Monday, September 30, 2019

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Rewards


for John D'amico
You are:



a climber of mountains,
a hiker of deserts,



an explorer of wilderness,
a seeker of solitude.




Bluffs and buttes,
crags and crests,
ridges and ravines,
creeks and canyons
become your dwelling place.



You tread
so quietly the earth,
that God rewards you
with the extraordinary gifts
of His creation.
© 2019 Richard Havenga







Photo Locations:

1. Glacier National Park - Montana

2. Canyonlands National Park - Utah

3. Picacho Peak - Arizona

4. TabernashColorado

5. Monument Valley - Utah






Monday, September 23, 2019

Time to Play




The children climb 
off the school bus
with promise in their faces,
with hope in their hearts.

They eat the

chocolate chip cookies
mommy baked for them,
then change into their old clothes,

because when he gets home,

Daddy will make time,
Daddy will take time,
to play outside.
© 2019 Richard Havenga



You may also enjoy: 

"A Father's Day Message" ~ June 20, 2015


Photo Location: Kent County - Michigan




Thursday, September 19, 2019

Ten Million Leaves



Straight trunks of aspen
stand solid and tall;
white wooden pillars
climb the foothills,
mingle with spruce,



where ten million leaves will
soon shimmer with golden light.



Then,
at the edge of evening,
the breeze subsides,
the quaking ends,
the calm returns.

Populus tremuloides !

© 2019 Richard Havenga






Photo Locations:


2.  Ouray, Colorado

3. South ForkColorado

4. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan





Monday, September 16, 2019

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Sing of the Wilderness




Colors awaken with the dawn.
Morning sunlight sweeps
the canopy of trees
above the Snake River.

I want my words
to sing of the wilderness.

To share with you
new things to love
about the world. 
© 2019 Richard Havenga









Photo Locations:

1. Snake River Overlook ~ Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming

2. Oxbow Bend - Snake River ~ Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming



Monday, September 9, 2019

Friday, September 6, 2019

God Speaks



Behind the silent stillness,
and within commanding storms,
God speaks an exclusive language
beyond our mortal words.


How to listen?
How to embrace
the grace of our days?



Simply carry these gifts
as grateful people,
and lay them at his altar
as worship.
© 2019 Richard Havenga



Photo Locations:

1. Grand Haven Lighthouses - Michigan

2. Sunset Beach - North Carolina

3. Glacier National Park - Montana


Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Accepting



Extending from rigid
willow branches,
flexible yellow braids
bend in the breeze,
curve in the current;
yielding, yet resilient. 



Supple as slow thought.
Accepting what is  given.
Anticipating what is to come:


from the wind in the willows,
from the rapids in the river,
from the surprises in life.
© 2019 Richard Havenga





Photo Locations:

1. Big Crooked Lake - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

2. Leslie E. Tassell Park - Cascade Township - Kent County - Michigan

3. Thornapple River - Ada Township - Kent County - Michigan

4. McCarthy Lake - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michgan