I Miss Paul Harvey ...

I Miss Paul Harvey

                      By Ken Hanson

Hello Americans, this is Paul Harvey, stand by for news!

How many of you remember that name?

We lost him quite a few years ago,

Since then, it hasn’t been the same.

How far back can you remember?

At what age do your memories begin?

I remember being five years old,

Several vivid memories from way back then.

I remember when Dave started first grade,

And I was left at home with mom all day,

I remember waiting by the door for hours,

When he got home we could go out and play.

I  remember riding with dad in his car,

We would go to the Dr Pepper plant on 4^th street,

He would buy a case off the loading dock,

Watching the bottling machine was such a treat.

I loved riding around in that old car,

We’d get a hamburger at the drive in and I’d know

At noon we’d always listen to Paul Harvey,

That was dad’s favorite program on the radio.

When you’re five you don’t care about current events,

But dad did, he’s shush me  when I’d make a sound,

Paul Harvey was America’s most trusted newsman,

All across America on some station he could be found.

When I got older, I still listened to his broadcasts,

It seemed just a natural part of my day,

I would schedule my lunch to be in the car at noon,

I always seemed to find a way.

I agreed with his political views and opinions,

He had a style and delivery all his own,

He could sneak in an ad that sounded like the news,

America’s love for him was well known.

Every year at Christmas he’d have a reoccurring story,

I loved the message, I’d wait for it all year,

He had a way of explaining things that made sense,

This story is the one I hold most dear.

It’s about a man, kind to his family and a good provider,

But he wouldn’t go to church with them,

He didn’t accept that Jesus died on the cross,

And arose on the third day to save us from sin

One Sunday evening he was at home alone,

While his family was at the church in town,

He was enjoying a cozy warm fire,

When he was startled by a sound.

He turned on the porch light and looked outside,

To find the source of the noise he’d heard,

He didn’t see anything until he looked down,

There in the snow was a shivering little bird.

The poor little thing had flown into the window,

Trying to escape from the snow,

Then several more one after another,

Attracted by the windows glow.

Pretty soon there was a whole flock of them,

He knew he had to help them somehow,

Then he had an idea, he would lead them to shelter,

In the barn out back where they kept their cow.

He opened the door and turned on the light,

But they wouldn’t go inside,

He tried to catch them but he couldn’t,

Nothing worked no matter how hard he tried.

He made a trail of seed to lure them through the door,

But they just flopped around helplessly in the snow,

And as badly as he wanted to help them survive,

There was no way for them to know.

He waived his arms and tried to shoo them inside,

But they scattered in all directions, terrified of him now,

If only I could tell them I’m trying to help,

I’ve got to make them understand somehow.

I need to show them that they can trust me,

But they don’t know what I’m trying to do,

They wont last much longer in this freezing weather,

I’ve got to think of something new.

He stood there shivering thinking of a solution,

And then it occurred to him,

If he could be a bird he could speak their language,

But he would have to be one of them.

Just then the church bell rang in the distance,

He looked up and said, “Lord, now I know”,

“It finally makes sense and I understand”,

And he bowed on his knee in the snow.

Paul Harvey had a way of telling a story,

On his popular radio show,

That made it easy for us to understand,

I miss him more than you know.

He left the world a better place,

For all of us, so I’ll say,

On behalf of all Americans,

We miss you, Paul Harvey… good day.