This is a hallowed land.
A sacred place,
consecrated by
the holy waters
of this mountain stream.
Where words rush by
in mystical motion.
Incomprehensible.
Inscrutable,
yet profound.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Location: Arkansas River - Buena Vista, Colorado
You're out here with purpose.
Walking through your own woods,
to witness these spring-loving birds
returning to their home territories,
or just passing through
on their northern migration.
It's just another reason
you love the month of May.
To listen to the songbirds
and the warblers
singing to each other,
singing to the sky.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Scarlet Tanager - Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan
2. Bay-breasted Warbler - Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan.
3. Black and White Warbler - Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan.
Let me
open the door for you;
and together,
with me here in the present,
and you out there
in the future,
we can communicate
and appreciate
the beauty of nature;
God's magnificent creation,
as we sail
through our separate
and sublime
seasons of life.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. St. Elmo, Colorado
2. DuBois, Wyoming
3. Fountain, Colorado
From a distance,
they are splendid in the spring.
These lovely understory trees
featuring delicate blossoms
with pure white sepals.
And close-up, they offer
an elaborate view
of their intricacies.
Protruding from the borders
of hardwoods in May,
in Michigan;
Flowering
Dogwoods
flowering.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations: Kent County - Michigan
Are you using
your time on this earth
to watch and wonder,
to wait for the next
miracle to occur
in your world?
Everyday,
you are surrounded
by the beauty and bounty in nature.
Each day is an invitation
to give thankful praise
for God's creation.
You are a vessel
waiting to be filled,
until it pours over with gratitude.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. Shagbark Hickory - Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michiga
2. Pink Lady Slipper - A Kent County Park - Michigan
3. Thistle - Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan
4. Santa Catalina Mountains - SaddleBrooke, Arizona
Good morning Brown Pelicans
plunging into the gulf.
Hello turquoise ocean
and the clattering
leaves of palms.
Hello tropical waters,
welcoming me again
to a sunshine state of mind.
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Locations:
1. & 2. Sanibel Island, Florida
3. Fort Myers, Florida
4. Vero Beach, Florida
good morning to you
time to eat some tasty grass
from my green pastures
© 2026 Richard Havenga
Photo Location: Grand Traverse County - Michigan
