Good Night, Sleep Tight

Daddy’s Girl

This is the story of a wonderful Dad,

And the beautiful young daughter he had,

With a face like an angel and twinkling blue eyes,

To have him wrapped around her finger was no surprise,

He read her a story and tucked her warmly into bed,

“Stay with me Daddy”, she lovingly said,

“I need you to lay with me until I fall asleep,

I’m really not good at counting the sheep”,

At five years old, she had the persuasion of a pro,

I can’t, Amelia, he said, I really must go,

I need to take care of the dirty dishes in the sink,

You don’t “take care” of dishes, she said in a blink,

You take care of me, Daddy- dishes you clean,

Out of the mouths of babes: she was very keen,

He was taken aback by the wisdom she had,

“I certainly do”, was all that he said,

With the tiniest words from the heart of a child,

The wonderful Dad could only have smiled.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  12/15/2019

The Race

Winning the Race

Slow down! said the turtle to the untamed rabbit,

You're running around like that is just a bad habit,

You could benefit from a much slower pace,

It is not if you win, but if you finish the race,

Slow and steady is my speed; that is clear,

You would be wise to take my advice, my dear,

You missed all the scenery as you whizzed by me,

I’ll bet you don’t know what was under that tree,

It was the best tasting grass you will ever eat,

Tenderly fresh, green and oh so sweet,

If you had stopped a while to have some of it,

You wouldn’t be hungry one little bit,

But run, run, hurry, hurry, you wouldn’t stop,

Now you are so tired and about to drop,

You should have napped beneath the shade of that tree,

Then you would be rested, just like me,

I am not telling you this to be rude,

But you need to stop and enjoy your food,

Enjoy your nap, rejuvenate your mind,

You might enjoy being like my kind,

We don’t get into a panic, but we get the job done,

And that, my friend, is how the race is won.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  12/14/2019

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Seasons of Life

Seasons come and seasons go,

Just like the seasons of life, you know,

Take, for instance, when you were born, before you grew,

It is like spring:  all things fresh and new,

Then you grow and it’s the summer time of your life, as a child,

You run and play, carefree like summer days, wonderful and wild,

Then time flies and it’s the fall season of your years,

A bit more serious, an adult, with experience, filled with fears,

Fears, stress, the day-to-day grind, the career, the growing responsibility,

The house, the car, the taking care of business, establishing stability,

Fall brings much change, like the colors of the trees,

It is cherished time that you must seize,

Time passes faster as the seasons carry on,

You look back and wonder where the days have gone,

The winter comes quicker than you think; your hair starts to grey,

You have grandchildren running around; you watch them play,

You settle in for a long winter’s night,

And you hope you have planned your retirement right,

You are in your last season, so make it your best,

Are the golden years, they say, better than the rest?

The body is no longer young and the mind is slowly fading,

But the memories of past seasons you will not be trading,

For anything in the world; seasons filled with hope and prayer,

Each one of them had its own reward to share;

The circle of life is almost complete,

It ends as it began, in a heartbeat.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  12/7/2019

Self Reflection

In January, the new year, most people are turning over a new leaf, setting goals for themselves and making New Year's resolutions.
Have you ever done a self reflection? It is a soul searching look at yourself from everyone else's perspective? It's a real eye-opener. You may say to yourself: "I'm not so bad, I'm a good person, or I'm better than so-and-so". The problem with that resolve is comparing yourself to other people. People are all flawed. The comparison should be to Christ, our redeemer. He is the standard by which all others should strive to be.
I have looked into the mirror recently and not liked the person staring back at me. I see my flaws like I've never seen them before. I realize now more than ever that I need to be diligently seeking to be like the One who gives us strength in our weaknesses.
This is not a pity party, so please don't take it as such. It is an honest account of my self reflection.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I ask “who is she?”
Am I the person that I want to be?
Am I looking within my heart to see?
I thought I was more compassionate, more kind,
But keep this in mind,
The person I see is not happy with me,
She is truly blessed, but does not show enough gratitude,
Her judgment upon others is the incorrect attitude,
I find her to be selfish and somewhat insecure,
Dancing around directness, not truthfully pure,
While honest to a fault, she does not choose her words well,
She has a tough exterior, but her feelings she cannot tell,
To reveal her vulnerability would be a disaster,
If you don’t believe me, then just ask her,
Her life has been turned completely upside down,
How does she smile when deep down there’s a frown?
She’s a real biddy, an unpleasant old hag,
It’s me I’m describing: a relentless nag,
I don’t want to be her; I want to feel better,
I don’t want to wear on people like an old wool sweater:
Itchy and stiff, uncomfortable and irritating,
So it is with myself I am constantly debating,
I prefer to be soft, kind, friendly and fun,
But the one in the mirror is the lonely one,
Not wanting to get hurt again by any other tragedy,
I feel the walls going up all around me,
So mirror, mirror on the wall,
God has a reason for everything, big or small,
Can’t change the happenings of the past,
But healing is slow, when I want it to be fast,
Reflection of mine, I would prefer to like you,
Opportunities are many, but successes are few,
I know I am made strong, because I am weak,
2 Corinthians 12:10 gives me the reflection that I seek.

Tammy Harvey
written: 11/27/2019