The Sauna Saga

 

The Sauna

I grew up as a teenager in the 1970’s.  During that time, I was privileged to have access to my parents’ business, a “health spa”.  Back then, it was a place to work out with other amenities like a sauna and whirlpool.  I often went there to partake of the sauna and whirlpool, skipping the work out part.  It was a wet sauna, with the lava rocks that could be doused in water to produce steam.  Of course, the interior was made of that fresh-smelling wood, and I imagine it would have held 8-10 people comfortably.  The joke that was always told on me by my parents originated in that particular sauna.  I became friends with many of the members, very much my senior, because of my frequent visits.  Marion Brooks was one of those ladies who just happened to be in the sauna with me that day.  We had been in the sauna for a while when she said to me: “your cheeks are red” to which I replied, without hesitation, “which ones?”.  She thought that response was hilarious and proceeded to share it with my parents.  For decades that story was repeated over and over again.  It always began with “remember that time, when Tammy was in the sauna with Marion Brooks?”  I might as well record it here because my mom has passed and my dad is struggling with memory loss, so it may never be spoken again at this point.

In March of this year, I purchased my own sauna from Amazon for a reasonable price.  It is a single person sauna, 27” x 35” x 63”, reminiscent of a phone booth.  It was delivered to my home in a large box.  I assembled it myself, building it in my laundry room.  It is a far-infrared sauna which produces dry heat up to 148 degrees and has that sweet-smelling wood.  It also has a radio with surprisingly good speakers.  Now I sit there in solitude for a 20-minute session, remembering my time with Marion and listening to old classic songs from my youth.  After about 12-15 minutes, I begin to perspire profusely, and my heart rate goes up. Unfortunately, I don’t think this counts as cardio? I conclude my spa treatment with a cool, relaxing shower.  Now, I feel like a rejuvenated teen from the 1970’s! (not)

Tammy Harvey  7/21/2025  

Hope and Honey

 

Hope

“Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers.”  I read this quote by Robert Ingersoll recently in a book I purchased.  I was really inspired by that statement.  Hope is not just wishful thinking.  Biblical hope is not the same as optimism.  Jesus said that hope is built on faith, love and the promise of eternal life.  It is not based on worldly possessions or momentary circumstances, but on a relationship with Him.  Hope is the assurance of His promises and His character.  It is a confident trust He will do what he has promised to do.  That sounds like the definition of faith, but hope is the object of our faith.   Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 as “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”.  Hope is joyful expectations, not with fingers-crossed, but with a boldness.  To have hope is to be courageous.  One scholar writes that “hope” for those who don’t know Jesus is a verb, whereas, for the believer, it is a noun.  It’s not something we “do”, but something we “have”.   In Thessalonians 1:2-3 it says, “Having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech”.  In Romans 15:13, Paul says “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”.  God himself is hope and has given us the Holy Spirit so we can abound in hope.  Abound means overflowing.  It is not a static condition, but a never-ending supply that is dynamic in nature.  In Psalm 23, “my cup overflows” suggests a generous and limitless provision. 
Referring back to the original quote, if we have hope, we have honey.  Even if we don’t have flowers, we have honey.  Honey in the Bible is a symbol of God’s abundance, His blessings and provisions for us.  The sweetness of honey signifies God’s grace and nourishment for our souls.  In Psalms 119:103, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”.    Proverbs 16:24 says “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones”.  Proverbs 24:13-14, “Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:  If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”  Isaiah 40:31 “Those who hope in the Lord are promised renewed strength and the ability to persevere, even through difficult times.”

The next time you “hope” for something: for example, “I hope it doesn’t rain” or other nonsensical desires, remember that Biblical hope is different and can fill your cup limitlessly.

As the old hymn My Hope is Built on Nothing Less (On Christ the Solid Rock) proclaims:

My hope is built on nothing less,

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness,

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

Tammy Harvey  7/17/2025

PS- I just realized that some of my favorite words begin with H:  Honesty, Humility, Honor, Hope, Health, and now Honey!

Can't Make this Up

 

The Universe Speaks

True confession: I am an avid thrift store shopper.  It destresses me to browse the aisles of a thrift store in search of a “treasure” that someone else has discarded.   One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, as they say.  You never know what you might find, and I think that produces a dopamine rush in the brain.  Unlike other stores whose inventory is predictable, the choices are new there every time.  I have several friends who also love to shop at thrift stores.  One of my friends, a fellow thrifter, had a Birthday and of course, I went shopping for her a gift at our local thrift store.  She would not mind receiving something that was not new, as these “finds” are more unique and usually not available in the typical retail stores.  These are vintage items that are nostalgic and uncommon, something she wouldn’t already have.  I thought I had found her the most perfect gift when I found a rather dainty decorative glass dish with a lid and a small matching saucer.  It was heavy and made of beautifully cut clear glass with a pretty yellow accent color.  I pondered about getting it and even left it there the first time, but I went back and purchased it after giving it some extra thought.  This is something she would like and probably doesn’t have already, I imagined.  I wrapped it up so it would not get broken and presented it to her at our weekly trivia night dinner at a local restaurant.  As she began to open the gift, a broad smile came upon her face, and she immediately asked her daughter to close her eyes.  She said how funny it was and that her daughter would tell us why when she saw it.  Slowly she opened each of the 3 pieces until she had the little dish on display.  Now her daughter opened her eyes, and they began to laugh.  My friend had actually donated this to the thrift store, and it had been in her daughter’s bathroom prior to that.  I had given her a gift that she had donated!!!  I was so embarrassed.  I wanted to become invisible at this point.  I never ever dreamed that she could have been the donor.  Honestly, I don’t think you could make up a better story.  Out of thousands of items to choose from, I had chosen the perfect “treasure” to her.  Apparently, the universe wanted her to keep this precious little glass dish.  And so, she did.

Tammy Harvey  7/15/2025

   

License to Steal

 

License to Steal?

In honor of Andrew’s 40^th Birthday, Ted and I drove to Charlotte on Saturday, June 28, for his birthday celebration.  It was the first road trip in my “new” car and Ted was my chauffer.  It was a short 155-mile trip, but the traffic was quite heavy.  We stopped once briefly to gas up in Pittsboro.  Ted was at the pump the entire time.  I didn’t get out until we reached Andrew’s home.  When I say he lives in downtown Charlotte, I mean the Bank of America Stadium is a 1.5-mile drive from his house.  We arrived there about noonish and decided to visit a while before going to explore some of Charlotte.  The party did not officially start until 5:00pm.  Around 1:30-2 pm Ted and I left.  Upon reaching the driveway, which is not visible from the front of the house, Ted exclaimed, “Mom, where’s your license plate?"  My license plate had vanished!  There were some deliveries during our stay, and we suspected  someone had stolen the plate.  Renee graciously checked the cameras they had and found no suspicious activity.  Lost or stolen, either way I had to make a police report.  I first called Raleigh, but they directed me to call the Charlotte police department.  I called the non-emergency line and gave the necessary information for the report.  The official gave me a report number to keep on my person; in case we were stopped on our way home.  I know my plate was on there on Friday because I had gone to the store and had opened/closed the trunk several times.  The plate had been attached by the dealership when I purchased the car.   It was my original plate from the car I traded in.  Could it just come loose and fly off the car on the interstate?  I find that highly unlikely, although it did only have two screws holding it on.  I have noticed since then that most people are driving around with only 2 on their plate.  We drove back that night, arriving home around 11:00 pm with no incidence.  We didn’t get stopped by the police, which was a big relief.  I looked on-line to identify what I needed to do to acquire a new plate.  I printed the required form and on Monday morning I was at the bank when it opened to have the form notarized.  From there I arrived at the Motor Vehicle office in Cary that specializes in car titles, registration and plates.  There were approximately 40 people ahead of me in line.  Surprisingly, it was only a 35–40-minute wait and I had my new plate!  I also purchased 4 plate screws from them.  I was determined not to ever have to go through this process again.  I put the new plate on in the parking lot with 2 screws.  When I returned home, I drilled two pilot holes into the black plastic bumper and added the other 2 screws.  It is completely secure.  I did note that the mounting was inferior to most cars I have had.  The four screws just attach to a very thin piece of plastic with no access to the backside.  This is the nicest car I have ever purchased, and yet it has the worse plate mount!  So, did the plate fall off, or did someone cleverly take it?  You decide. PS- I haven’t heard anything more from the police who would notify me if they found it.

Tammy Harvey  7/8/2025

The Cement Pond

 

Cement Pond

The “cement pond” located outside my dad’s apartment at his assisted living facility is a treat to behold.  It is located in a courtyard area, providing a beautiful aesthetic to the otherwise sterile patio.  The rectangular pool is approximately 20 ft long and 8 ft wide.  Cascading waterfalls flank each end of it like bookends.  Large rocks stacked strategically with water flowing from the top create a waterfall with a trickling sound which adds to the relaxing atmosphere.  The sound is reminiscent of the babbling streams in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The rocks are covered in a green mossy algae giving it a natural look.  The pond is inhabited by brightly colored koi fishes ranging in size from a few inches to a foot long.  Some of the koi are beautifully colored orange and white as if they represent the local Tennessee Volunteers sports teams.  The surface of the pond is almost entirely covered by glossy heart-shaped lily pads.  Other pond vegetation is also purposefully planted to make it more inviting.  The lily pads are sparsely dotted with the lushest grapefruit-pink water lily flowers.  These flowers are perfectly formed stars with a thick yellow center of petals.   The sun shines off of them, and they are absolutely gorgeous.  Some stand on sturdy stems a few inches above the water.  Each of these flowers last 3-5 days before fading and sinking.  The blooms generally open during the day and close in the late afternoon.  One more observation is clear to see in this most interesting pond.  A faux alligator, half-submerged, is placed on the rock along the side of the pool.  He is fairly realistic and could give a little fright, especially from a distance.  His job, however, is to keep birds of prey like hawks from taking fish from the water.  Between the babbling sounds of the waterfalls, the beautiful fish and flowers, and the adorable alligator, this pond is always fun to visit. What a wonderful addition to an assisted facility that elderly people call home. 

Tammy Harvey

6/25/2025