Yutori

When we decide to slow down,

to leave the phone at home,

and go outdoors to engage in

intentional listening,

we will be practicing

the concept of yutori.

And we will be rewarded

as we contemplate

our life space,

and express gratitude to God

for our experiences outdoors.

A soft breeze whispering through

the fine needles of White Pine.

Birdsong streaming from

the density of green woods.

The rapids of a mountain stream

rushing over rocks, splashing boulders.

The faint chirp of crickets

on a late summer evening.

Gifts we can give ourselves.

When we decide to listen.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. White Pine - Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

2. Indigo Bunting - Cannonsburg State Game Area - Kent County - Michigan

3. Taylor River - Gunnison County - Colorado

The Wind Singing

 

Have you listened, lately,

to the sound of the wind singing?

It could be calling your name.

Perhaps in the long and slender

braids of the Weeping Willow,

undulating like the arms

of a ballerina.

Or in the high canopy

of a tall oak forest,

the crowns being pushed;

swaying yet resilient.

For me, I hear the secret

whispering through thousands

of fine green needles

while standing by the White Pine.

Have you listened, lately,

to the sound of the wind singing?

It is calling your name. 

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Thornapple River - Ada, Michigan

2. Home Woods - Cannonsburg, Michigan

3. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

Space Between Words

 

How could these meager words

ever hope to emulate

a cluster of Sugar Maple leaves

as they waver on long petioles

after a gentle autumn rain?

How could these modest words

ever hope to simulate

a tier of American Beech leaves

when they rise and fall;

like taking a bow

after a ballet performance?

How could these mere words

ever hope to duplicate

the way a mild breeze

whispers through

ten-thousand fine needles

of a large White Pine?

There is nothing

but air and sky

in the spaces

between these words.

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 3. Home Woods ~ Cannonsburg, Michigan

2. Egypt Valley Loop Hike - Cannonsburg State Game Area - Kent County - Michigan

4. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

5. Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

Wind Song

 

The wind,

growing in the needles

of the White Pine,

amplifies its voice

from a whisper

to a song.

A canticle carried

softly into my mind

on invisible currents.

A woodwind section

playing ambiance

in the upper branches.

© 2021 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. & 2. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

2. Home Woods - Kent County - Michigan

White Pine at Night

Tonight,
fine needles
in the top of the White Pine
spin moonlight
into concentric circles
of silver threads.

Look.
It's true.

Tonight,
a light breeze
in the fine needles
of the White Pine
whispers words
sent from God.

Listen.
It could be true.

© 2020 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: Grattan Township - Kent County - Michigan

Pinus strobis

The magnificent White Pine,

(Pinus strobis)

fine tunes the breeze

(five needles to a bundle)

through its delicate twigs

(brittle, thin-barked)

and soft green needles.

(flexible, pungent)

Listen.
It calls to you
for your own translation.

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. 2. 3. Cannon Township - Kent County - Michigan

secrets shared

Segments of sunshine
are blinking through old white pines,

then the land
exhales a soft breath.

I hear it whispering
among fine, glossy needles,

and listen for secrets shared
between trees and breeze.

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: White Pine - Grattan Township - Kent County, Michigan

Ever-green ? Yes and No

 

Now that our annual "Leaf Drop"  (Leaf Drop ) is over, evergreen trees appear more prominent in the landscape. Soon, people will be looking for their Christmas trees; perhaps cutting their own at a Christmas Tree plantation. 

 

 

Breaking News:  "Father Nature" Kills Colorado Blue Spruce !

 

There, they will learn the names of various conifers: pines, spruces, and firs.

 

Conifer simply means cone-bearing.

 

And evergreen simply means ever-green, right? Well, yes and no.

 

Evergreen trees do remain green all year, BUT... they also lose a portion of their leaves (needles) each fall.

 

Maybe you knew this. Maybe you didn't. If you have a little time, please come along for a short walk with Father Nature, to see two evergreen examples.

 

 

 

 This is the White Cedar. Its flattish, scale-like needles will last two to five years on the twigs.

 

 

 

 



These are the opened female cones; their seeds already dispersed.

This is a view of White Cedar in its favorite habitat; overhanging a freshwater stream. (Bear Creek)

These sprigs of spent, dead needles are collecting below the White Cedar tree.

Here is the White Pine, with its fine, flexible needles; some turning yellow in mid-October.

Here you see the yellowing needles that were emerging in the spring of 2011, now nearly ready to fall in October, 2012. The remaining green needles were started in the spring of 2012, and you can see them yellowing in October, 2013.

This young, 15-foot (5 meter) White Pine is a good example of the new vs. old needles.

This older White Pine, about 40 feet (12 meters) tall, displays its typical growth pattern of lateral branching.  The needles have already dropped before the Sugar Maple leaves behind it.

The yellow needles turned tannish-brown and dropped to the ground in late October.

This silhouette of a mature White Pine on the horizon, means the day is done, gone the sun.

You may return home now. There is no homework assignment ...

But I would appreciate your continued support of WWFN.

"Father Nature" thanks you for coming along. Drop me a line sometime.



Will you enjoy the evergreens this winter?     Yes ___                             (or no_)











Photo Locations: 

Townsend Park,  (Townsend) Cannonsburg,  Michigan

 7-Mile Road,  Kent County,  Michigan (Michigan)