Filled II

At the end of each day,

may you be filled with gratitude

for the gifts you were given by God,

and fulfilled 
through the opportunities
to share them.

© 2015 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Round-leaved Hepatica - Ada Township, Kent County, Michigan

2. Weeping Willow - Cascade Township, Kent County, Michigan

3. Sandhill Crane - Grattan Township, Kent County, Michigan

4. Round-leaved Hepatica - Ada Township, Kent County, Michigan

brushes

tips of tamaracks

like watercolor brushes

paint with pastel greens

© 2015 Richard Havenga

You may also like Tamaracks - the creative non-fiction version, with a good Botany lesson, from May 3, 2012.

Photo Location:

Egypt Valley State Game Area - Kent County, Michigan

Tamarack - Larix laricina

Dawn Gives Birth to Color

Observe:

The white-brass
color of the skies
before sunrise.

Dawn gives birth to color,
warming earth's edge,
where soon the sun
will break the horizon.

The gradual growth
of this morning
into this day.

Remember:

This ordinary moment
will be etched in memory.
The authority of God
proclaimed in new creation.

Even if you were here,
no words would be spoken.

The illumination of dawn
asks silent praise
for the generosity
of our uncontainable God.

©2015 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 2. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

3. Snake River - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming 

4. Manatee County, Florida 

5. Grand Teton National Park, (GTNP) Wyoming

Intentions

Another spring arrives
with endless opportunities
to watch the speed of life
accelerate,

to witness again
the miracles occurring,

intentionally taking time
to capture a few of the gifts
going by,

to wrap them up
in this poem
and give them
to you,

with the intended grace
by which they were received.

New birds returning,
wildflowers rising,

and children;
their faces
growing with promise.

© 2015 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Bloodroot - Grattan Township - Kent County, Michigan

2. Round-leaved Hepatica - Townsend Park - Kent County, Michigan

3. Scarlet Tanager - White Pine Trail - Rockford, Michigan

4. & 5. Mayapple - Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

6. Tulip Time Festival - Holland, Michigan 

give

hoping her prayers would
rise
to blend with those of the angels
she believed in

waiting for the flowers
in her patient garden to
bloom
so she could collect a bouquet to

give
to her husband
dying too young
with so much love left to

give

© 2015 Richard Havenga

Blue Flag Iris - Iris versicolor

Translation

The wind,
unhurried in its journey
to arrive somewhere,
strokes the slender
sensuous twigs swinging
from spring willows.

The wind
creates a concert
among the catkins;
more subtle  than woodwinds,
more delicate than
stringed instruments.

The wind's soft music
is playing without words.
Do you feel the desire
to read the notes?
Will the translation
be available in Heaven?

© 2015 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Thornapple River - Cascade Township - Kent County, Michigan

2. Blythefield Memory Gardens - Rockford, Michigan

3. Grand River - Ada Township - Kent County, Michigan

Like a Prayer

How very much like a prayer;
this spring shower sprinkled 
upon newly-emerged leaves.

How it becomes praise;
giving glory,
in an incomparable way.

In a way I am incapable of;
except as the one who sees,
admires and 
re-gives
this 
gift.

© 2015 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Home Woods

"Baby Leaves" of Red Oak - Quercus rubra

Picasso

"Art washes away

from the soul

the dust of everyday life."

~ Pablo Picasso  (1881 - 1973)

Photo Location: 

Saul Lake Bog - Land Conservancy of West Michigan 

Three Years @ WWFN

On April 2, 2012 I began my blogging adventure by launching "Walk With Father Nature". WWFN now celebrates three years of sharing.

Over 440 posts have been published during this time. I still hold the passion to write and create, the desire to learn and share, and the curiosity to explore for more.

The "Visitor Number" button now is over 275,000. I sincerely thank all of you for your continued support. Please share WWFN with your friends, family, and associates. I especially appreciate the kind remarks that some of you have written in the "Comments" section here at WWFN. 

Remember, my mission statement is always at the top of every post. I will continue to Give the Glory to God for this opportunity, for this blessing, to share His creation in words and photographs. I will always be grateful for the gifts and talents God has given me, and the chance to share them with you. 

Remember to browse the "Topics" section for hundreds of topics, and the "Archives" (2012 - 2015) for any posts you may have missed.

Of course I always love to hear from you, dear reader. Please enter your detailed responses in the "Comments" section at the end of each post, and I promise to respond. 

For inquiries about the programs I offer, click on "Programs" in the top menu, or for special requests for photographs, my Email is: 
richmaryh@gmail.com

You can receive new posts (free) as they are published, by entering your Email in the little white slot in the sidebar @ WWFN.

I think I hear you asking to see my own list of personal favorites. My selections are based on the quality of the writing in my poems, and the inspiration I felt as I composed and revised. Over the past twelve months, I've narrowed it down to these twelve. Click on the titles that appeal to you, and please share them with your friends. 


Something - May 12, 2014

New Prayer, New Day - May 23, 2014

A Small Act - May 29, 2014

Witness - August 18, 2014

Cathedral - September 5, 2014

The Summons - October 3, 2014

In the Present - October 22, 2014

Future Prayer - November 17, 2014

Finding Gifts - December 22, 2014

Stone Chalice: Sound Within Silence - January 5, 2015

Opportunity - February 2, 2015

Gesture II - February 5, 2015

A few personal notes about this special date:

April 2, is the birthday of our son, Aaron; (1975- 1994). He would have been 40 years old today. I remain grateful to God for the nineteen years we were blessed to have him with us. We still carry his spirit of love, everyday, within our hearts.

April 2, is also the date I started my daily Journal in 1975 (one page per day - every day). 
My Journal is now 40 years old.


Gratefully,

Richard Havenga