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By Wendy Rojo
My favorite form of renewal is learning. We are consistently exposed to a wide range of new ideologies, people, and cultures. Primarily through the rise of social networks, we can connect with essentially anyone from around the world. It offers us the opportunity to be exposed to ideas that we’d never be exposed to otherwise.
Renewal to me is a continuation or a regeneration. With the help of education, we can regenerate our minds and ideas. Education and online tools allow us to learn globally. We can read about Greek mythology, the Roman Empire, the Samurai in Japan, and the Aztecs in Mexico. If it weren’t for books and online resources, we’d never learn about all these incredible historical events and people.
Education has also undergone a renewal, particularly with the increased use of social networks. Social media is an incredible tool if used correctly. We can utilize it to expand our knowledge of the world without ever having to leave our homes. It helps us stay connected to each other. For example, the #MeToo and the #BLM movements connect us to others who share the same social justice passions. These online social movements also changed the way we protest, share information, and educate ourselves on various issues.
With the help of education, we can regenerate our minds and ideas.
These changes are noticeable not only through our online social justice movements, but in the ways we gather and share our news. According to NPR, conservative voters heavily relied on social media to obtain their news while engaging with posts more frequently than their liberal counterparts. Social media altered the way we all engage with each other and our government.
The changes in education and the increased use of social networks are creating a new realm of education and access. Renewing the ways we collect our information and the ways we interact with each other is challenging, but it is necessary. For example, this publication is changing the way we reach our audience. We’ve decided to take a more virtual approach by pushing the STREETZine out to readers more through online connections than through a vendor on the street. The shift will allow us to reach a wider audience while simultaneously reaching our readers directly.
Renewal is daunting. It is difficult to accept changes, but as things become more digital, it is crucial that we regenerate what we think of as traditional learning. Whether that means more online activism, online education tools, or simply more awareness, we need to regenerate how we learn and interact with each other.
By Reverend Dr. Charlene Jin Lee
The Angelus is a prayer recitation practiced in the Catholic tradition. At dusk, the church bell would ring to signal a time for this prayer. This moment of devotion is captured in a well-known painting by Jean-François Millet, L’Angélus. Bells resound from the distant church tower. Two farmers, husband and wife, put down their earthly tools. Their modest harvest of a handful of potatoes at their feet, they pause from the labor of their hands and bow their hearts, returning their day and their livelihood, to God.
This painting hung in my parents-in-law’s house. When I lived with them for a short time, I would see them in this painting when they returned home at my 7 a.m. breakfast hour. They rose every morning at 4:30 a.m. and headed to church for daily dawn prayer service. This was their practice for 40 faithful years of ministry. I saw what quiet devotion and steadfast faith look like — in still life and in living witness.
I often think of spiritual renewal as a grand endeavor, something I need to work on, set apart from normal time, an opportune grace that comes once every few years. What I am learning is that spiritual renewal is a daily grace made available to us all by God who is in every time and place. When we pause to bow our lives before God who is ever near, we are returned to our truest origin: belonging in the palm of God’s hands.
What I am learning is that spiritual renewal is a daily grace made available to us all by God who is in every time and place.
Like the farmers who pause from the day to lay down the work of their hands, when we pray, we are returning to God. In the pausing and in the putting down, in the bowing and in the offering of empty hands, we are being renewed — made new again. Here, we remember: God is here. I belong to God.
If there is a common quest of all religions, it is the union of the creation with the Creator. The word religion, from religio in Latin, after all means rebinding, to bind again — to be renewed.
For us humans, our desire is to be moving towards God or towards the Infinite. In major religious systems, the possibility for this movement relies on human effort. To grow closer to God, many religions measure the extent of human goodness or our capacity for emptiness or detachment from all things that are not of God — an ascetic life of peeling away of all that is not holy. It makes sense to believe that without the material matters blocking our way to transcendence, we might have a better chance at brushing up against an invisible grace we so want to know and feel, touch and believe.
If there is a common quest of all religions, it is the union of the creation with the Creator.
So, we try. We work to reach a state of emptiness from the things of this world. Or we strive to be good. And we will try again where we fail again.
Seeing human effort, God offers another way. God moves toward humans. Recorded in the biblical tradition is the story of God offering a covenant life where people live with God, not somewhere else searching far for God.
And in case this is too much grace, like the deep blue ocean our little mouths do not know how to drink from, too much grace for our hardworking hearts to believe, we are given covenant exercises, practices, and a manner of living that over time gets us closer to trusting this divine grace upon which our restless hearts can finally rest.
A way to sip, gulp, or joyfully drink from grace that is indeed an ocean is to practice pausing — daily — and putting down what we are carrying on our own. Grace will be waiting to put in our small hands a daily portion of spiritual renewal sufficient for the journey.
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For our slight, momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen, for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. —2 Corinthians 4:16–18
Reverend Dr. Charlene Jin Lee is executive pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas.
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, 1610 S Malcolm X Blvd Dallas, TX 75226 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
By Brenda Snitzer
Many of us feel tired or worn out but are unable to take time off when we want to do so or need a break. When I feel that way, I turn to Scripture. It gives me strength and renewal. Here are some verses that encourage me:
In Lamentations 3:22-23, God reminds us that, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.”
Psalm 73:26 says, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and portion forever.”
Psalm 5:3 proclaims, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”
And Isaiah 40:31 tells us, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
There are over 100 biblical references to renewal; you can just Google it. And these other verses remind me that I can look to God at all times and in all circumstances.
For example, Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
And further, in Philippians 4:13, we read, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
I lean into my faith and trust Him when I feel emotion-
ally or physically spent. Renewal and rest come easiest when I am with family or quiet times alone with God, reading Scripture, getting good sleep, and having time away from normal routines. I am grateful for such opportunities, especially when they happen on vacation or at one of my favorite spots, the beach. However, those times aren’t always possible when I need them.
But daily, I have seen God’s mercies, and His promises fulfilled. I have witnessed renewal that comes every morning as I put my trust in Him, even in the midst of chaos or stress.
He does renew my strength, as Isaiah says. And my help comes from the Lord, as we read in Psalm 121: 1-2: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
May God bless you with renewal even when finding rest can feel challenging.
Brenda Snitzer is the executive director of The Stewpot.
By Poppy Sundeen
In her nine years of overseeing The Stewpot Art Program, Betty Heckman has seen a quite a bit of change. “I started in the old Stewpot location on Young Street. Then we renovated,” she says. “There was a lot of upheaval.” In 2025, the program relocated to a studio in the new Stewpot facility on South Malcolm X.
At the end of last month, the studio moved again — this time into a temporary space within the current building to make way for construction of new art studio facilities. “Change is constant. It doesn’t depress me. It doesn’t upset me. I don’t worry about it. It’s just a sign of life. I try to be a steady source of reassurance for the artists who might not embrace change.”
Renewal for the studio — and the artists who work there
Currently, an empty room sits where the new studio will be. While there’s no fixed date for completion of the project, hopes are high for moving into the space within a few months. In the meantime, the artists are adjusting to a changing landscape. “They’re going to be adding plumbing and tearing everything up. So sometimes before it gets wonderful, it gets really bad.”
The same could be said for the process of creating art. “Starting with a blank canvas can be daunting,” says Betty. “Hopefully, they have a vision. And when they complete the vision and sign it and put it on the wall, it is a definite renewal for them.”
Betty understands the challenges and rewards of creating art, because she is an artist herself. “I work on my art when I’m alone in my house.” It makes her respect the willingness of artists in The Stewpot studio to work in front of others. “Working in a public setting where there are people walking behind you and looking at your canvas makes you vulnerable. You have to have a willingness to put it out there,
to trust the process and trust yourself as an artist.”
Some of the volunteers who help her with the art program are artists as well. “One of our new volunteers is also an art teacher, so she’s bringing new ideas to the studio.” One way Betty and the volunteers help the artists is by offering friendly critiques. “They take it or leave it. That’s artistic license. I’ve never seen anyone get their feelings hurt.”
The artists are also inspired by one another — and by exposure to great works of art. Betty leads occasional field trips to the Dallas Museum of Art. “Every time we go there, we come away with new inspiration.” Yet another source of inspiration is the large collection of art books in the studio library.
time constraints can interfere with coming to The Stewpot. Or maybe they just don’t want to go at some point, so it’s an everchanging population.”
As director of The Stewpot Enrichment Program, Betty strives to help Stewpot neighbors enhance their lives through creativity. “We don’t do art therapy, but it is therapeutic.”
Artists not only have the satisfaction of expressing their feelings and ideas in their work, but they also have an opportunity to supplement their incomes. Betty organizes frequent shows, where artists can display and sell their works. When a piece is sold, the artist gets the proceeds, minus 10 percent to keep The Stewpot Art Program in supplies.
While the studio facility is undergoing transition, so too is the group of artists who gather there. “Artists come and go,” says Betty. “Some live far away or have to take public transportation, and some have jobs or are going to school. Their
Some days, studio is at capacity, with all of its 10 tables occupied. Other times, there might be one or two artists working. And on occasion, the room is overflowing. “One day we had 12 artists, and we only have 10 tables.”
There are a total of 20 artists currently enrolled in The Stewpot Art Program. It’s a prolific group, as evidenced by the paintings that cover the walls and every available space within the building. Once the renovations are complete and the dust has settled, Betty and her volunteer staff will take on yet another task: creating a dedicated gallery space where the artists can show the fruits of their labors to full advantage.
Poppy Sundeen, a Dallas writer, is a member of the STREETZine editorial board.
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. In this edition of STREETZine, we feature the essays of writers that discuss the topic of renewal.
By Savita Vega
I grew up on a ranch in Southeast Texas and spent much of my time either swimming in or exploring along a creek that ran across the back of our property. In summer, I was always there, submerged up to my ears in the rushing waters. In winter, I walked or rode my horse along the creek bank, exploring the woods that stretched several miles north of our house.
The creek for me was a reference point. As long as I knew where the creek was, I knew where I was. If the trail I was following disappeared or grew vague, I would always loop back to the creek bank which I could trust to lead me home.
By Sandra Robinson
After 17 months of homelessness, I just got awarded lifetime housing assistance. A Dallas housing organization was my advocate for the federal housing program. I was given four apartments to choose from. Once I saw the exercise room, I knew I had found the location I needed to live in. I viewed the floorplans that were available. I chose the one that was a studio — no walls, bedroom and living room together — a true studio with a balcony.
I started having many different emotions when I realized I could not get my choice. I was not able to get the studio apartment for my new adventure because I had to pay a $1,075 fee for a background check. I was not willing to pay and I wondered who would be willing to pay that fee. My background consists of homeowners and business owners. My neighbors were mainly contract plumbers, electricians, and self-employed handymen. If my parents were still alive, I would be living in their remodeled garage.
My case manager provided more listings of available apartments units. I chose an apartment studio located downtown.
I spoke with a friend about how she was offered assisted living. She cannot live
In the summer, swimming in the creek was equally adventurous. During the winter months, the creek would invariably flood, sometimes several times. During these events, the flood water would rise and stretch out sometimes a mile wide. This inundation of water changed everything.
The rushing waters and swirling currents eviscerated the landscape at the creek bottom, wiping it clear of old debris. When the waters receded, even the placement of the sandbars along the creek would be changed. Where once there had been a sandbar, there might now be a deep eddy, and where once there had been a steep embankment, there might be a sandbar.
alone because she might forget she is cooking and start a fire. I told her she could get someone from a homeless organization to visit her and check her out for walks and talks. She told me I also needed to have a friend.
I agreed with her, so I contacted a friend who is now helping me learn the Bible. I have been working on Genesis 4:6. I started researching the meaning of the words. I kept having problems only reading the scriptures because I do not have any prior Sunday school teaching. I learned the Bible from reading on my own and focused on Psalms and Proverbs, without a teacher or guide.
After 17 months of unused time, I revisited my Amazon account. The book titled “Learn How to Draw with Ink” was posted on my viewing account. I checked out a book from the public library on how to draw using a pencil. Once I improve my art, I will be able to join The Stewpot Art Program.
This phenomenon rendered the creek and the entire creek bottom an entirely new environment each spring. Through this process of flooding, everything familiar was swept away and replaced with the new and novel. For me, as a child, this was particularly exciting, because it meant that I had an entirely new landscape to explore all spring and summer. Looking back as an adult, the phenomenon serves as a reminder that what may seem like the end is only a new beginning. Life sometimes has a way of clearing away debris and making way for new growth. We may face desolation, but even a period of utter destruction can lead to renewal and rebirth.
Savita Vega is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
My drawings and paintings will be based on the USDA People’s Garden. The People’s Garden promotes growing food using sustainable practices that benefit people and the wildlife and teaches about local, resilient food systems. I will support them by drawing locally grown
fruits and vegetables. I am also planning on creating images of my family to keep me from being the only holder of my parents’ family. So, I am renewing myself with a new place to live, friendships, Bible study, and art projects.
Sandra Robinson is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
By Jeanine Robinson
By Paul R. Watson
I often walk through downtown Dallas watching the changing seasons. The downtown in spring blooms in the middle of a concrete core.
I realized eventually that the lushness of downtown was not accidental. It was the result of concerted efforts by various individuals and city planners to transform the city from a “concrete prairie” to a “city in a park.”
Take, for example, Pacific Plaza Garden, a 3.5-acre parking lot that was transformed into a pocket garden surrounded by concrete high-rises.
I found Pacific Garden more than a water-thirsty manicured place. The garden is a place inspiring reflection from the natural flora and structures marking its historical legacy.
For instance, Pacific Garden is the spot where the railroad that ran from New Orleans to El Paso, Texas, between 1871 and 1921 stopped. Thanks to the landscape architects, a 20-foot oval structure with perforations marking the Morse code used for the 337 train stops embellishes the garden.
I realize while the businesses in Dallas move fast, the best renewals happen in the city one bloom at a time.
Fall turns to winter and winter turns to spring. And when you have had the best of spring, the summer sun is back for renewal of your life. You renew your path of life just like married people do after years of being with the person they love.
I have sought out to love myself. I want to renew my mission of loving myself as I did before. I want to feed myself with knowledge and to be with the rhythm of self-love. The rhythm that follows the sun to restore our bodies and minds.
Renewal helps us get back what we lost. Renewal to me means having pride. I try to give back when I can because this helps my inner renewal. I look at life the right way and keep pushing and try to stay happy through all the changes.
The perfect time for renewal does not exist — you have to do it every day. Personal renewal happens daily. Renewal through changes is brave because change can be scary. The process of regenerating helps us become the best versions of ourselves.
Affirmation helps when we feel we have lost our way through change. Remember that renewal does not happen all at once. Instead, we need to show ourselves grace and embrace it daily. I forgive myself and move forward because life has a way of coming full circle.
Jeanine Robinson is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
By Ezra Gatlin
After being housed, my priority has been stabilization: physically, financially, spiritually, and emotionally. Oftentimes, the given resources focus so deeply on rehousing, no one really talks about building yourself back up afterwards.
There’s no way to be prepared for homelessness, but all things considered, I was pretty prepared. I had my documents, I had my wits about me, and I knew where to get the resources I needed. Even then, I had to rebuild myself and my entire community in a new city, find medications that worked, and navigate disability while trying to find consistent income.
My first step was joining The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop last September. This is a group of artists, all with the same goal and similar life experiences, boosting each other up, as well as being supported by our coaches and editors.
The first time I made money from STREETZine was when I vended newspapers near Akard Station in downtown Dallas. I walked 12 blocks, from the convention center to the West End to secure the money I needed to keep my shelter bed. I made $35 and for the first time in
By Jamie Krishnan
Relationships are an inherent part of human nature. We live our entire lives in them, thriving in some, maybe not so much in others.
However, one relationship should never be all-encompassing to the detriment of others. I learned this the hard way.
A long time ago (practically in another life!) I fell deeply in love, and he was and will always be the love of my life. My dreams of the two of us travelling through the journey of life together remained dreams, never to become reality. Coming from a traditional culture, he decided to marry a woman of his parents’ choosing.
I was devastated.
I began to enter into short-term affairs to prove to myself how worthy I am. It took some time for me to look at myself and be ashamed. This behavior was against
my life, I was able to make a consistent living from my art.
Having even a meager income started to soothe a lot of my anxieties, but it didn’t solve everything. I knew one day I would have to reintegrate myself into the workforce, but homelessness is so incredibly lonely and isolating.
I would have to reintegrate into society as well. As a Black, transgender person, I wanted to surround myself with my own community. While I do not need to share every lived experience with someone to make friends, I wanted to find my own safe spaces.
In November 2025, I decided to start volunteering with Say It With Your Chest DTX, or SIWYC. Say It With Your Chest is a Black, queer-founded, grassroots mutual-aid organization providing care packages in high-quality Ziploc bags to those experiencing homelessness. They have curated a healthy and diverse community that supported my pursuit of stability from the very beginning. They connected me directly with the Dallas Black Queer Collective (DBQC), a group whose monthly mixers and community check-ins have provided me with the interpersonal support and relationships I was desperately searching for.
my every moral fiber and was not me.
Although I continued working and living from one day to another, I was merely existing. My friends had distanced themselves, and making new friends was difficult. I was alone, feeling lonely, all of my own making.
In this empty life, I found some of the real me back — the individual, the woman who always had interests, hobbies, and a life not centered on one man.
I started browsing bookshelves, going to the library, catching up on reading, going for long solitary walks, listening to Mozart or John Coltrane. I rediscovered myself. I found peace. Slowly, I started meeting new people, making new friends. I started a new life.
During January’s winter freeze, my friends at SIWYC and DBQC partnered to get me a space heater so I wouldn’t have to tolerate the cold that outmatched my subpar apartment heating. Also in January, I was invited to start writing the SIWYC monthly newsletter, which has been a massive success.
Getting involved with my community was the best decision I could have made. It has connected me with a multitude of new organizations providing opportunities for jobs, friends, and the beginnings of an extensive, supportive personal and professional network.
After being housed, I wanted to surround myself with those who were accomplishing the goals I once dreamed of. Meeting other successful Black and queer artists has made that possible for me. Being housed has ensured I can remain bold, confident, and extroverted, but I am lucky enough to call these curators, organizers, and collectives home. I am grateful for the behind-the-scenes work I put in. The days I sat in the library for hours with nothing but a laptop and a suitcase have steadily turned into a foundational rebuild that will last for years to come.
Ezra Gatlin is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
years, never having married, I am not unhappy. Alfred Tennyson wrote, “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” This is my story.
Although I have been single for over 25
By Darin Thomas
I want to renew my relationship with the love of my life. She is my friend, love, and wife, the woman I asked my Heavenly Father to put in my life. He placed her there, so I want to renew the relationship we had with each other. I’m still in love with her and will always be. I hope she feels that from the heart and soul as well.
We met 27 years ago, and I still feel the same about her. We have a daughter and a son together and our family included my son by another woman.
God has blessed me with my family. I now want to renew those relationships, including with my children. I want to spend more time with my sons and my daughter, pursuing new hobbies with them. I’d love to go fishing, swimming, hunting, you name it. I just want to deepen those relationships.
I know I’ll have to renew my spirit and soul with my Heavenly Father, God Almighty. I need to deepen my relationship with Him as His creation.
When that happens, there will be a renewal of spirit, relationships, and creation all in one.
Darin Thomas is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
By James Varas
Spring is when nature wakes up and shows us what life truly is. To me, life is the color green because it represents growing and learning. Even the plants on my windowsill reach out for the sunlight. When I look at green fields, I am reminded of life.
There is a story about a boy who was born blind. He had never seen a tree, a flower, or a meadow. Eventually, a great doctor performed surgery to give him sight. When the boy opened his eyes and looked out the window at the world for the first time, he cried out, “Mother, why didn’t you tell me the world was this beautiful?” His mother replied through tears, “I tried, but I just couldn’t find the words.”
This story helps explain heaven. I can try to describe how wonderful heaven is, but words are not enough. It is more beautiful than a thousand people could say or a million artists could paint.
Everyone sees things differently, but when I see green buds blooming in the spring, I think of how beautiful God made life. This is what spring means to me. Jesus also promises us “living water” so that we will never be thirsty again.
James Varas is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
By Kenneth Henry
As the weather gets warmer and the trees start branching out again, I am reminded that I too will soon have to make changes to my life.
Changes to my housing situation will soon be upon me. My rapid rehousing will expire on June 30, 2026. I do have a case manager who is trying to get me another voucher for housing, which is not guaranteed. I am currently in a state of apprehension.
I will be making critical decisions on the direction my life will take again. But this time, I am not alone because I have the case manager helping me in the background. I do have options now that are available to me.
Permanent housing is an option where I am staying now. I could stay there but it’s not in the best neighborhood. It is next to LBJ and Coit Road, which is a bit noisy
By Vicki Gies
There are so many things that can be renewed. Renewal of life and renewal of my faith are most important to me. Life can be so unpredictable. Growing up from childhood through high school, my life was great. I had wonderful parents and other family members. I didn’t have a worry in the world.
After I graduated from high school, life began to change. I started working on my first career. It was in county government. It was exciting at first, and I was learning a lot of new things, meeting new people, and becoming friends with most of them. I began in clerical work, then I joined the Sheriff’s Reserve Division. Eventually, I became a deputy sheriff. That’s when life became worrisome at times.
In 1982, I was escorting a couple of prisoners from court back to the jail. I was working by myself that day. When we got to the elevator, they both jumped me, beat and kicked me, and choked me to unconsciousness. I thought I was going to die. I begged for my life and prayed hard, but they didn’t care. When I came to, I was bleeding and tied up. Even though this happened 44 years ago, I remember that day like it was yesterday. Later I found out it was a planned escape.
because of the traffic. I am on the Dallas Housing Authority list as well. Waiting is the hardest part of all, hoping that your name is next on the list.
Funding is also a big problem. We are in uncertain times, and I don’t think funding is a priority right now. It would be nice to get a renewal of funding for housing, but I am not very hopeful at this time.
So, you could say I am in the process of renewal and changes in my life. Having a more permanent housing situation instead of year to year would lift a great burden from my life. In a nice neighborhood with open spaces around to be able to walk and enjoy the outside.
Once I have a more permanent place to live, I will start looking for a part-time job to supplement my Social Security income. Having extra money will help me with unexpected expenses as well as give me personal satisfaction.
Getting a car is another option to renew
This was my first renewal of life, and I grew stronger every day from then on. And if I didn’t have the strength that God gave me to recover and my will to live, I wouldn’t be here today.
After that ordeal, I lost both my parents to cancer. I was an only child. I lost my faith and became very depressed and fell into the world of drugs. Somehow, I managed to finish my 27-year career with county government in 1997. Because of my near fatal choice to do drugs, I lost my house, my few friends, my car, and almost my mind. I almost lost my life with three overdoses and finally hit bottom. Something woke me up, and I finally said, “Enough is enough, and I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” I came to believe that “something” that woke me was God.
my life. It will give me more freedom to do more activities without having to wait on buses and having to pay each time. It also would give me more choices to find a new place to live without having to be near a bus line.
Although these next four months will be uncertain for me, I am trying to look at it in a positive manor. Changes are always hard for me, but I am getting better at it as time goes by. Most of these changes are outward, but I am also working inwardly to change my thinking and attitude about the direction my life is going.
Some of these changes include being more open and outgoing. I have a tendency to be nervous about meeting new people and initiating conversations. I also want to be more open about learning new things and enjoying life more.
Kenneth Henry is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
me back to reality and a new life. And I rededicated my life back to God.
I do my best to go to church regularly and I do Bible studies on my phone. I volunteer at my church when they need me, and I also go to regular church events. I am thankful that the renewal of my life and faith have sustained me through the highs and lows of my life.
It was time to renew my life and my faith! I went to rehab, NA meetings, and had weekly meetings with a psychologist. I began taking medication to help bring
Vicki Gies is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
By Lisa López
The last time I took a full shower in my bathroom was the day of the fire. We had finally been given the clearance to enter our homes. I had dashed across the courtyard and impulsively opened the door. I had been watching the firefighters unflinchingly combat the fire for four straight hours. Upon evacuation, I had positioned myself within feet of their post. I had a front-row seat to my unit and was within hearing range to be completely briefed on the status of the fire.
Thus, when I rushed into my unit to verify and check for damage, I already knew that the fire had not reached it. Furthermore, I had already gotten wind that apartments 109 and 110 had not suffered any damage. I was irked that I had not heard my number 111, which is why I was extra impatient to get home and verify that my apartment was unscathed.
As I ran towards my apartment, I understood why my unit had not been mentioned. It turns out 109 and 110 had their doors breached. When the fire began, I exited my home and left the door unlocked. I confidently opened my door
By Jason Turner
Mental and renewal are the building blocks of a life that doesn’t fade when circumstances or events take a toll. We can take steps to balance out the wear and tear of time. In fact, taking those steps can create surprising energy when daily life otherwise can drain us of energy.
Some mornings I reset myself mentally by starting the day off with good music. And I text my family from time to time with worries about things I cannot change. The exchanges get things off my chest, and I don’t have to worry about the issues anymore.
Other times, when I feel like I’ve been stagnant and that life doesn’t have more to offer, I do little things like try new types of food or get a new video game. I love getting new games because starting a different adventure and reading through their dialogue excites me. The storyline of video games is a thin one between cinema and literature. I could pick up more in literature, but my imagination isn’t as great as it used to be, so gaming graph-
to the comforting view of my apartment exactly as I had left it four hours before.
I did notice puddles of water on the floor and my heart sank. Yet upon further inspection I realized the puddles were a result of the firemen walking through the unit to assess the disaster zone.
There was no damage to my unit. Although I was scared, shocked, and in slight agony, I was also beyond grateful. By then it was around six or seven o’clock and it was nighttime outside. I was exhausted.
The firemen had shut off the power. I still climbed into the dark shower and washed away the experience as best I could in an attempt to reset my aura, focus, and vibrational frequency. I did notice the water had no pressure and the temperature was not adjustable. My gratitude was uncompromised.
I went to bed refreshed and determined to keep calm, stable, clear, functional, and focused. Water is a vessel for miracles. It is cleansing and renewing. I was determined to keep mine flowing.
As much as I wanted to freak out about
ics peak my intellect at times.
Outside of school, these mental activities keep me going and feel like I’m moving forward. They help me avoid becoming complacent.
There are a number of physical things I do to renew myself, too. Simply hanging out with family or a significant other can recharge my energy and emotions. Without someone to share life with, a lot of things would be pointless.
Something as simple as rearranging my room helps, too. I like it when everything is nice and clean. The order makes me feel more relaxed. And I even occasionally use a hydro-cleanse that washes out my body and can renew my taste buds.
Mental and physical renewal steadies my
the small details of the disaster, my awareness was fully occupied keeping me safe. The fire was on Saturday, October 18, 2025. By Wednesday I had come to terms with the water shutoff. I had a multitude of small spring water bottle donations from The Stewpot Art Studio and was eager to have my first spring water bath.
The results were so overwhelmingly positive I was startled. Without the toxins of tap water my biology was extra renewed by the spring water’s mineral content. My hair was thicker, shinier, and cleaner for a longer period of time.
The first silver lining of the fire was beginning to make a glimmer of an appearance. Twenty-six units had been affected or damaged in the building. Every one of those units had been abandoned, evacuated, vandalized, and squatted on except for mine. I was the only homeowner who decided to stay in the building without power or water. The building was never condemned. I was not going anywhere.
Lisa López is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
life and can create a noticeably new attitude. They prepare me for what’s next in life instead of dreading a repetitive existence. I hope you have your own way of renewing yourself.
Jason Turner is a writer in The Stewpot Writers’ Workshop.
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