Temporary PAUSE

I guess I am on PAUSE for now, until I can create more poetry.  Sorry for the delay.  Please feel free to go back and reread the existing poems.  There are 283 of them!!!

Happiness vs Joy

I heard a sermon on Sunday about Psalm 92 which inspired this poem and gave me a whole new outlook on the difference between happiness and joy.

Defining Joy

“The joy of the Lord is my strength”- Nehemiah 8:10,

To that verse I can shout a big Amen,

Most think thankfulness comes from joy; however just the opposite is true,

Joy arises from being thankful for all things given in Christ Jesus, to me and you,

Joy is gladness in the Lord; It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit:  a positive attitude,

It is not a happy emotion based on circumstances, but it is based on gratitude,

Bad circumstances should not steal the joy we have in Him,

Giving thanks in all circumstances is not just a whim,

Biblical joy is acknowledging God’s goodness, even during difficult situations,

It is not a season in life, but a way of life; it is our rock, our sanctification,

It does not take away pain and suffering or loss; it does not make us carefree,

Joy is peace, contentment deep in our souls; not a happy-faced emoji,

Happiness is temporary, but joy is a fullness; a satisfaction of the heart,

We can be sorrowful and still have joy; each is not set apart,

Certain people exude joy when you encounter them,

Which can be infectious and uplifting, like a sweetly sung hymn,

It is a heart condition that everyone should find healing,

An inner willingness to declare ourselves “blessed “- not just a happy feeling,

Go ahead and use those yellow-faced emojis to put happy on people’s faces,

But choose joy for your heart that overflows into all the right places!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/12/2019

I Saw a Ghost (Crab)!

Ghost Crabs on the Go

Dark blue ocean fading into blue southern skies, puffy clouds of white,

I’ve been to the ocean dozens of times, but had never seen this sight:

Scurrying across the sand along the shoreline with effortless vim,

An abundance of ghost crabs! There were so many of them,

With the beige sand in the foreground, sun reflecting off each grain,

Each ebbing wave brought a flurry of activity; our excitement we couldn’t contain,

The ocean waves came and went repeatedly, and each time so did these tiny creatures,

They darted into holes in the sand.  It was hard to get a look at their features,

We decided to catch one to have a better look,

Yet not so easy a task; our agility we mistook,

These crabs were fast; faster than you might think,

After all they have 10 legs, and they are gone in just a blink,

Also, named “ghost” because their coloring blends in with the sand,

Ultimately, my youngest son held one in his hand,

These tiny crawlers were fun to watch and gave us so much joy,

Ghost crabs on-the-go, amused us like a shiny new toy,

Gliding side-to-side and hiding in a quick second, indeed,

No need to try and dig them out, we could never succeed,

That afternoon at the ocean was truly a memorable one,

Family fun on a sandy beach, basking in the sun!

Ghost crabs running here and there,

More days like this, is my prayer.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  8/10/2019

 

Spring Wreath on the Front Door

The Circle of Life

If I place a spring wreath on my front door,

Without a doubt, I know what it will be used for,

A mother bird will instinctively make her nest on there,

She will bring nesting materials and place them with care,

It doesn’t take long before tiny eggs will appear,

Delicate and nestled away, oh so dear,

But with our door constantly opening and closing it seems,

The baby birds will have no chance to live out their dreams,

It is a survival of the fittest; a natural selection,

All of them may not have the necessary protection,

The first nest this year was constructed by a mother wren,

She had 2 beautiful healthy birds and 1 egg that were safe and then,

The wreath fell off the door and the one egg went smash!

When the wreath was rehung, it fell again with a crash!

This time 2 babies went tumbling, like a roll of the dice,

They weren’t hurt; still breathing, but what wasn’t nice…

Our dog made a dash and swallowed one baby whole!

Now one lone survivor was left; bless its soul,

One baby bird grew large enough to fly away,

We don’t know his fate on that eventful day,

In a matter of weeks, a new nest was built by another,

With 4 precious little eggs, she became a mother,

The neatly made nest and eggs are currently thriving,

We don’t know how many of them will be surviving,

But the circle of life continues to turn,

How many will remain?  Mother Nature will discern.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  6/20/2019

This is the actual nest on our front door now: