Ghosted

 

This tall cottonwood

rises above the frozen lake.

Frosted by winter fog.

Ghosted by morning light.

Astonishing my sensitivity. 

Dazzling  my grateful eyes.

© 2026 Richard Havenga

Photo Location: McCarthy Lake - Kent County - Michigan

Here

 

Here;

under the magnificent dome

of a sky-blue sky.

Here, where the slightly curved horizon

meets the broad sweep of ocean.

I admire bands of blue;

aquamarine watercolors

changing by the hour.

Sweeping toward

the shore I'm standing on.

Blessed and grateful

to be present here.

© 2025 Richard Havenga

Morning Hours

As the autumn sun is rising,

often crimson or golden,

I'm in my writing chair

in our cozy library,

looking out the window

for new ideas, for a few

words to come together.

These few, precious hours

allow me to observe the way

the American Beech leaves

first begin to shuffle,

or the way the ambitious wind

tears the remaining  leaves

from these broad White Oaks.

Most days, these morning hours

are fruitful and fulfilling,

and I am grateful

for the enrichment

as I press pen to page,

collecting fragments;

finding my poetry.

© 2024 Richaard Havenga

Persevere

 

Like rain falling

onto the lake's surface;

whether soft and gentle,

or hard and harsh;

we absorb

what life brings us

and are grateful for the grace

to carry on, to persevere.

© 2024 Richard Havenga

Branches

 

Dawn birds begin to sing,

awakening the sky.

Eager to join the sun

in birthing this new day. 

A soft breeze stirs the leaves,

splintering the morning light

that falls upon my path

through these familiar woods.

I sit down and lean against

a broad maple trunk,

then close my grateful eyes

and inhale the fragrant earth.

Between my place on the ground

and the airy canopy above,

abundant branches grow,

capable of supporting my prayers;

holding them up to Heaven. 

© 2022 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Vergennes Township - Kent County - Michigan

2. Townsend Park - Kent County - Michigan

God Speaks

Behind the silent stillness,
and within commanding storms,
God speaks an exclusive language
beyond our mortal words.

How to listen?
How to embrace
the grace of our days?

Simply carry these gifts
as grateful people,
and lay them at his altar
as worship.

© 2019 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Grand Haven Lighthouses - Michigan

2. Sunset Beach - North Carolina

3. Glacier National Park - Montana

Time Spent

The morning sky is vast,
and covers you with this
new day.

All day, this day keeps
changing its appearance.
Warm, soft light intensifies
into the hard glare of afternoon,
until the slow leaving of evening
keeps you blinking to see more
through dimming light.

Keeps you grateful for the time
you got to spend outdoors,
because, despite hope for tomorrow,
if this was your last new day,
it was time spent well. 

© 2016 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations: Kent County, Michigan

Grateful Heart

With a grateful heart,
I have come here to rest,
and let my eyes adjust
to the future
coming at me
in this, my seventh
decade of life
on the good earth.

Balancing:
the desire to know,
and the need to praise;
I have become intimate
with some small pockets
of life on this planet;

nearly forty years
for the love of birds,

intrigued by the flow
of rivers and streams,

a lingering fascination 
with insects,

enchanted by the short seasons
of wildflowers,

a watcher of clouds
for decades,

a dedication
to dependable trees 
- familiar as friends -

and captivated by the
mysteries of the night sky.

How can I help but
praise you God,
for the gift of life,
and thank you
for my remaining days?

© 2015 Richard Havenga

Photo Locations:

1. Prothonotary Warbler - Allegan State Game Area- Kalamazoo River - Michigan

2. Crested Butte, Colorado  

3. Canon Township - Kent County, Michigan

4. Cardinal Flower - Ada Township - Kent County, Michigan

5. Yosemite National Park - California

6. Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming

7. Grattan Township - Kent County, Michigan

8. Sunset Beach, North Carolina

The Bells of St. Patrick's

Catholic girls from
St. Patrick School
pick lilacs from 
farmhouse yards,

then place them near the altar
with reverence and humility;
(and secret pride)
more meaningful than any
store-bought, flower-shop bouquet.

From this fragrant offering,
one small flower 
shaped like a tiny bell,
falls softly, silently,
next to the candles
that are reflected 
in the gold chalice.

These lilacs, fresh as 
a May morning,
are expressive of the love
these girls possess,
the love they profess 
in prayer
as they attend 
morning mass,

listening to
the bells of St. Patrick's,
waiting 
to receive the grace
they hoped for 
when they offered 
these living treasures
flowering in lavender.

Soon the same hands
that gave the gift
that flourished in the sun
will receive the bread of life,
the body of Christ, God's son
who flourished briefly on earth,
who continues to guide
these willing participants,
continues to bless their lives.

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

Twenty years later one of these girls
will receive a bouquet of 
lavender love from lilac bushes
planted by her husband,
now picked by her husband
from their farmhouse yard.

From inside the screen door,
on the back porch,
the young mother watches
her toddling daughter being 
guided through the grass,
holding in her little palm
the father's finger,
the living flesh.

Now he lifts his daughter 
into his arms, up high,
to smell the fragrance.
Her new church dress
the color of lilacs.

She cannot express
the joy she feels
in her little girl heart,
until she hears the bells
of St. Patrick's 
across the fields.

The child's laughter,
ringing across the fields, 
and inside her father's heart,
becomes a pure gift
for her father,
for her Father.

The mother,
watching silently
from the back porch,
holds this moment
deep in her heart.

Now, closing her eyes,
she inhales this fragrant offering
from her own table,
listens to the bells of St. Patrick's,
senses His presence,
still feels the reverence,
and the faith of her family.

As they prepare for church,
she imagines the altar
so many years ago
gifted with lilacs,
and is grateful
for the grace 
she was given.

© 2015 Richard Havenga

You may also enjoy: The Steps of St. Patrick's 

Photo Locations:

1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 12 : St. Patrick Church - Parnell, Michigan

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 13, 14 : Home/Garden - Cannonsburg, Michigan

9. Parnell, Michigan 

Three Years @ WWFN

On April 2, 2012 I began my blogging adventure by launching "Walk With Father Nature". WWFN now celebrates three years of sharing.

Over 440 posts have been published during this time. I still hold the passion to write and create, the desire to learn and share, and the curiosity to explore for more.

The "Visitor Number" button now is over 275,000. I sincerely thank all of you for your continued support. Please share WWFN with your friends, family, and associates. I especially appreciate the kind remarks that some of you have written in the "Comments" section here at WWFN. 

Remember, my mission statement is always at the top of every post. I will continue to Give the Glory to God for this opportunity, for this blessing, to share His creation in words and photographs. I will always be grateful for the gifts and talents God has given me, and the chance to share them with you. 

Remember to browse the "Topics" section for hundreds of topics, and the "Archives" (2012 - 2015) for any posts you may have missed.

Of course I always love to hear from you, dear reader. Please enter your detailed responses in the "Comments" section at the end of each post, and I promise to respond. 

For inquiries about the programs I offer, click on "Programs" in the top menu, or for special requests for photographs, my Email is: 
richmaryh@gmail.com

You can receive new posts (free) as they are published, by entering your Email in the little white slot in the sidebar @ WWFN.

I think I hear you asking to see my own list of personal favorites. My selections are based on the quality of the writing in my poems, and the inspiration I felt as I composed and revised. Over the past twelve months, I've narrowed it down to these twelve. Click on the titles that appeal to you, and please share them with your friends. 


Something - May 12, 2014

New Prayer, New Day - May 23, 2014

A Small Act - May 29, 2014

Witness - August 18, 2014

Cathedral - September 5, 2014

The Summons - October 3, 2014

In the Present - October 22, 2014

Future Prayer - November 17, 2014

Finding Gifts - December 22, 2014

Stone Chalice: Sound Within Silence - January 5, 2015

Opportunity - February 2, 2015

Gesture II - February 5, 2015

A few personal notes about this special date:

April 2, is the birthday of our son, Aaron; (1975- 1994). He would have been 40 years old today. I remain grateful to God for the nineteen years we were blessed to have him with us. We still carry his spirit of love, everyday, within our hearts.

April 2, is also the date I started my daily Journal in 1975 (one page per day - every day). 
My Journal is now 40 years old.


Gratefully,

Richard Havenga