I have to confess, I have received all of this information second-hand, but tonight I was out at work and Amanda made a pizza for the boys and had it out to cool.  She went to another part of the house for a little bit, and when she returned, it was gone.

The picture is of Ben and his buddy Puddy playing in the door of my office.  It is more disconnected to this blog than a hot dog at a 5 star restaurant.  But I just liked it, and I hope you do too.

Today was a real blessing to me.  It started out with my picking up a college student from Anderson University to take her to St. Patrick’s in Noblesville.  She had been to our Church in Anderson a few times, but I thought she might like to see St. Patrick’s as well.  What warmed my heart, was not what she saw there, because I really didn’t talk to her about it.  But what warmed mine was what I did.

Here was a college student making the time on her own to attend church.  That was pretty cool in itself.  But at St. Patrick’s today the sermon was delivered by Ethan Harrison, a young man in his 20’s heading to seminary later this year.  The Celebrant was Deacon Robert Jennings, who just turned 34, and who was training for what is coming up after his March 17th priesting by doing this Deacon’s Mass.  And then of course there was the musician, Scotty, my son who is 18.

It really brought a lot of things back to me.  I remembered when I was in college and getting ready for seminary.  The older guys called us the future.  I guess they worried about it then.  But I know the feeling.  I am one of the old dogs now and with great joy am watching God raise up a great group to continue it all.  I am far from being sent out to pasture, but today I realized I need to worry about it less.  It’s not my responsibility, apparently God has been working on it all along.  And for that message given to me this day, I am truly thankful.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I was rummaging around in the basement a couple of days ago and came across this valuable piece of art. Stephanie drew it in 3rd grade and it had been on the wall of my office at home for as long as I have had it.  It was packed in the move last year and I have missed it.  It will now grace my wall with these other works of art.

You can call me Reverend or Doctor, but to prove it we will need to go down in the basement…..that’s where all those important (and professionally framed) documents are stored.  But the scarecrow (Stephy), the flower (Scotty, probably in 1st grade) and the butterfly and Transformer (Ben of course), grace the walls of my office.  

It reminded me of an interview I had many years
ago to become the Dean of a Cathedral in one of the plains states (I was the bridesmaid in the search) but the question was posed to me by an actual US Senator who was on the search committee.  He asked me, “What is your greatest accomplishment?”  The answer they expected of course was an explanation of all my work and academic accomplishments, which even then were pretty extensive.  But I just smiled and surprised them, because I answered, “My kids.”

One day I was 16, the next I had my driver’s license.  One day I was 17, the next day I was an adult.  One day I was 20, the next I was able to have my first (legal) drink.  One day I was 49, the next day I was a member of the AARP (not by any means politically, but by age).  And one day (yesterday) Ben was a sick little mess, and today he is his old self!  Praise God!  He is back to invading my space at every turn!

Well this is my 1300th post, but it has been a trying day.  It is so very hard being gone and then catching up, but I spent the morning at the eye doctor and then the afternoon with Ben who was sick.

The good news is that Ben is on antibiotics and will recover (although not soon enough).  He has an ear infection (no surprise to us as it is also his 1300th) but he will need to shed the fever if he is going to school tomorrow.  So far so good though.  He seems like his old self.

The bad news is that the top shelf expert I went to about my eye has referred me to another top shelf expert in the area of my actual eye problem and this means a few more weeks of dealing with this.  Of course it has been over a YEAR now (that’s why the new docs) and at least I finally feel I am on the right track.  The next doc is a surgeon who specializes in the eye and is ALSO a plastic surgeon.  They are confident he can fix me, and if my insurance will cover it, I may just have a little work done.  We will see……

But for now I will post this blog and picture of Ben at the doctor’s office today.  We saw his favorite.  She is actually a PA, but we call her Dr. Kelly.  He had her cracking up, but the best part is that she has him in the road to recovery!

Thank God for that!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I have been home just about an hour.  My clothes are in the wash, and Scotty has so very graciously offered to put them in the dryer for me.  Ben asked me how my trip was, but that was apparently just to lure me into a deeply detailed recounting of the Spiderman movie he was watching.  Honestly I was very worried that he was going to pass out as he kept talking and talking.  I never saw any time for air to go back into him.

But of course that is what I know as “normal,” and I am glad to be back in the midst of it.  I am tired and miserable because my legs are killing me, but all I have tomorrow is a doctor appointment in the morning (an ophthalmologist)  I have been having problems with my right eye for over a year and this is a specialist among specialists.  My hope is that he can either fix it or take it out!  I am tired of it!

Now my eyes are certainly not what they used to be, but I do know that Ben went into my room quite some time ago and has not come out.  I also know the lights are off in there.  I see his plan and am prepared to live with it for the night.  He often invades my space, but I have been gone since Saturday and honestly it has been a bit weird as that no one talked any superhero stuff to me, jumped on me, or threw a Captain America shield at valuable stuff around me.  It bored me to tears.

THAT problem is solved.  Tomorrow we will see if the good doctor can solve the rest.

Goodnight from beautiful Edgewood, Indiana and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yep, I completed my certification training and now am a certified life coach.  Of course I intend to use this mainly in my role as the head of a Church and and also of a Holy Order, but I suppose if tons of you wanted to hire me at an astronomically obscene rate, then I could just donate money to make sure the Church and Order are well funded.  But I am guessing that a private practice in all of this is probably not going to happen.  My best advice is to donate to the Church and the Order anyway…..it will make you feel great and it will help us do our work as well.

But obviously this is not my first rodeo.  I am at my hotel for the night rather than trying to drive home through the mountains and snow in the dark.  I will be leaving in the morning, and as soon as I hear from Amanda I will commit to a time.  I am not looking forward to the drive, but I am looking forward to getting home.  My certification will probably not mean a lot to my wife….I am sure I will still be sleeping in the garage.

But who cares?  It will be MY GARAGE!  And that means I will be around all my stuff and this may surprise you, but there is a little less traffic and congestion in good old Edgewood, Indiana.  I LOVE where I live, and will be more than happy to return.

So keep me in your prayers tomorrow.  I am coming home…..and that I can certify!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Sometimes I get what others would call “writer’s block,” but for me it is hard to tell.  I write this blog primarily as therapy for myself post-stroke, and when things challenge me I often wonder if it they are just the normal old things or if they are connected somehow.

Well the Superbowl is over, and much to my chagrin, my beloved Chicago Bears did not win.  There of course is always next year, and I am going to send a letter to the Bears’ management tomorrow suggesting a different strategy for the future…….like playing well enough to actually make it to the Superbowl.

The big story, I mean other than the Giants’ win, was that Amanda and Scott were in attendance and had an absolute blast.  (Amanda sent me this picture) Amanda won the tickets in a drawing at her work (Eli Lilly) and they were actually in the Eli Lilly loge.  (Not a luge as I had previously stated, as Amanda does not like cold weather.) I could not go, as I am currently in Virginia for a certification class that was scheduled at this time.  And Scotty has been making the most of it.  He has tons of stories, but the best has been meeting Joe Montana and sharing how mad I was going to be that it was not me.  I used to watch him at Notre Dame.

But I did get to watch the game at the hotel, and while they were fighting traffic, I was in bed relaxing and typing this.  It really was a special time for both of them though, and I am so happy they had this opportunity.  It will be something that I am sure Scotty will remember forever.

Just like the time I missed meeting Joe Montana.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

What is it with all the deer that want to kill themselves?  Do they think that running out in front of my car as I am going 70 will make it any less of a suicide?  They either are REALLY depressed or MORONS, and I am betting on the latter.

Yes, today I almost wacked Bambi 3 different times, and I use the word “wacked” because I am the first generation of my family born outside of Brooklyn, New York.  Do you have a problem with that?  I though so.

But in all honesty, I would not mind helping these said deer out, if they would just help me.  I truly HATE my car, and would be more than willing to HAVE TO buy a new one.  But these deer are just not right, and as they DOVE in front of my car, I was certain that they were working for my wife, who was probably going to pay that Buck’s little Doe Widow an appropriate sum so they could both vacation in Cozumel.  Don’t try to fool me, I could see it in his eyes!

But as the kids say, “too bad so sad,” Mr. 10 Points is still prowling the woods and I am suffering immensely at my hotel….not!  And the bottom line is that we will both live to do something incredibly stupid another day!

Some things never change.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tommy+