When All Else Fails

I should take a page from my own playbook and treat myself to a long, soaking hot bath.  Lord knows I need to relax.

You are in Hot Water (literally)

Relax your body and rest your mind,

Refresh your soul with solitude and peace you will find,

There are many ways to do this, but one I might suggest,

It helps me quite a lot when I’m feeling really stressed,

Fill the bathtub with water as hot as you can stand,

Test the temperature regularly with the back side of your hand,

Add your favorite liquid soap, and watch the bubbles grow,

Light lots of aromatic candles and enjoy the flames that glow,

Turn the lights off and step into the luxurious spa created,

For it is the end of a long day’s work, and you should be elated,

Let the water slowly soothe your tired legs and aching back,

Close your eyes and relish the darkness; it is almost totally black,

The candles’ scent gives your nose a whiff of fragrant perfume,

It is relaxing and restoring, there is silence in the room,

Fairly soon the water cools, and the soft, warm bed awaits,

Except for a therapeutic massage, nothing truly equates,

Take time to smell the roses and give yourself a treat,

It is amazing how a simple bath can cure your weary feet,

Now your muscles are relaxed, and you are drifting into sleep,

May all your dreams be sweet, until the annoying alarm goes beep,

Another day is dawning, and you are ready for an eventful day,

But if you had the choice to make, a hot bath is where you’d stay!

Tammy Harvey

Written: 9/28/18

Thinking of You

It was Thanksgiving Day of last year that Jerry decided to post his illness on Facebook.  He thought it an appropriate time to let others know.  

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Tree Memorial

A tree planted in memory of you,

What a thoughtful and caring thing to do,

My friends asked me what tree you liked best,

A pink dogwood, I said, you liked more than the rest,

They purchased a beautiful little pink dogwood tree,

And gave it lovingly to me,

It is planted in the backyard, and I already know,

The joy it will bring us as we watch it grow,

Together we put down roots and grew a family tree,

You and me, with our boys of three,

As the pink blooms open up in the middle of spring,

I will smile, think of you…what happiness it will bring!

A tree planted in memory of you,

What a thoughtful and caring thing to do.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  11/14/2018

Joy in your Heart

Don’t Miss the Joy

Is it me? Or does Christmas merchandising begin earlier and earlier every year?

Do they think we will forget to buy something?  Is that their fear?

I mean, the merchants skip over Thanksgiving like it doesn’t exist,

Why decorate the stores for Christmas in October?  Be patient! I insist!

Why not give each holiday it’s due?

Thanksgiving Day is important too,

We pause to give thanks for all of our blessings, and there are many,

We should do that every day because we have plenty,

Plenty, however, is never enough,

We have to go out and buy more stuff,

Christmas has lost it’s true meaning I fear,

Let’s put Christ back into Christmas this year,

It is a celebration of his birth after all,

It is not about presents or trips to the mall,

But we stress and we shop and we wrap and we hurry,

We take all the joy out of giving, but don’t worry,

It’s not too late to make a change,

Celebrate simply and simply celebrate may sound strange,

But simplicity is the key, I think,

For Christmas comes and goes away in a blink,

Enjoy the holidays with joy in your heart,

And don’t fret about what’s in your shopping cart!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  11/5/2018

Yard work is hard work

 Satisfaction Guaranteed

There is a certain gratification that arises when tending a lawn,

Yard work is hard work; it takes back-breaking brawn,

But when all the weeds are pulled and crabgrass is unseen,

When the dandelions are gone, and the grass is thick and green,

When the sidewalk and driveway are precisely edged,

And the bushes are uniformly hedged,

And the weeding-eating is completed,

Ever knowing the effort will need to be repeated,

Whether out of gardener’s pure joy or out of necessity,

You have curb appeal purchased by your own sweat equity,

The bulbs you planted back in the fall,

Surprise you in spring, like you did nothing at all,

The summer is dry, and the green turns to brown,

Water sprinklers are running all over town,

Then fall comes along with its own unique chore,

Raking or blowing leaves, and bagging them is in store,

In the winter, take respite, there’s not much to maintain,

This season is provided to keep the gardener sane,

If you’d rather do yard work as house work, like me,

Then roll up your sleeves, grab your gloves, prune a tree,

There is personal satisfaction in pulling those weeds,

And growing grass by spreading the seeds,

You are nurturing nature; Am I being convincing?

Are you grabbing your back? Is your face already wincing?

A certain gratification arises when tending a lawn,

But yard work is hard work, says the gardener, with a yawn!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  10/1/2018

You Can Take it from Me

Good Advice

Oprah says, “Turn your wounds into wisdom,

Grow through what you go through”,

I had to read that a time or two,

It is good advice, I must say,

Disappointments happen every day,

Some are huge and some quite small,

You can build a bridge or you can build a wall,

You can choose to use adversity to help you learn,

Wisdom grows from experiences, you’ll discern,

If you can take something bad that happens to you,

And turn it into a positive, that’s a huge break through,

Your spirits can rise and fall like the waves of the sea,

I know quite well; you can take it from me,

You may struggle to find the good in all,

But you must get up each time you fall,

Dust off yourself, and get back in the saddle,

The horse may be stubborn, but you’ll win the battle,

If you choose to see the glass always half full,

Your internal Ferdinand will grow into a powerful bull,

If you don’t want someone to feel sorry for you,

Then don’t feel sorry for yourself; it’s true,

Your wounds become wisdom if you just let them,

Inside the deep, dark mine is a precious gem.

Tammy Harvey

October 14, 2018