God's There

This poem was inspired by Kim, a stranger that God recently placed in my path, so that we could encourage each other. 

Look UP!

When Adversity chases you down a long, dark alley,

And you want to stand on a peak, but you are down in a valley,

Look up!  Let the warmth of the sun bathe your face from Above,

There is strength in the light and the power of His love,

When you’re down in a pit and it’s a slippery slope,

It is easy to give up and you could soon lose hope,

Look up!  Not out into the world that is overtaken with sin,

There is hope in your heart from the Holy Spirit within,

When the devil has your back pressed firmly to the wall,

And you want to have courage, but you feel very small,

Look up! The strong hand of your Father is holding you there,

He is with you always and always He will care,

When you clutch firmly to your faith, the devil will retreat,

And you can be confident God sits smiling on His mercy seat,

Look up!   An Abundance of grace you will receive,

Give thanks in all circumstances and always believe,

And the peace that passes all understanding will fill your heart,

Then to others this peace you can impart.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  1/26/2018

Cold is not cool

Bitter Cold

Winter is definitely NOT my favorite season,

Because it can get bitter cold, that is the reason,

So cold, my lips chap instantly when I step outside,

To go to the mailbox or to the grocery store, my frustration I cannot hide,

My eyes burn, my cheeks turn red and I cannot feel my toes,

There are mittens on my hands and I need to wipe my nose!

I have to wear layers of clothing and bundle up like a bear,

I can see each breath I take, and icicles are everywhere,

And just when I get dressed warmly from head down to toe,

Off to use the bathroom, I have to really go,

My hands are numb, the steering wheel is freezing,

I have caught a cold and can’t stop sneezing,

The wind chill factor makes it 15 below,

I hate the thought of a wintery snow,

Give me the sand, the surf and the sun,

Now that is my idea of fun!

Sandals, tee-shirts and shorts are my style,

When I think of warmer weather, it makes me smile.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  12/30/2017

Dastardly Varmints

Conquering Fear

I have never been one to be scared of frogs or bugs,

I don’t mind bees, spiders or even slimy slugs,

I can tolerate most snakes as long as they are at a distance,

To stinkbugs or moths, I have no resistance,

 Worms, that’s fine, I can bait my own hook,

Also, nightcrawlers and crickets are bait in my book,

A minnow is acceptable to hold in my hand,

But there is a limit to what I can stand,

My terror, my nemesis, my all-time skin-crawling fear,

Is a little grey mouse- oh don’t let it come near!

I cringe and I dance, and I squeal in disgust,

When droppings I see, a trap is a must,

Their tiny furry bodies and beady little eyes,

Their long thin tails, oh I really despise,

But lately I’ve managed to conquer my fear,

I trapped two of these pests in our kitchen, oh dear,

I could not fathom taking a dead one away,

But then again, I did not want it to stay,

I mustered up every courageous bone in my body,

With a paper towel I picked it up, not too shoddy,

Quickly tossed him in the trash bag according to plan,

Then whisk the trash bag to the outside garbage can,

I did it, I did it, I even surprised myself this time,

Those dastardly varmints are not going to eat on my dime! 

Tammy Harvey

Written:  1/4/2018

Meet Juno

Juno

In my numerous trips to the thrift store, I chance to find unusual pieces of art,

In this case, it was a statue head of a Roman Goddess who stole my heart,

Her name is Juno and she is their goddess of everything of womanly interest,

Marriage, childbirth, advise, money are her duties- she is the Roman Pinterest,

Cast by hand in sandstone in 1984,

She has a face that most would certainly adore,

She wears her hair back in what we would call a scrunchie,

A fashion-forward trendsetter no doubt, I’m sure she was quite spunky,

She wears a modest “crown” of sorts upon her wavy hair,

The daughter of Saturn and wife of Jupiter, she has a certain flair,

She sits upon our kitchen counter, adding regalness to our décor,

I thought she was beautiful there, but needed something more,

I purchased her a used black/red checkered winter hat,

Then added a set of black earmuffs, and knew that was that,

I then decided each season she would require a different look,

Something fun to amuse me because I really don’t like to cook,

I’m contemplating a Santa hat for Christmas, an Easter bonnet too,

A bandana, a visor, or maybe a baseball cap, to only name a few,

The choices, they are many,

The ideas- I have are plenty.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  December 30, 2017 

Many wonders of the World

Wonder

By definition, wonder is a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration,

Caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, a fascination,

Wonder is a wonderful word,

It is beautiful, much like the flight of a hummingbird,

The Wonders of the World?  I would not limit them to seven,

Countless wonders occur around us every day, a glimpse of heaven,

Wonder is to marvel at miracles, with awe and delight,

To speculate, to anticipate with curiosity, to pursue insight,

“Have a wonderful day” the server said at the drive-through window,

“A wonderful day” …A day filled with wonder…. aw, how did he know?

I wondered how he knew I needed to hear that today,

I smiled to myself as I drove slowly away,

Wonder is on the face of every parent at his child’s birth,

Or in the eyes of astronauts looking back at planet earth,

 Scenic wonderlands in winter are bright and white,

They are pure and sparkling in the moonlight,

Imaginary wonderlands are filled with a magical charm,

Delicate fairy gardens and gnomes who will do no harm,

Alice entered her Wonderland through a rabbit hole,

A crazy dreamland of fantasy, quirky and out of control,

Wonder is a wonderful word; are you convinced yet?

If you look closely at life, you’ll see a few I’ll bet,

Written:  12/28/2017

Tammy Harvey

Greater is He

Although this poem was written over 2 years ago, I especially need to remind myself of these words in 2018.

You Have the Power
You comfort me in my sorrow,
Give me hope about tomorrow,
Hold me close and draw me near,
Put to rest all my fear,
Stand with me when I stumble,
Keep me ever soft and humble,
Bathe my soul in your grace,
Help me face what I must face,
You wipe away all my tears,
Rejoice with me when heartache clears,
You tenderly include me in your plan,
Son of God and child of man,
You suffered for me, took my shame,
Sinless, yet you took the blame,
You have the choice to turn away,
You never do, you always stay,
Your presence brings me endless love,
Holy Spirit sent from above,
Your mercies for me never end,
You truly are my heavenly friend,
You strengthen me in my darkest hour,
Eternal Father, You have the power.

Tammy Harvey
written: 8/28/2015

Milestone noted

On November 14th, our grandbaby took his first steps which prompted this poem.

Baby Steps

When crawling baby turns to walking, life really does change,

When he is walking on his own, furniture we rearrange,

It’s hard now to confine him to only one small space,

Certainly, bumps and bruises will become more commonplace,

Of course, this milestone is a major league achievement,

But it makes us sit and ponder where the time just went,

When he gets ready, with outstretched hands,

He kneels and then he proudly stands,

“Come to Mama” or “Come to Dada”, we wave our hands and say,

Then he lets go, gains his balance, and is quickly on his way,

A little teetering and a lot of tottering he takes a step or two,

We can’t believe he really did it!... “I didn’t video him, did you?”,

Our baby’s first steps seem to happen overnight,

After cruising the furniture for months, it gives us pure delight,

First walking, then running and on and on, and on,

Future accomplishments abound for our adorable little one!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  11/17/2017

Let them Play

 In the Rain



When my boys were small, they enjoyed playing outside,
They played a lot in the cul-de-sac, their bicycles they would ride,
Occasionally without warning a rain shower would begin,
One of them would run to the door sporting a happy grin,
I knew what he was going to ask me before he even spoke,
Can we please stay outside and play in the rain? This is no joke,
With no lightning, no thunder, just a steady downpour,
What would it hurt them to get soaked to the core?
Let them play in the rain? Sure, let them play in the rain,
Yes, although to you it might seem a bit insane,
My mother most definitely would have pitched a fit,
“Don’t get wet”, “You’ll catch cold”, “Wait for it to quit’,
I say- Go ahead, play in the rain, experience it while you are young,
Go out there, stomp in puddles, and catch raindrops on your tongue,
If you’ve never tried it for yourself, then you really must,
It’s kind of liberating and I promise you won’t rust!


Tammy Harvey
Written: 11/19/2017

A Struggle to Juggle

Juggling

How can I keep all the balls in the air?

Or do I want to?  Do I care?

I want to juggle, yes, I do,

I’ve tried and tried, but I fail, it’s true,

My hand-eye coordination must be lacking,

It really is a bit nerve-racking,

All the others in my family, husband and 3 sons,

Can juggle well and it looks like fun,

Every time my ball drops to the floor,

I lose my confidence even more,

I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,

But it is still on my bucket list, just for kicks!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  11/4/2017