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Bravery in the face of vaccination…..

Today the boys and I met after school at the doctor to get some shots. I needed my second in the series of three Hepatitis B vaccines, and the boys needed a flu shot which I received a month ago (my first on ever).

It was a total set up too. We planned to get Ben his shot first because if he saw us get ours first he would be out of there. But he hopped up on the stool, and was just talking away when Scotty and I pinned his arms. As the shot went into his leg he screamed……but the very second it was out he stopped, picked out a band aid and a sucker and then started flirting with all the nurses back in that section of the office. He was a hit.
He apparently was not sore either. He refused an elevator ride and took the stairs instead. And on the way home he kept looking for his band aid on the wrong leg. Scotty and I are clearly more sore than he is, but of all the things we got today, the best was a lesson in bravery from Ben.
So tonight the picture is of Ben Tirman the Pumpkin-Shirted……the bravest Tirman of all!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Yeah baby…….

Although we really were not completely done until about 6:30, the counter tops are in and they look marvelous. I will repaint the kitchen tomorrow and then we are really within just a day or two of being completely done with the house. It looks great, and my only fear is she will want to stay here.

The nice part is that most of the hard work is done……good thing too, because Amanda leaves for Boston for two days tomorrow. Yep, the boys all alone in the house again for a few days! We will see, but right now I will confess I am just too tired to cause any trouble.
Anyway, I am exhausted and I am calling it a day. I have an early morning call tomorrow and will need my beauty sleep just to make it there in time!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Thank God for Scotty…..

This afternoon, Scotty and I took out our counter tops in anticipation of the new ones being installed tomorrow, saving our family approximately $750,000….at least we felt it should be worth that much. It was a very puzzling endeavor, particularly considering that we do a lot of different kinds of work, but we just couldn’t figure it out.

Oddly enough, it was Scotty who hit the counter and we discovered that it was only caulked on and not screwed. It was a quick job from there. It looks like the installers will have a clear path, and for that, we are both thankful.
I probably should say a little about the work to prepare our house for sale and for our hope to move. I apparently have caused a bit of an uproar by it.
Yes, we do hope to move, and we have been thinking about areas. NO….I am not leaving my job though, which is where apparently the anxiety is….okay, maybe it is rejoicing, I should really find out, but we just intend to move from where we are to somewhere else, and have had that on our radar for quite some time.
You see, I am really never in one place for more than two Sundays in a row and travel often. Amanda works for Lilly, and to be honest, without a readily accessible Interstate, it takes a long time to get to work. We have been waiting for Scott to graduate, and he will (we think) in May. The time to get busy therefore is now.
And we are ready to POUNCE! If we find what we want we will make an offer. Our house will be ready to list by Saturday, and we will go from there. For parishioners who are praying for us to move….sorry!! We are in for the long-haul! hahahahaha!
Goodnight and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Living in the midst of disappointment…..

I had the opportunity to watch my beloved Chicago Bears play this afternoon at home against the Washington Redskins. It was truly an amazing game, and one which I had to get close to the TV to make sure it really wasn’t the Cubs playing instead.

I mean, even CLEVELAND WON today. All we could seem to do was get out quarterback sacked every other play through the first half, and then the completions we made to guys wearing Washington Redskins jerseys and the fumbles almost put me over the top. Generally I watch the Bears and the Cubs (and even Notre Dame) to relax……I have to say, it is not working this year.
I have no delusions that I could do better. And as a former athlete and now a coach, I know I have had (and have) my share of people shaking their heads at me occasionally. It really is all part of playing…..sometimes you have it and sometimes you don’t…..and sometimes you REALLY DON’T. It seems as if the year is getting longer, and thank God I didn’t like all that science in school because now in my ignorance I can say that it is longer!
But sports have taught me some important lessons in life. I have learned many lessons on important topics such as competition, being a better player, mistakes, and recovering from mistakes too. Mental attitude, especially in trying times, and the concept of loyalty have all been monumental as well.
The last two I will hold onto today. I love the teams I have loved all my life, not because of who they are on any given day, but for what they have always been to me…..my team.
It is going to be a rough year apparently, and of course the science people (I think my wife the microbiologist calls them “scientists”) are saying that this year is definitely one of the longest on record. But I will still be there rooting them on…….I am what I am, but a true fan through and though.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Da surprise…….

Amanda left to meet a friend this morning, Scott was sleeping (along with Viper and the cat) and Ben was stalking me in every single solitary bit of personal space I had when there was a knock on the door. We ran to open it only to have Stephanie say, “Hi daddy!” What a surprise! She and her friend Lindsey had come into town to see friends and to visit. AND….she wanted it to be a surprise, which it was.

And of course I had to write about it this evening! And of course you can see how very excited they were to be the subjects of my blog tonight. And of course you can tell I didn’t really care, because I took their picture at the Bob Evans anyway. Two young attractive girls who cover their faces in public! I probably shouldn’t have shouted, “okay girls look at the camera…gitchy gitchy goo!” But I am a dad, and what do I know.
But as quick as they came, they left. Tonight their reunion tour heads up to Wabash (it was at Butler last night apparently) and will break up sometime tomorrow. It was just great to see them.
Of course now I am behind. I have everything out of the way tomorrow but for a sermon. But I have to say, it was well worth it. I miss my kids when they are gone, or when I am gone. And it is always a blessing to get to spend time with them!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Of tea, bigotry, patriots, and faithfulness….

A few weeks ago I was sitting in a lab waiting to get my blood drawn when a news story about the Tea Party was shown on the TV in the waiting room. A young woman seated across from me, there were only two of us, rolled her eyes in disgust.

Of course not wanting to let that go by unnoticed I asked her, “I guess you’re not a member of the Tea Party?” It clearly took her aback, so I leaned in waiting. She uncomfortably giggled, “Well I guess I am just a member of the coffee party. I just can’t stand the Tea Party.”
Lucky for her she was called back, because I was prepared to ask more…..for I was fairly certain she was just spewing what she had heard, and behind it there was not a lot of substance.
Why did this bother me so? Well for one, the Tea Party is a reference to the Boston Tea Party, where patriots dumped tons of tea into Boston Harbor in protest of the government at the time. Yep, guys like Paul Revere and Sam Adams were involved too….and before revisionist history, I was taught that this was a good thing.
So now patriotic Americans, sick of the policies of what they feel to be a government gone awry, gather together to try and make a difference……and they are.
What is happening is astounding to me. People who feel threatened by these people exercising their basic rights as Americans now label them “bigots” and “racists”. They impugn their character, and question their intellect. And quite honestly, it is a shameful and cowardly act, and does more to erode the values of this country than anything I have seen in my lifetime.
And it strikes a nerve with me, because of where I have been. I was a member of the Episcopal Church the majority of my life. I was a member of its clergy for 18 years. I read the Bible, I prayed and I stood for what I believed. I didn’t take a parish out, I retired…..but did so with my dignity and integrity.
But because I was a conservative, I was also labeled a “bigot” (I am not), a “racist” (which I could never understand), “intolerant” (because I would not believe that “anything goes”), and a “homophobe” (which actually means fearful of homosexuals, I am not, when I expressed a belief in the Church’s traditional teachings on the subject). All my life I was told to stand up for what I believed, but when what I believed threatened the power of those in control, things became too much. I retired without fanfare, and went to work for what I believed. Ironically, I was still charged and tried by a church that while espousing “tolerance” just could not stand anyone like me.
Bigotry? Hatred? You bet my friends…..it’s all around us. The question is just who is selling it. They are all in my prayers.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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MAC the strife……..

I am trying to just get a grip on all the stuff that piles up when you can’t seem to get to it in time. Sometimes those things pile up because you cannot get to them, at other times they pile up because you make some changes and the learning curve puts you behind……for me, both are true.

First of all, a few months back I switched from a PC to a MAC. I understood the PC, but oddly enough it was always bogging down. The MAC I do not understand. What I can say though is that it rarely bogs down, and ultimately it will be a good thing…….I am just not too sure when ultimately is.
Then of course I switched from a Blackberry (which I again, understood) to an Android. Same issues. Now however, neither my MAC or my phone sync correctly with each other, and although I have tried, all it seems to do it copy contacts over and over on my phone. Of course this is far better than deleting contacts. I mean now if I need to call a particular hospital I have its number there in my address book 20 times. But I secretly feel like an idiot and I just need one of everything and SIMPLICITY…..which is what I was going for in the first place.
I know MAC has what they call the genius bar, but I was too cheap to get that at the start and oddly enough felt smart enough to figure it out. I have not only now seen the error of my ways, but also am coming to grips with my limitations. I may need to just belly up to the (genius) bar as they say and down a few with my humble pie.
But for now I will just call it a day. I might first however call the Bishop……..I just need to decided which of his 20 numbers to call.
Goodnight and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Hey…..that’s NOT funny!

Well I had written a pretty sharp post on humor tonight and had even built my thesis around one of two inspirational cartoons I have had in my office for many years, both from cartoonist Gary Larson. But in researching things, apparently they are not fond of people using their cartoons without copyright, and rather than risk anything, I decided to just hit the old delete button. So what WAS funny, is not longer funny anymore.
But I am not going to let that get me down, because as long as I remember, I have been a very funny guy. Of course now that I have had a stroke, I really cannot remember too much past this morning, so I will just have to go off the memory of friends.
I do know in 1999 I was voted the funniest priest in my entire family. It was an honor and a title that I still hold……hands down. And professionally, I used to begin every sermon with a joke, a practice I seem to have forgotten, but one I would like to restart. Any why? Because I love, and I believe people love, to laugh.
So tonight, now that I have technically posted twice, I will just laugh my tired self to bed. There’s not a whole lot you can do about it, but you do want to always do the right thing…….and there’s truly nothing funny about that.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Nothing of any importance…..

Wow…..walking around the house with carpet under our feet is pretty awesome. And, if I live through the night, I get to begin taking the aspirin again, which may not seem like much to you, but it is really the only preventative med I take post-stroke. I have been off it for 12 days!

So really tomorrow just gets things back to normal, and I couldn’t be happier. The house is looking great, Superman is putting on a show for me tonight, and before 9pm I feel confident that I will be asleep by 10! Of course as a young man I would just be beginning my evening, or at least deciding what I might be doing. And to be very honest, tonight I am not a young man any longer! Sleep is what I desire tonight!!
So with that I will just bid you goodnight. Sometimes you just have to know when to hit the hay….now is the time!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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What Lassie??…..Superman has fallen into the well…….???

I am a bit out of sorts today, having spent much of the day at the doctor’s (a specialist). He told me to take it easy for the next few days, which made me laugh because I live with a three year old (currently dressed as Superman) and such advise is nearly impossible. What I can say was that my uncontrollable laughter made me clearly happy he was not a psychiatrist…….I’d probably then be resting in the unit!

But I am doing my best to honor his directions. Of course that meant that I would get the call this afternoon, which I did…..the carpet installers will be here first thing in the morning. Timing doesn’t appear to be going my way. I will get through it though.
But my rest is ending right now because Superman is now in trouble with his mom who is frantically painting the baseboards before the carpet……something I had hoped to have accomplished yesterday. And Superman has been running around rather than staying in bed here with me watching the TV. I have never heard of anyone saving Superman, but tonight it happens here. The cool part is that it will be something else I am sure I can add to my resume!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+