Granddaughter #1

 

Granddaughter Number One

I call her “little girl”, as she is the first one,

If you saw her pretty face, you would be undone,

She is sweet and loving, her kisses will melt your heart,

We knew she was a keeper right from the very start,

Soon to be one, she has learned and grown,

She can feed herself and stand up on her own,

She will walk very soon, just mark my words,

Then run and jump- changing so fast, it's absurd,

She is a chunky monkey; her arms and legs have rolls,

Her hair has beautiful curls, and she has a kindred soul,

Her eyes resemble George, and her face resembles me,

At least that’s what others say, so it is, apparently,

She smiles and babbles and squeals a loud and piercing scream,

But with a lovely disposition that one can only dream,

What a gift this child has been, truly from above,

She is the definition of unconditional love,

If I had to give her my advice,

It would be the same as I’ve already given twice,

Stay young at heart, never grow old,

Your relationship with Christ is more precious than gold.

Tammy Harvey

5/01/2024

Grandson #2

 

Grandson Number Two

I call him “little bit” because he is younger,

Not because he is small or lacking in hunger,

He is a cutie with eyes that tantalize,

As blue and clear as a cloudless sky,

His expressions are endless and capture his spirit,

A jovial soul and talkative without limit,

His speech is unique, pronunciation is charming,

His fearlessness, however, is somewhat alarming,

He rides a balance bike with his feet in the air,

As he travels down a steep hill, without even a care,

He is funny and friendly, a pleasant little fellow,

He likes wizards and swords, but really, he is mellow,

A little guy with amazing math skills for his age,

Doing arithmetic in his head, the world is his stage,

Nearly 5 years old, he is a delightful young boy,

Who always seems to take interest in a new toy,

If I had to give him some advice,

I don’t think I’d have to think twice,

Stay young at heart, never grow old,

Your relationship with Christ is more precious than gold.

Tammy Harvey

5/01/2024

Grandson #1

 

Grandson Number One

With both front teeth missing, creating a huge open space,

With a smile, ear to ear, and the wind in his face,

My grandson rode by on a bike with ease,

With no training wheels, to him it was a breeze,

It was his first attempt, and he mastered it well,

A grand milestone, a new story to tell,

He is accomplishing all the goals a young lad will do,

He is experiencing adventures, all shiny and new,

I guess you could say, he is growing up fast,

A soon-to-be big brother of two, having a blast,

He is kind; he is smart and living his best life,

In my wisdom, I would give him this advice:

Stay young at heart, never grow old, and…

Your relationship with Christ is more precious than gold.

Tammy Harvey

5/01/2024

Keep a Watchful Eye

 

A Watchful Eye

Keep a watchful eye on life, signs are being given,

Subtleties that occur, I believe they are from heaven,

At the very least, they are reminders of a loved one, who has passed,

Time may heal the heart, but memories, they last,

Yesterday, I was driving along, not really going far,

On three occasions a bright red cardinal flew in front of my car,

If I had not been aware, I would have missed this precious sign,

Little messages from above, that are so deeply sublime,

He was saying “I am here with you, please remember me”,

I was thinking “there you are, I didn’t forget, your sign I clearly see”,

 Songs are playing in the store sometimes, noticeably not by accident,

Purposefully, they evoke in me a beloved memory, divinely sent,

There is excitement on my granddaughter’s face and exuberant delight,

When she sees a portrait of her grandfather visibly in her sight,

Although he passed a few years before she was even conceived,

It is as if that they have met before, she recognizes him, I believe,

After all, my daughter-in-law had a vivid dream before her pregnancy,

Where her dad handed her a baby girl, this is not all fantasy,

Call me crazy, I find great comfort, in looking for the signs,

You may also find solace, if you are so inclined,

Keep a watchful eye on life, signs are being given,

Subtleties that occur, I believe they are from heaven.

Tammy Harvey

4/15/2024

Wolf Lodge

 

Wolf Lodge

There were children racing down the halls waving wands with lights,

On a quest, no less, at a paradise of fun, from morning to night,

An indoor waterpark, made to thrill young and old,

Was packed with adventure and excitement uncontrolled,

I had never been to something such as this, in my 64 years,

Now I’m engrossed in the thrill and wearing wolf ears!

The Great Wolf Lodge was a new experience for me,

Even though my grandson had been there when he was three!

A variety of slides, pools and water activity awaited us there,

The large twisting slides gave me a scare,

Lazy river, wave pool, hot tub was more my speed,

But I did step out of my comfort zone, indeed,

I took the challenge to ride on the slide with my son,

To prove I was not going to spoil all the fun,

Once I did that, my courage was inflated,

So, I stepped up to try the surfing simulator,

I guess you could say I didn’t wipeout,

Because at the top is where I hung out!

It was not easy to catch the wave,

But I tried anyway, because I was brave?

Brave or crazy, that is debatable,

The entire experience is totally relatable,

One of my favorite sites to watch was a ginormous tipping bucket,

Periodically dumping copious gallons of water on those who didn’t duck it,

It was a day to remember; I won’t soon forget,

I haven’t gotten the water out of my human ears, yet!

Tammy Harvey

3/29/2024

A Chance Meeting

 

A Chance Meeting

We went on quite an adventure to Williamsburg, V-A,

Learned a lot of historical facts too along the way,

But one of the highlights of our trip was on an elevator,

Meeting a famous couple; I’ll tell you who, later,

A chanced meeting, only going from G to the first floor,

The introductions began with the opening of the door,

The man was 95 and using a cane to walk,

His wife was 93, and she began to talk,

“What is your name?” she cordially asked of my grandson,

When he said “Charlie”, the conversation had begun,

She replied, “his name is Charlie too”, pointing to the man,

His last name is “Brown”, believe it if you can,

“You are meeting the original Charlie Brown”, she boasted,

With a smile proudly on her face, our full attention she hosted,

But she had another bit of information hidden up her sleeve,

Which was the figurative cherry on top, I truly believe,

She said, “My name is Pat”; Just like that,

“But you can call me Peppermint Patty”,

She announced: “We are Charlie Brown and Peppermint Patty!”,

We knew she had probably shared that story before,

But we were honored and will remember it forevermore,

Chance meetings can be a big part of a trip,

Especially when they are characters from a notable comic strip!

Tammy Harvey

3/13/2024

A Swim Down Memory Lane

 

Swim, Baby, Swim

Did you ever take lessons to learn how to swim?

I did, at the YMCA, and I still remember them,

I was probably seven years old, and it was an indoor pool,

During the winter, while we were still in school,

We were required to wear bathing caps back then,

We learned to tread water and to dive in,

We were taught to go to the bottom to retrieve a penny,

Holding our breath until we didn’t have any,

It seemed like miles to the bottom, and ear pressure was real,

Accomplishing these tasks was a really big deal,

We learned all the swim strokes after a while:

Breaststroke, back stroke, side stroke, and freestyle,

We were taught all of the kicking techniques:

Frog kicks, scissor kicks, flutter kicks, with constructive critiques,

Our lessons were thorough; we were very well-trained,

That’s a nice little swim down memory lane,

Nearly six decades later, I watch my granddaughter learn,

She is only 8 months old and it’s hard to discern,

How a small baby like that can have no fear,

She loves the water and does not shed a tear,

She is learning to float, to go under and recover,

What a wonderful skill for a baby to discover!

Tammy Harvey

3/2/2024