Vessel

 

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

Loving the World

I have let myself

love this world,

and it has loved me

in return.

I have shared

its gifts;

the quiet secrets,

its hidden treasures.

I have chosen

beauty, mystery,

and the intricacies

of nature.

Each time I respond

with sincere gratitude,

I am given more,

always more to discover.

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Oro Valley, Arizona

2. Pink Lady Slipper ~  Townsend Park -Kent County - Michigan

3. Hollyhock ~ Home Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan

4. Redbud ~ Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

 

Until

A pink flush spread
into the clouds at dawn,
until the rising sun
transformed them into pewter.

The transparent wind
arrived with stealth,
until it became visible
bending the cattails.

The Wood Warblers
sang their sweet songs,
until the Red-eyed Vireo's
constant calls controlled the  air waves.

 The floor of the forest
was littered with brown,
brittle pine needles,
until the Pink Lady's Slipper
exploded in eye-catching ecstasy.



Photo Locations:

1. Santa Catalina Mountains - Oro Valley, Arizona

2. Muskegon River - Michigan

3. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

4. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan