His Birth Story

 

Love and Good Cheer

When crusted snow crunches under the weight of my boots,

And little kids are bundled in thick, round snowsuits,

Icicles have formed on the eaves of our house,

And no sound is heard, not even a mouse,

A blanket of white covers everything,

And colorful lights glow, as carolers sing,

Winter is here, and the fire crackles loudly,

Neighborhoods display their decorations so proudly,

The smell of pine is filling the space,

As to the gifts, the young ones will race,

It is a magical time of year, that’s right,

The holly, the jolly, the merry and bright,

When people are called to reflect on their year,

With hope and joy, because the message is clear:

Long, long ago, as a star announced His birth,

A miraculous gift was sent to the earth,

Jesus was born and to Him be the glory,

Because Christmas is all about His birth story,

The wisemen were called to bring special gifts to this One,

Because He was declared to be God’s son,

Merry Christmas to you, and a Happy New Year,

May yours be filled with Love and Good Cheer.

Tammy Harvey

12/21/2023

Baby's First Christmas

 

Nellie Rae

Baby-blue-eyed baby girl,

You are your parents’ whole world,

Your toothless smile will light the room,

You are a beautiful flower in bloom,

Your eyes sparkle like the stars on high,

And you seldom get upset and cry,

You sleep like an angel on a bed of clouds,

And oh, the joy it brings when you laugh out loud,

Your chubby thighs are so round and sweet,

And don’t get me started on those little toes and feet,

You are learning to roll, to sit, to play,

You are growing up each and every day,

Soon you will crawl and walk, then run,

With you we are having so much fun!

Your first Christmas is coming soon,

We love you to the moon! (and back)

Tammy Harvey

11/24/2023

Eternity

 

Eternity

May I ride the wave of discovery,

To the crystal shores of tomorrow,

Where a gemstone beach is glistening,

And the sparkle is so radiantly bright,

The golden paths lead through the emerald grass,

And the trees are dripping with diamonds,

May I know the endless peace that is only in heaven,

As I walk through the valley of death,

Love like no other will surround me,

Angels will be singing praises on high,

I will discover the world was only a second,

As I live in the presence of God,

An eternity of bliss, no sorrow, no tears,

For this I should have no more fears,

Looking forward to my forever with hope,

As I work on this earth as a servant,

To live is to die, and to die is to gain,

For this I am thankful and blessed.

Tammy Harvey

11/26/2023

The Dreaded "C-Word"

 

Cancer Journey

The dreaded C-word,

It’ll never happen to me-word,

It comes without warning to get its prey,

It devours unknowing victims each and every day,

So why am I so shocked to learn,

That it has now become my turn?

Why am I so precocious,

When the C-word is now my diagnosis?

Silently dwelling, stealthily growing,

All this time without me even knowing,

There is a definite time of disbelief,

Followed by a helplessness time of grief,

Waiting for the pathology report to reveal,

The extent of the invasion is a really big deal,

It takes patience and trust, and hope to endure,

Anticipated treatment that is loomingly unsure,

I am blessed to find that my cancer was contained,

The joy of this news is not easily explained,

This is how it all began,

(Be your own advocate, like me, if you can),

I felt a sore spot on my breast while taking a shower,

Each time I shrugged it off, it was not within my power,

To assume anything, as my February mammogram had been clear,  (Feb 4)

But as time passed, it persisted and so did my fear,

In August, I went to my primary care, (Aug 17)

I needed to make my doctor aware,

The breast exam he did gave him no concern,

But he sent me for a diagnostic mammogram to discern,

Images of the diagnostic mammogram showed nothing unusual,

An ultrasound was performed to prove I wasn’t delusional, (Aug 25)

Finally, the ultrasound showed the cause of my pain,

A biopsy was suggested to try to explain, (Aug 29)

What looked to the expert as something benign,

A mass, but of no concern; I was led to think I was fine,

I waited a week before pathology confirmed,

What no one had suggested, yet cancer was affirmed, (Sept 1)

The dreaded C-word: It’ll never happen to me-word,

A breast surgeon was referred, and I went on my way,

Waiting two more weeks for an appointment to say,

We need to take out this mass and do radiation treatment, (Sept 18)

Not knowing what type of cancer, as the biopsy was indeterminate,

Outpatient surgery was scheduled, and another waiting period ensued,

Lymph nodes would be taken since the cancer type was misconstrued,

Surgery, yes, I had two,

But before, a special marker at the mass’ location was needed,

Using mammographic imagery, a radioactive wire was seeded, (Sept 25)

First a lumpectomy/lymph node surgery, but who knew? (Sept 27)

The margins were not clear, so another decision was due, (Oct 8)

The lymph nodes were negative which was excellent news,

The next step in treatment was for me to choose,

I chose to have a mastectomy, removing my left breast,

Without reconstruction, I thought that was best,

Only three weeks had passed, but back to surgery I went,

Outpatient surgery at 7:00, and home at 11:00, I was sent, (Oct 17)

Another pathology report was another week away,

Pathology was good and no further treatment was expected, (Oct 30)

But an appointment with oncology was necessary with all data collected,

November 10 was a very memorable day, (Nov 10)

I met with an excellent Duke oncologist, who had a wonderful way,

Of letting me know that chemo and radiation were not required,

When my incision healed completely, my cancer journey was expired.

One in eight women will be faced with breast cancer, as I was,

It will rock their world, as it always does,

Some journeys will be much worse than mine,

Some will be fatal, that’s the bottom line,

My cancer was mammography occult,

If I had waited, it would have been a different result,

Mammography resolution is only so good,

Do regular breast exams, as you should,

Catching the C-word early is the key,

To survive the dreaded letter “C”.

The dreaded C-word:  It’ll never happen to me-word.

That’s what I thought,

But now the C-word I have fought!

I was blessed and am so very thankful too,

But I am now concerned for you.

Tammy Harvey

12/1/2023