it, so I was without transportation.
All of this led me to choosing the path of re-signing a lease, despite the fact that
my rent went up 55 percent, from $937 to $1,450. First, I didn’t have enough savings left to use for deposits for another apartment. Secondly, what money I had coming in had to go to bills. And having no car, I was very limited in my ability to even go out and search for another apartment. Therefore, although it was against my better judgment, knowing I couldn’t afford it, I signed the lease.
Fortunately, hours did pick up a bit and my employer even began to hire new workers. Through a referral, I got my daughter on, and she began to work there as her first job, which increased our household income somewhat. Still, it just wasn’t enough. The $1,450 in rent along with other household bills was simply too steep for our incomes to cover.
The apartment complex wouldn’t allow for partial payment of rent, and the April rent went unpaid as did May. By June, fortunately my daughter was away in Savannah staying with her boyfriend who was finishing up the final semester of his master’s degree at Savannah College of Art and Design. I went to court alone and was evicted. By then I was back to working full-time, but it was too late.
Savita Vega is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
Not All People Experiencing Homelessness are Alike
By James Varas
When I was thinking about the misconceptions people might have about being homeless, I began watching a movie with two of my favorite actors: Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. I enjoy watching them together because they seem like old friends in all their movies, kind of like Cheech and Chong.
The movie was about them being incarcerated for bank robbery, yet they were innocent. That got me thinking about how many homeless people are actually innocent and how many are homeless because of their actions. I don’t know the data, but from my own experience I know that the majority might have some downfall or another. The important thing is we can learn from my mistakes.
I was homeless for the first time in my life after my mother died of Covid-19 and went to see our Lord and Savior. Her death caught me by surprise. I had gone to buy flowers because I had not been able to see her while she was quarantined. I was on the way to visit her when I received the phone call that she had passed away and there was nothing else they could do.
Eight months later, I was evicted from my house after a court hearing with my landlord. I decided to get in my car and travel with my two young canines, Sky and Kreecie. We made it to Frisco, Texas, and eventually found The Bridge, a homeless shelter in downtown Dallas that accepts pets with their owners. (You can find more details about my journey in The Stewpot’s new book, “Thy Neighbor.”)
I stayed at The Bridge for over a year and patiently waited for housing. I attended programs and was part of the Homeless Recovery Council. We were chosen to discuss the common problems at The Bridge and come up with solutions. It is one thing to see the surface of the ocean and another to dive into the ocean and feel the waters. You can describe the sand and the temperature of the water, and all the living things swimming and crawling around.
That is what it was like for me residing at a homeless shelter. The experience provided a deeper insight into what was needed to be fixed and how to fix it. Serving on that council was like that show, “Under Cover Boss.” We fixed many issues that had made it more difficult to stay at this facility.
Now, though, I have been a college stu-
dent at Dallas College’s El Centro campus for nearly two years. I am pursuing a culinary degree and can soon check off a lifelong dream of being a college graduate.
I sometimes get tired of writing about homelessness because I have been housed for two years and am attending college with a 3.7 GPA. In fact, looking back to when I was homeless is a distant memory. The experience was like walking through a fire. You only need to do it once.
I have used the experience to move forward. I am drug-free and once in a blue moon have a drink of alcohol at celebrations with my dad and siblings. I cook with it more in culinary class than I actually drink alcohol.
My next venture is professional truck driving. I will sing “On the Road Again” as I ride off into the sunset. However, I must first finish the race of achieving academic excellence. Once I do, I hope to see you on the road.
James Varas is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
Street Newspapers - A Voice for the Homeless & Impoverished
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STREETZine vendors are self-employed and set their own hours. They are required to wear a vendor badge at all times when distributing the paper. In order to distribute STREETZine, vendors agree to comply with Dallas City Ordinances.
If at any time you feel a vendor is in violation of any Dallas City Ordinance please contact us immediately with the vendor name or number at streetzine@thestewpot.org
CHAPTER 31, SECTION 31-35 of the Dallas City Code PANHANDLING OFFENSES
Solicitation by coercion; solicitation near designated locations and facilities; solicitation anywhere in the city after sunset and before sunrise any day of the week. Exception can be made on private property with advance written permission of the owner, manager, or other person in control of the property.
A person commits an offense if he conducts a solicitation to any person placing or preparing to place money in a parking meter.
The ordinance specifically applies to solicitations at anytime within 25 feet of:
Automatic teller machines, exterior public payphones, public transportation stops, self-service car washes, self-service gas pumps, an entrance or exit of a bank, credit union, or similar financial institution, outdoor dining areas of fixed food establishments.
