gift given twice

 

the gift given twice

first his birth then sacrifice 

the ultimate price

© 2025 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: 

Our Lady of Light Catholic Church - Estero, Florida

Footprints

 

Jesus left no footprints

on the water he walked upon,

but he left an impression

over two-thousand years deep.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Sanibel Island, Florida

2. Ludington State Park, Michigan

Advent

 

As we advance 

through Advent,

we are waiting for

immersion in grace.

Praying that it will take place

in the small nativity space

of our hearts where we'll meet

baby Jesus face-to-face.

Emmanuel ~ God is with us.

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: 

St. Patrick Parish - Parnell, Michigan

A Pray-er of Prayers

 for Mary Havenga

How she became 

one of the best

pray-ers of prayers:

She offered words of comfort

to those in sorrow or need.

A message of hope to those discouraged.

She prayed with naturalness,

like Jesus was giving her 

the words to say.

She found the right words,

spoken with sincerity,

and people listened intently.

Friends she prayed for

felt a calming peace.

A restfulness in their souls.

And among the names 

on her long prayer list,

some of her prayers were answered.

© 2023 Richard Havenga

The Windows of St Patrick's

While sitting in the wooden pews,
in our beautiful country church,
with the windows open to summer,

I can see fields of corn and soybeans;
rows of apple trees rolling up the hills;
the pastor's stone house built in 1910.

When the sun shines through in any season,
the stained glass windows come alive with color,
bring Bible stories alive for the congregation. 

The wedding at Cana.

The birth of Christ.

Jesus enters our hearts.

His body and blood;

available as we share the bread and wine. 

The Bread

The Wine

We witness his birth.

We witness his death. 

His Resurrection. 

We accept the Holy Spirit living within us.

Focus on the meaning of the crucifix.

You may also enjoy:

 "The Bells of St. Patrick's" ~ May 14, 2015
"The Steps of St. Patrick's" ~ November 6, 2017


Photo Locations:

St. Patrick's Church of Parnell & Rectory

* All photos © Richard Havenga

The Cross

"The cross is a reminder of the greatest sacrifice love has ever made."

"The cross of Christ is more than the wood His body was nailed to 2,000 years ago. It's more than a symbol, on churches or jewelry, of what Jesus did for us. The cross we carry must be a consciousness of the debt we owe God and the willingness to live -- or die-- for Him."

~ Ann-Margret Hovsepian 

from: In Touch Ministries March 25, 2016 by Charles Stanley

Photo Locations:

1. Art Prize - Art Prize 2014 - Grand Rapids, Michigan 

2. Our Lady of Light Catholic Community - Estero, Florida

The Resurrection

"He is risen!"

Photo Locations:

1. Hartwick Pines State Park, (Hartwick Pines)  Grayling,  Michigan

2. & 3. Cathedral of St. Andrew   (St. Andrews) Grand Rapids, Michigan

Bloodroot

The genus, Sanguinaria, comes from sanguinary, adj.- bloody, savage, cruel. I've read that the white petals symbolize the purity of Jesus, and the "blood" exuding from the bruised roots or stems, represents the crucifixion. How poignant for Good Friday, and this coming Easter, which is about the time the Bloodroots usually rise here in Michigan.

I've always loved this short-lived, delicate wildflower, and take frequent walks to see its progress; blessed to have it growing at the edge of our Oak woods. 

A petal actually fell as I was photographing another cluster. Look at how this next one is so tightly wrapped, that it's hugging itself!

Group Hug

In the following photo, notice the deeply textured network of leaf veins; prominent, and sometimes reddish-orange.

So, I'm reading the Botanical description of this Bloodroot, in my Michigan Wildflowers, by Helen V. Smith. (Smith) I've been using it since 1974, (yes, I'm older than most of you) and it was published in 1961 and 1966, from the Cranbrook Institute of Science, right nearby in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Then my love returned for those unique, sometimes poetic Botanical terms. I recalled my long ago days with friends from Peninsula Writers, (Peninsula Writers) and how they enjoyed what they called: Found Poetry. We met each June, just after school was out, up at a Glen Lake resort. So I'm going to attempt to condense a page of details, and compile them into one, sort of poem, Botanically speaking. Right after this last photo.