I am home, and I am in bed.  Tired is not an accurate word for how I feel as tired would imply a lot more energy than I have now.  I have gone from early to late without a break, and to be honest, when I do this, I just do not have a lot to give at this point in the day…..but let me try.

Yes, this picture has nothing at all to do with my post, but is instead a gratuitous offering to my Uncle Phil who may truly believe that Scotty and I might let Ben be a Colts’s fan!  No way!!  Go Bears!  But I digress……

I had my next to last session of bootcamp today, and I overheard someone ask our instructor why things seemed to be getting harder for her, and he just smiled as he confessed that he “kicks things up” as we go along.  I guess I should have known better, because I too indeed thought that things were getting harder.  My body is totally killing me.

On the “upside,” if there is one in times of this much physical pain, I have list just shy of 30 pounds in less than 30 days.  I will keep it up too, although I need to skip this next set of 30 day classes……..after all, work is important too.

I have one more session to attend on Monday.  It is a make-up for a session I missed.  But since it is technically a first session for a “new” class, I am actually looking forward to it!  My belief is that it may be a tad bit easier.  Or at least I can pray for that!

The coolest part however is that I will definitely be under 30 pounds by Monday, and that will be a great way for me to finish up the session!

Keep praying…….I need to be thin again!!

Goodnight and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, I know it has been awhile since a Ben picture, so here is one taken a few days ago after we arranged our room.  Ben is using his mom’s IPad, which all the kids use, but I have not ever used.  They all seem to enjoy it, but in all honesty I have trouble with just the stuff I am responsible for.  And if you have read this blog for more than a few days, I am sure you have heard me complain about it too.

But I thought this picture would be a fine one to use for tonight, as I have been reflecting these past few days upon my future.  No, I do not want to make any great career changes, nor am I experiencing any type of mid-life crisis.  But I do want to be better at all I do.  I want to be a better husband to my wife.  I want to be a better father to my children.  I want to be a better priest to the people I serve and serve with.  It seems I just want to be………better.

How that is to be accomplished is exactly what I am pondering, and what I can say is that I honestly am encouraged by the possibilities.  Yeah I know, I am often funny or sarcastic in my writings, and some readers may even be waiting for the punchline or zinger.  But in truth, my heart has taken a big turn, and I need to pay attention to it and honor it in my life.

Perhaps tomorrow I will say something funny, but not today.  I am thinking, and I feel awake with my eyes wide open.  These are important times for me.  I intend not to miss them.  Wading in the water can be fun sometimes, but I think I indeed may be being called to swim.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, I have to confess, I indeed have a “Pinterest” account.  It really is a pretty cool thing to add to my list of things I have but I do not understand, like computers, cell phones, Facebook, this blog, my wife, my daughter, and my sons.  Yes, I THINK I sometimes understand them, but in the end I realize I am fighting a losing battle.

But the cool part about Pinterest that I seem to be good at is just re “pinning” stuff that other people already find.  It is truly mindless and for me, particularly lately, that is just what I need…..the ability to look in touch with something modern while not understanding the first thing about it.  It’s kind of like being a double agent for the technology-challenged.

In truth though, it does sometimes feel a little too “girly” for me.  I like to look at food that I could make to eat on it though because I am always dieting.  It seems pretty good for that, and there seems to be a lot of funny stuff too.  So the concept is that I mooch off other people’s great ideas and pins and collect them for my own.  It makes me feel pretty cutting edge if you know what I mean….

And then others follow you on there too….repinning the things that you repin.  They follow you!  It’s too bad that they do not know what I know……I am a complete Pinterest fraud.

But who cares?  I am off to find a few more good diet ideas!!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes it is true, tonight is my 1500th blog post for “Tales of a Faithful Dragonslayer.”  I have enjoyed sharing our lives with you, and even more than that, I have gotten a lot out of it.  I have heard from people all across the globe, and have been blessed by your comments, criticisms, and insights.  It has been a blast.

Tonight I want to share about our son Scotty who as regular readers know, wants to be a United States Marine……and no, because people have been asking, this story is not the genesis of my break…..so I will move on here.

To bring new readers up to speed, and to refresh others, Scotty graduated high school in 2011 and was scheduled to arrive at college in St. Louis later that year to study music.  He is a talented musician, and was excited about the prospects of this opportunity.  He however came to me just a couple of months before he was to leave and told me, thinking I would be mad, that he wanted to become a Marine.

It of course flashed me back to being 17 and sitting in a Marine recruiter’s office.  I was a pretty undisciplined kid, okay VERY undisciplined, and I was also probably as they say in today’s language “at risk.”  (You can fill in your own blanks if you want)  At 17 I had no real supervision and had managed to screw up my life royally on a variety of fronts.  I knew I needed to change, and considered nothing other the the Marines.

And like any kid like me, I had dreams of making a real life for myself.  The Sargent had me already, I had just not signed my name.  But when he asked me what I wanted to do when I got out of the Corps I shared that I thought I would like to go to college and maybe become a doctor.  Sure, it was a lofty dream, but I was looking forward in hope.  But he apparently did not believe he had me so he said, “You sign with the Marines young man and we will make you a doctor within 2 years.”

In retrospect I am surprised I survived that encounter in light of the things I said to him.  They were vulgar and cutting, and the language of my youth, not the language of my life now.  But I left and did not sign.  I knew better, he was lying to me.  And it was one of the biggest mistakes I made in my life.

Oddly enough at the end of seminary I had a chance to go in again…….as a chaplain.  It was appealing to think I could fulfill a dream and call myself a Marine, but as I remember you had to go in through the Navy….but the big kicker was that chaplains did not carry guns.  It just didn’t fit my MO.

So needless to say, I was deeply honored when Scotty shared his intentions with me.  I will be the father of a US Marine, and to me that is a great honor.  I will spare you the details, but the gist is that Scotty was scheduled to leave in December of this year for bootcamp and would be away about 9 months and return to serve in the Reserves while finishing college.  This weekend however, that all changed.

On SEPTEMBER 24th, Scotty will be flown to San Diego, California where he will begin bootcamp.  We will not hear from him for 13 weeks.  He will graduate on December 21st becoming a US Marine during bootcamp.  He will no longer be serving in the Reserves to finish college….he will have to do that wherever he is stationed.  That’s right, Scott is now going active duty and will fulfill his dream AND serve his country.  And in my mind, I cannot think of a better subject to post for my 1500th.

These next three weeks I am sure will be a blur, but we are thankful to have them.  We are so very proud of him.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Well after more than 15 hours on the road, I am home and in my bed.  Steph is now back at school so it is just Amanda, the boys, the dog, and the cat……but the only one I have been able to talk to is the cat, and only because I gave her some treats.  1AM is not exactly my original plan, but I was able to drift a little east and have lunch with my Uncle Al.  I however am a MORON because I should have had the waitress take a picture of us.  Sadly, I have no evidence of this story other than my word!!

But I did learn a few things on this trip.  One, all the states look pretty much the same when you are driving in the dark.  Two, no one in the south knows what “unsweetened” tea is.  Three, when you want a Chick-fil-A it will always be Sunday.  And finally, my bed, although I will not be in it long, is far more comfortable than my car!  THANK GOD!

But for now I am off to bed!  Thanks Uncle Al for the great lunch and visit!!  And thanks SC for the quick, but productive visit!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Today has been a spectacular day!  I was able to attend the Consecration of a seminary friend, Steve Wood, who was consecrated the FIRST Bishop of the NEW Diocese of the Carolinas!  It was a wonderful service full of wonderful people and a real blessing to be able to be a part of.  I am so very thankful for the opportunity.

Steve was actually a year behind me in seminary.  He has had an impressive ministry over the years and is really, besides God Himself calling him, a great choice to be the Bishop.  Steve has a heart for his people, and I am very encouraged to see him raised up.

Of course he is the third friend of mine raised up to Bishop.  My current Bishop, Roger Ames (pictured above), and my former Bishop, Doc Loomis, are the other two.  It is very surreal.  Bishops were always someone else…..Steve mentioned it this morning in the service how odd it was to put on a purple shirt.  I am sure it is, as it is to see your friends in them……I am just glad it is not me!! It is a heavy weight and an important calling.  I am encouraged to see Steve raised up to this call.  He has a lot to speak into our ministry as a Bishop!  God Bless him!

But for now I am in my bed and thinking about the long drive tomorrow.  It has been worth the trip!  Thank God that He raises up good souls to do His Work!  Blessings to you Bishop Steve, my brother!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Well I have spent the ENTIRE DAY (except for the last couple of hours) on the road.  But after close to 12 hours I arrived in Mount Pleasant SC where I will attend the Consecration of a seminary friend of mine, Steve Wood, who will become the FIRST Bishop of the Carolinas!  And I am here to support my brother as well as to talk to people about the Order.

But after all that driving, I felt I deserved a bit of relaxation, so I drove the couple of miles to the beach and walked a couple of miles.  I called Ben on my walk and let him listen to the waves.  I asked him if he wanted me to bring him home some shells, which he did.  He also then ordered a hermit crab, a seagull, no sharks, but a BUNCH of fish.  I told him I would see what I could do.  In all honesty I was surprised that he didn’t have Aquaman meet me there to help collect all his stuff.

But this will be a quick, and hopefully productive trip.  Steph has headed back to college, and I saw her this morning at 4am.  It was hard to know she was leaving, and it made the drive harder, and I wondered whether it was harder for her to leave the nest or for me to let her go.  I do remember 20 though, and my heart was not as much on my family as it was on my life.  Looking back, I wish I had done better.  But hindsight is n ever 20/20…..it is ALWAYS more clear than that!  It is a bittersweet trip, but I will make the most of it.

Of course seeing the ocean is pretty cool.  I did however grow up around a port……MICHIGAN CITY INDIANA!!!  I am just not used to salt water.  My walk was however, pretty relaxing.  And I am thankful for it…I am totally worn out!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+