Homage to Mr. Paul Harvey

I have never had what I consider to be a very good memory. I have trouble with names (but never forget a face, which is awkward when there is no name to put with it...), and always have difficulty in classes that require a lot of memorization. There are, however, some things that never fail to trigger memories in even my hazy, swiss-cheesy brain (don't bother looking that one up, either ... I hold the trademark on it!). For example, any time I smell honeysuckle, I am instantly 9 or 10 years old, and standing beside a tall embankment covered with the sweet, nectar-filled blossoms (after shredding my legs struggling through the large lot filled with blackberry bushes... and all their thorns!). The smell of plumeria brings me the feeling of the sun on my skin and the natural beauty of the island of Barbados, the only place that I've ever seen that flower. And the curve of any child's cheek that I happen to see will bring my son's face to mind. And, any time I hear the smooth voice of Paul Harvey, I am transported back to mornings as a child when Paul Harvey was on the radio right about the time I sat down to my oatmeal, or Fruit Loops, or whatever my sugary "upper" was that day. Everywhere I have ever lived (thus far, that includes six states and three foreign countries), I have at some point been able to listen to Paul Harvey (God bless Armed Forces Radio and Television!). His stories were always interesting, even if only because they brought a piece of home to me wherever I happened to be. Occasionally, he was able to tell a story so well that it brought tears to my eyes, even though I'm relatively sure that none of them were ever more than five minutes long. Also, there were many times that I would say, "Hmm, I never knew that." In more than thirty years of hearing Mr. Harvey's voice, though, I do not recall ever hearing him sound angry, and he never said an unkind word, or swore, or told an off-color joke, or used any epithets or racial slurs in his broadcasts. In today's entertainment world, that is more than an accomplishment... it is practically a miracle! I always thought of Mr. Harvey as a kind and decent man, and he always reminded me a little bit of my grandfather, the man I held in the highest esteem of all in my life. And so it is that today, when I saw the news that Mr. Harvey passed away yesterday, I cried. Only two other times in my life has the passing of a public figure moved me to tears. The other two were Princess Diana and Princess Grace. Neither of the other two had touched my lives in the way that Mr. Harvey has, but the loss of their beauty and (I apologize for the seeming pun) grace simply was a tragedy in both cases. In Mr. Harvey's case, he was not as glamorous, maybe not as well-known world-wide, but his persona was always just so honest, open and caring that I felt like I had found a long-distance friend. I truly hope that Mr. Harvey's family has peace today in knowing that he touched many lives during his 90 years and that he is missed by so many people and that - in some small way - we all share a piece of their pain. May God bless his family, and may He guide Mr. Paul Harvey, Jr., hopefully to continue on his path.