T-Rex Arms

Monkey in the Middle

The last flight I took was to Raleigh, ‘NC’,

Southwest Airlines – no assigned seats and no baggage fee,

I was the last one to board, and there were two empty seats,

One in the first row- lots of room for my feet,

I chose that one as opposed to the empty one in the rear,

Getting off first was appealing, and the urgency to be seated was clear,

The gentleman in the window seat was, let’s say, a rather large man,

He took up his seat and part of mine, imagine this if you can,

He was sleeping soundly when I sat down; he took advantage of the wait,

We were all boarded now, but we hadn’t even left the gate!

In a comfortable position was he; his arms and legs were sprawling,

He was snoring like a freight train, and my skin was creepy crawling,

His arm draped over our shared armrest; his knee pressed into mine,

The aisle seat passenger next to me was probably 6 ft- nine,

I was monkey in the middle, with my elbows pressed together, and

my hands pushed under my chin,

When the flight attendant passed by me, she gave a little grin,

She served us drinks, he did not wake; and she did not disturb him,

I had a soda and a bag of nuts, but was not sure how I’d open them,

My Tyrannosaurus Rex arms were lacking any range of motion,

I was wedged in as tightly as an anchor in the bottom of the ocean,

Not a long flight from Nashville to Raleigh, but it seemed like it was to me,

It was comical, yet uncomfortable, I’m sure you would agree,

The loudly snoring man awoke as the wheels hit the runway,

He was oblivious to the entire flight, but maybe he’ll read this someday.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  4/21/2018

Too Blessed to be Stressed

A Perfect Day, No way 

(I'm not lucky, I'm blessed)

A perfect day in every way, that’s what we think we need,

But things happen, plans go awry, and we get cranky indeed,

Do we have our health?  Are we feeling well?

Do we have running water?  Clean clothes that don’t smell?

Do we have shelter?  A roof over our heads?

Do we sleep comfortably in our own soft beds?

Is our pantry full, and can we afford to buy food?

If our answers are “Yes”, then why the bad mood?

A lot of people all over the world don’t have all of these.

So often we take for granted our abundant amenities,

Be prepared to dance in the rain, if it rains on your parade,

If life gives you lemons, then make lemonade,

Our situations are relative and always could be worse,

Think of that when you spill everything in your purse,

Or you drop your ice cream cone onto the ground,

Or the automated voice menu gives you the run around,

Maybe you had a bad hair day or something trivial like that,

You didn’t make it to the gym and now you’re feeling fat,

These are all simply things that shouldn’t make you stressed,

When you realize that most of the time you are truly blessed.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  4/12/2018

Celebrating our Cultures...

The Bookmark Message

Today, I happened upon an old bookmark in my kitchen drawer,

A colorful depiction of children from around the world, unlike I’d seen before,

“Celebrating Our Cultures…” was printed along the edge,

It was a testament to diversity and the strength of a common pledge,

The rest of the quote was my favorite, and this is what it said:

“We all smile in the same language”, I read and then reread,

I thought to myself… Why yes, yes, we do! We certainly do!

Our differences may be many, but our expressions are so few,

The expressions on our face all communicate the same,

We all can smile for a family portrait in the world’s big picture frame,

A smile is a fabric woven with a common, yet colorful thread,

We don’t need to speak all languages for happiness to spread,

Happiness, sadness, fear, or pain- all show up on our face,

Regardless of our language or culture, we are the human race,

Like the wisdom of our elders, the bookmark was many years old, but still intact,

A smile is a language we all can speak, and that’s a matter of fact,

Give a smile and get one back; It is universally understood,

I’d give to you my smile right now through this poem, if I only could!

Tammy Harvey

Written:  4/8/2018

It Screams the 80's

My College Blanket

The blanket is worn to the perfect softness,

Thin in places, only adds to its greatness,

This old blanket is 39 years young,

It was purchased when my college days begun,

I used it on my bed all four years,

It kept me warm and calmed my fears,

Then it moved with me to a job in South Carolina,

It was not expensive like fine china,

But I held onto it and as the years rolled by,

My children snuggled up in it with a sigh,

It’s been through a lot with those boys,

Lots of sick days, chicken pox, and yet, lots of joys,

Making forts with it in the family room on rainy days,

Going camping, picnicking:  it was handy always,

I added a new piece of fabric on the back when it began to wear,

And somehow it has lasted “forever” without getting a tear,

We still use it today as a throw on our couch,

It’s everyone’s favorite, there is no doubt,

It’s not very attractive and dated, it’s true,

The fabric screams 80’s, just between me and you,

But if it could talk, what stories it would tell,

The old college blanket has served our family quite well,

It seems indestructible, after all it’s been through,

And now my grandson will be using it too,

It is odd what unsuspecting item will continue to last,

And preserve the memories from our distant past.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  2/5/2018 

Rest for the Weary

Listen


It was 3:00 am and I was up with the dog,
Couldn’t go to sleep, so I wrote this poem for my blog,
The peaceful nighttime silence enveloped our house,
The single sound I heard was the breathing of my spouse,
It was incredible how deafening the silence could be,
I listened intently, is someone talking to me?
He whispered to me from inside my head,
Was I dreaming? Should I just go back to bed?
No, I knew it was God gently speaking to me:
“Come to me you who are weary and heavy laden…I will give you rest”,
It was Matthew 11:28: Immediately a heaviness lifted from my chest,
When the problems I have keep me awake at night,
I remember: His yoke is easy, and His burden is light,
If I take His yoke and learn from Him,
The situation I have doesn’t feel so grim,
I gain the confidence to persevere and to trust,
For I need God’s strength, that is a must!
His promises I know, so there is nothing to fear,
His grace is sufficient, and his wisdom is dear,
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11,
I went back to bed with a new perspective and thanked my Almighty Father in heaven.


Tammy Harvey
Written: 3/28/2018

“Never Be Afraid to Trust an Unknown Future to an All-Knowing God”- Corrie Ten Boom

The Possibilites

The Big Picture

Remember when your situation seems impossible:

Mark 10:27, "For with God all things are possible",

Possible, but not guaranteed to happen,

You could be cryin’ and the next moment laughin’,

Or it may not work out as you intended,

The plan God has may be more splendid,

He may have a plan that you won’t understand,

It may be tragic: an ending you never planned,

He has the big picture and knows what is best,

Trust Him when your faith is put to the test,

He doesn’t promise us a life without tribulations,

He promises to never forsake us for we are His creations,

Made in His image:  we are fearfully and wonderfully made,

We are not checking off boxes:  there is no record of wrongs, no Pass/Fail grade,

He refines us just like iron in the blacksmith’s hand,

God gives us beauty for ashes—much like water in a dry land,

For He is the potter, and we are the clay,

He molds us and shapes us, day after day,

We can be the finest version of us, this side of heaven,

Always remember Mark 10:27

Tammy Harvey

Written:  3/12/2018

A few Choice Words

One Misdeed leads to Another

A friend of mine has a very funny true story to tell,
Of a time when her house was urgently up for sale,
Not a fan of yard work, but she went out to kill some weeds,
Spraying Round-Up with no instruction was one of her first misdeeds,
Getting hot and bothered by the exhausting and endless chore,
She and her daughter surmised that the activity was a bore,
They needed a way to make the spraying much more exciting,
They sprayed their names into the grass, which was laughter-inciting,
But wait, it didn’t stop there, they were having too much fun,
That is when they decided that the writing was not done,
At this point, they were simply angry; selling their house was really hard,
They wrote a few large choice words into the green front yard,
Forgetting about the entire day, they went about their week,
When from an upstairs window, her husband took a peak,
“Why is vulgarity written into our front grass?” He bellowed,
It was impossible to deny since the culprits’ names were also yellowed,
She said, “Oops! Did I do that?! Didn’t know the weed killer worked that well”,
But despite the weed killer blooper, the house indeed did sell,
You can’t make this stuff up, that’s why I’m sharing it with you,
It’s a priceless amusing family story, I’m sure you have one too!

Tammy Harvey
Written: 4/2/2018