Each Day II

 

Each morning opens the day

with an invitation.

Each evening closes the day

with appreciation.

Each day is an opportunity

to say a prayer of gratitude

to God who numbers our days

and calms our restless hearts.

© 2024 Richard Havenga

You may also enjoy: "Each Day" ~ July 22, 2021 

Photo Locations:

1. Nanoose Bay - British Columbia - Canada

2. Buena Vista, Colorado

A Moment

 

If you are reading this, could you

please step outside for a moment?

I will need an accurate description

of the clouds, if you have some,

and the direction they are drifting,

if you have time to observe.

Next, could you name the leaf

that is fluttering past your face;

explain the shape of the lobes

and the pattern of its veins bulging underneath?

Also, would you identify all the birds

you are seeing and hearing,

with precise names for their colors,

and exact translations of their calls?

While you are out there,

hopefully in the quiet country,

I would like a thorough report

on the quality of light that surrounds you.

If you are still reading,

and if you have a moment,

please send your entire narrative to me,

or, if you want more time,

continue your collection of perceptions.

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Kamloops, British Columbia

2. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

3. Elegant Trogon ~ Patagonia State Park - Arizona

4. Santa Catalina Mountains - Arizona

Responsibility

 

When an exclusive gift

is presented by a loving God,

it carries a responsibility;

to be cultivated, amplified, and shared

to celebrate His glory,

to praise our God,

from whom all blessings flow.

So, as I seek inspiration

and understanding,

I invite the Holy Spirit

into my work,

and promise to rekindle

the gifts bestowed

upon my soul.

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Butchart Gardens - Victoria, British Columbia

2. Spring Lake, Michigan

3. Coronado Island - California

 

moss

greening logs and stumps

velveting the winter rocks

moss softens hardness

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Seal Beach Trail - Nanaimo, British Columbia 

2.  Bear Creek - Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

Riding Clouds

Clumps of clouds
cling to to each other.
Mingle and merge
along their soft borders.
Drift en masse 
with atmospheric winds.

In my imagination,
I ride these clouds;
looking with admiration
at the green earth,
this familiar landscape,
and the geography of hope. 

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Canyon de Chelly National Monument - Arizona

2. Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

3. Bluff, Utah

Dahlia

heart of dahlia

opening more everyday

invites you to stay

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

Butchart Gardens - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Assignment

Assignment:

To elevate the humble.
To amplify the common.

To make the simple, elegant.
To make the ordinary, extraordinary.

This is my job description;
my assigned task from God.

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Butchart Gardens - Brentwood Bay, (Victoria), British Columbia - Canada - Dahlia

2. Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan - Gladiolus

3. Fred Meijer - White Pine Trail State Park - Rockford, Michigan - Scarlet Tanager

Outside My Window

Outside my window,
evening is approaching,
spreading gently over the sky,

inviting me outdoors,
to meet again
this welcomed guest;

each visit different 
for a discerning eye.

Feeling blessed.
Gratitude expressed.

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Kamloops, British Columbia

2, 3, 4. SaddleBrooke, Arizona

doubt

The trail of the snail
mapped out overnight,
now glistens in daylight;

shows nicely how precisely
its narrow route of doubt
led around every bend
from the beginning
to its end.

© 2017 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 2. Corkscrew Woodlands - Estero, Florida 

3. Seal Bay Nature Park - Courtenay, British Columbia  

syllables of song

syllables of song

sung by birds invisible

through this dense green shroud

© 2016 Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

Seal Bay Nature Park - Courtenay, British Columbia

Intentions

Does God recognize
my intentions;
when I praise him 
in a poem?

When I ponder
his performance
in the theater
of nature?

When I give him
the glory
by sharing the composition
of his creation?

What secret syllables,
what worshiping words
do I need to convert
this fragmented poem
into a personal prayer
of praise?

© 2015 Richard Havenga

Photo Location:

Butchart Gardens - Victoria,  British Columbia