A Cup of Water

 A Simple Cup of Water

I was flying non-stop to Raleigh from Nashville, TN via Southwest Airlines.  I had been at the airport for a few hours and once we boarded, I had an incredible thirst.  My throat was dry, and I sat there wishing I had purchased bottled water.  I had chosen the second seat on the aisle, so the flight attendant was readily available.  I debated about asking for a cup of water then finally I caught her attention with the motion of my hand.  She came to me, and I politely asked her.  She asked me if I had medication to take.  I said, ‘no ma’am”.  She said that she wasn’t allowed to give me water on the ground unless I had medication to take.  Well, then they held our loaded airplane at the gate for the arrival of 11 passengers whose connection had landed late and were in the airport.  They were giving them time to get to our gate which I thought was very nice of Southwest.  I had never gotten that consideration from American Airlines as I have run through the Charlotte airport to catch a connection only to find they had just closed the doors.  Missing a flight through no fault of my own has become a pet peeve of mine.  It wasn’t going to make our original flight late because we had a tailwind.  The pilot said to allow about a 15-minute delay.  Well, the passengers arrived, but another delay was announced because their luggage had not made it over from the other gate.  The pilot said maybe another 7 minutes.  At that point, the flight attendant came to me carrying a full cup of water.  She said, “Here is your water to take your medication”.  I guess I wasn’t smart enough to say I had medication to take or maybe I’m just too honest, but I was so happy that the flight attendant was so accommodating.

Tammy Harvey  Jan 2025

The Rocks Cry Out

 

Don’t Miss It

The rocks will cry out.  In Luke 19:40 Jesus describes how if the people stay silent the rocks will praise Him.  This was in response to his entrance into his own city of Jerusalem.  It echoes the sentiment of Psalm 19 that declares “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands”.  I see so much of the majesty of God in nature.  Some things in nature are so overwhelmingly beautiful that it takes my breath away. How do I view a beautiful sunrise without feeling the splendor of God?   The intricacies of nature and the animal kingdom are astounding and hard to fathom.  How do I witness the birth of any creature and not feel the awe of God?  He is the creator of all things and even if a person had no knowledge of Him, the beauty in nature declares His glory.  All around us, evidence of the Almighty God is apparent.  It is in the seasons, the tides and the way our plants grow.  It is in the stars in the night sky.  It is in the depths of the ocean.  It is a vast array of beauty that cannot be ignored.  It is in the symbiosis of all living things.  Dare we take credit for any of it?  We are but a minute part of the whole.    We cannot deny the power of the wind, the rain and the storm.  Who calms the storm and sends the rainbow afterwards?  Who hasn’t looked up in awe at a colorful rainbow covering the sky and not found joy?  If the rocks will cry out, how much more should we praise Him for the beauty of the Earth.  “For the beauty of the earth, For the glory of the skies”, For the love which from our birth, Over and around us lies, Lord of All, to Thee we raise, This our Hymn of Grateful Praise”. (For the Beauty of the Earth, hymn written by Filliott S. Peirpoint in 1864.) We are but travelers, and our journey here is brief.  May we not miss the splendor that has been set before us.  I encourage you to stop what you are doing and set aside some time to enjoy nature and the beauty that lies therein.  Go outside and be in awe of the wonderful miracles occurring every day:  The grass grows, the birds sing, the leaves flutter down from the trees, etc.  Don’t miss it.

Tammy Harvey

12/19/2024

What Kids Say

 

If You need Me…

There once was a television show called “Kids say the Darndest Things” with Art Linkletter.  In their innocence and joy for life, kids are remarkably funny when describing certain ideas and answering pointed questions.  My grandchildren are no different.  I always say that I should write down these instances when they say something so comical, and this time I am!  At the preschool Christmas performance yesterday, my 5-year-old grandson’s teacher came up to our family to share what Grayson had said to her that morning.  She was so entertained by her conversation with him.  She described how she was putting out the Memory Cards onto the table for an activity.  Sometimes, she shared, she asks a student to help her with this task.  That morning Grayson asked her if he could help her, but unfortunately, she said they were short on time, and she needed to do it by herself.  In response, he said to her: “Well, if you need me, I’m off 64W in a blue house” describing where he lived to her. 

This boy does have a way of saying the darndest things and from this day forward I am going to do my best to write down these wonderfully amusing comments my grandchildren make.

Tammy Harvey

12/19/2025

The Iconic Clock

 

The Iconic Clock

The red second hand was sweeping around the analog clock,

It made a soft purring noise, not a loud tick tock,

It was probably 15” in diameter, black casing and white face,

You could see it from down the hall, and probably from outer space,

The government-issued clock is an icon, if you know what I mean,

The numbers were big, bold and black and very easily seen,

It was on every wall in every classroom that I ever had,

And in every office space and public place; it was not a fad,

It was an essential part of my childhood, back in the day,

Always wishing it would move faster so I could go out to play,

And then wishing it would move slower when the test was really hard,

Always wanting to be free to run around the yard,

It indicated when I could go to the cafeteria to eat,

Or when I had to hurry to class and quickly take my seat,

It indicated when I needed to go and catch the bus,

The bell would always ring and wake up my consciousness,

When the long hand got to twelve, and the short hand was on three,

Our school day was over, and we were literally set free,

Free from the big bad clock that ruled us every day,

Now we could go outside and until dark we’d play!

Tammy Harvey

12/13/2024