Renee Hawkley In Joy!

                                                                    When Logan Sings                                                                       by Renee Hawkley  I conduct the congregational singing in church. Each week, I survey the Sunday-best version of my friends and neighbors from my seat behind the pulpit. I can count on Logan being there with his grandparents, parents and four older siblings. They sit in the center section and take up the better part of a pew. Most often, Logan stays buckled in his wheelchair beside their row. Before Logan was born, there was a mix-up with his chromosomes, so he can’t walk, talk, or do th...

                                                                                                                                                        The Man of My Dreams by Renee Hawkley “How do you like being married to a lawyer?” A young friend asked the question decades ago. I admit. When I fell in love with my blue-eyed prince, a profession wasn’t on my list of priorities. As it turned out, his professions were many and varied. Let’s see. They were: Restroom janitor, daily @ 4-7 a.m. — an excuse for university students to go to bed early Buffer of floors, daily @ 4-7 a.m. — his appetite and bicep...

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you  not  to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."  by Marianne Williamson

I Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without Ceasing?" What does this scripture even mean? Well . . . maybe it means to keep our eyes, ears, hands, heart and brain open to the Holy Spirit at all times. Together, these faithful partners can notice questions and provide answers about what to think, say and do. In this way, the miracles of "Pray without ceasing" come to us more easily -- even when our mouths are shut and we are not kneeling. -- by Renee Hawkley --

 For Roberta by Renee Hawkley The November air had a bite to it as I walked to work this morning. The sky was full blue, and nature was showing off in a thunder of silence. I picked up a leaf among many strewn along the sidewalk and, on closer examination, was stunned to discover its exquisite blend of design, color, shading and texture. My coworkers must see this! I chose a prominent counter and displayed it on a background of yellow construction paper. Word spread, and the "perfect leaf" was visited by admirers throughout the day. Our graphic artist even borrowed it for a brief photo shoot. On the afternoon walk back home, I noticed all the other leaves that had escaped my attention earlier. Most are on the ground now. I think of them as colonies and collections -- the leaves raked into a pile -- the leaves huddled together blocking a storm drain -- the leaves filling a leaf bag. Suppose there is such a thing as a "plain old" pile of leaves, but no such thing as a...

January 20, 2021 I want to record a few thoughts before today's inauguration of Joe Biden as President of the United States. What is about to occur is a stunning blow to ". . . liberty and justice for all." Already, the concept of gender has been neutered in Congress by the removal of gender-related terms such as "mother, father, aunt and uncle." Already, freedom of speech that disturbs the desired narratives of "big tech" is censored and eliminated on their platforms and at their whim. Already, eugenics controls abortion, disposing of hundreds of thousands of "unsuitable and unwanted" human beings per year with taxpayer money and without a microbe of remorse. Already, socialism sympathizers, including many politicians who claim to honor the Constitution, have run for cover, scampering back into the loving arms of their wealth-driven donors and spineless constituents who may sit for civility, but stand for compliance to socialist agendas. Alr...