Category Archives: Uncategorized

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Eskimo Sports……

Tonight we braved the weather to watch Scotty’s game, and no one was really prepared for how cold it would be. I love Hare Chevrolet Field, but as the sun goes down the home bleachers become shaded, and as the wind kicks up and whips through you get the feeling that you are sitting in front of the blower in your freezer.

Of course I hail from an area that must be the freezer part of God’s very own icebox, Northern Indiana (always capitalized for respect). It is hallowed ground, yet you will have to take my word for it because for about 90% of the year it feels like it is covered with snow. But it is God’s Country, the home of Notre Dame, Polkas (also always capitalized – see above), and the south-side of the Great Barrier Reef (of snow) which ends in Plymouth, Indiana but runs north to the Pole.
My dad came and could not stay through the warm-up, which wasn’t warm at all. And the team we played was from South Bend (the NORTH), so the conditions for them were ideal. And they were in great shape too, since their normal footwear for games are mainly snow boots, so cleats made them faster.
And ironically, our season opener takes place up north tomorrow. We play two in Elkhart (V and JV) and one in South Bend (V only) against a team from Illinois (home of high taxes and government officials they either pass onto the nation too readily or send to trial). So tomorrow will be an interesting day.
At least I know what I am getting into. And I may be the only one from our school wearing the proper cleats.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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TO DANG OLD…..

Oh sure, I wanted to watch the Butler v. Wisconsin game tonight, but I just did not have it in me. It has been a tremendously stressful day for me, and one so stressful that I absolutely BLEW my diet tonight as I was unsupervised downstairs. It has been a disaster, yet I am hopeful for two things.

First and foremost, I am hopeful that Butler plays well tonight and moves into the Elite Eight. But more than that, I hope I can get a grip on my life tomorrow and get back on the right path. Stress is a killer with my name on it, and lately it has been killing me. I just pray that tomorrow will be a better day and I can move forward. We will see.
But for now I need to head to bed. The game is on, yet I am not going to make it. I will just have to find it all out in the morning.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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I just can’t win……

Ben and I had a conversation today. I am going to get my haircut either before practice tomorrow or on Friday, but I asked Ben if he wanted to get his cut with me. On no, it would not be his first haircut. He had that done at Cookie Cutters, where he sat in a race car and was treated like a king…..but his hair looked like it was done with a weed whacker and poorly.

But three year olds really do not care how they look, and that was clear by his insistence on heading to Cookie Cutters again. I suppose that a guy who gets haircuts a little shorter than a Marine’s high and tight, probably cannot comment on hairstyles, but it really, at least mine looks awesome!
But I know when I am defeated. He will not go with me and I know it, and when I told Amanda about it tonight, off she went to cut his hair herself….the product you see in the picture. Chuck and Tony, my barbers, are clearly (at least) third. I will break it to them AFTER my haircut tomorrow. At least Scotty still goes there.
Off to bed…shaggy head and all.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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He wins……

I have attempted in attempted in every way to coax Ben into going to sleep in his own bed tonight and to take Viper for a walk, but Viper is being held captive in Ben’s room, and I have now given up. Three is a tough age, and not because they have trouble with it either……three year olds are stubborn. I am SURE Viper wanted to walk. And although Ben was okay with it, his demand was that he go along….but not at 10 o’clock at night,

So the dog is in bed, along with a toddler who is technically there, yet technically not. Of course Viper never minds sleeping anywhere…..he does so about 23 hours every day. But I really wanted to walk, and although I suppose I could alone, somehow it would feel like betrayal. Of course I probably would need to wake him up to share I had betrayed him, but it’s really all about my conscious and not his.
But the truth is I am in bed, with no dog, no walk, no exercise, and I am not happy about it. Yep, Ben wins…he has out maneuvered me again. I am not sitting at the feet of the master, I am raising him. I will get some rest and hope to keep up with him tomorrow!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless.
Tommy+
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Dreaming of no construction…….

It doesn’t hardly seem possible, but barring any disaster, I might just be able to have my office finished tomorrow. Of course I am anticipating disaster because this project has had more delays and budget overruns that a government contract…..but I can dream.

And speaking of dreaming, just why is it that I am dreaming about work every night? I like to be productive, but not nearly THAT productive. And when you dream like that you go to bed tired, only to work all night in your dreams, and then wake up tired too….only to really work. It’s like a crazy carnival ride I cannot get off.
But in all honesty it could be worse. Lot’s of people have scary dreams, and those for me are few and far in between. Of course I am hoping to wake up soon and find ALL THIS a dream, so my office never really did need that work and I can just move on with no construction……but stuff like that never happens to me. I am pretty sure I am still going to be at it in between all the stuff I need to do in the morning.
It’s just too bad I know how to do all those things……if I didn’t I could just be watching a contractor.
Off to bed!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Of Family, of Ordinations, and of Friends……

Today has been quite the day, but I should mention that the whole story takes its roots into late last night.

You see, last night at about 10:15, my Uncle Al came over with my dad and Debby to visit. He and my dad were heading back to New York today for a funeral. Al had come up from Tennessee, and they planned to drive today….they however wanted to see Stephanie.
So we all were here talking and laughing till pretty late. Al is now the Patriarch of our family, and it is always a joy to see him. And one of the greatest joys I had was when Debby mentioned if I had yet met Carl Erskine, who lives here and I said no, but I have an autographed copy of his book. I went and got it and brought it down and gave it to Al and my dad. They LOVED it, not just because they were baseball fans, but because they could identify a ton of the pictures. I am sure they will read it and chat baseball all the way to New York and back.
But the late night made way for an early morning. I woke up early to drive to Kentucky to attend the ordination of my friend Jon Back to the diaconate this morning. It was an AWESOME service, but more than that, it was at St. Barnabas Church.
St. Barnabas actually might not have happened had I not had a stroke. The weekend before Amanda and I (as well as St. Michael the Archangel) hosted a young priest named Chris Peterson at our home. He wanted to move to Indiana, and he was a top notch guy.
The day after he left to return to Minnesota our lives turned drastically here. It was April 2008, and I was not back until June. I am pretty sure I didn’t contact him, nor did I do much of anything well. I do remember he wanted to move here. And he is an awesome priest. I will feel badly about that forever.
And I met his wife today too. I wanted to say, “I AM SO SORRY,” but in truth, I didn’t need to. I was amazed by what they have done and are doing there, and although I am sure he would have done well here too, perhaps God had other plans. His people love him. Jon is so blessed to be under him, and what those two will do together I can only imagine. I do not think God gave me the stroke, but it seems to be a sure and certain coincidence for me to not screw up the impressive work those two guys are doing in Covington, Kentucky.
In one of my favorite movies, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” everyone pitches in to save the Bailey Building and Loan. St. Barnabas doesn’t need saving, but they could use your support. Visit them at www.KentuckyAnglican.com and get their address and send them a donation. I know I am going to.
These guys are dedicated to the Gospel, and more than that, they are my friends. Check them out, and if you are ever in the greater Cincinnati area check them out. They are truly the real thing.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Bulldog blessings a close second to my day……

If you read my blog yesterday….something else came up. At 12:45AM our phone rang and it was Stephanie. Nothing panics you like your daughter, who goes to college in MISSOURI, calling you at that hour. But when Amanda asked, “is everything alright,” Steph answered, “yes, is the alarm on?”

That’s right, Steph and her friend Cassie showed up to surprise us, and it was a surprise indeed! And the day has been filled with laughing and hanging out, although not much by me. I worked all day out of town, and tonight I said my goodbyes. Tomorrow morning I will head to Kentucky and will not get to see her till we head out to see a game of hers in April. My job is often like that, and my luck (if I believed in luck) is always like that. But I did get to see her and Cassie and it was fun while I could…..everyone else is having a marvelous time.
AND…….tonight my beloved BUTLER BULLDOGS knocked off another top seed to reach the Sweet 16. (That’s right I graduated from Butler in 84, for those of you who thought I just bought my degree) But in all the busyness, I was only able to watch the last 7 minutes of the game…..the best part. I was quite thankful for that.
But for now it is off to bed. I would post a big Bulldog picture, but I like this one of Ben and Steph tonight instead. It has been a long and busy day, but parts of it have been so very meaningful. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to be here today!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Treading, treading, and more treading……with a porpoise

I have gone all day today, and it feels as if the whole day has been just treading water. Not that it has been a bad thing, because the water today has not be at all treacherous, whereas at other times it can be filled with sharks.

But it took me back to training as a life guard as a teenager. No I never finished the training, as my ears make it impossible to do the swim under the victim and rescue from behind technique…..no not because my ears are that big, but because my eardrums are very weak and prone to blow a hole with very little pressure. The move was excruciating to perform and it took me days to heal. But I decided that if as a life guard I would have to ponder if I liked the person needing help well enough to endure the pain of rescue, that I probably shouldn’t do it. I still cannot dive underwater without risking things, but would if I needed to…..but once again, I digress.
But what I remembered was how when we tread water it is important to pace oneself, and conserve energy, because you never know how long it will last. And today has been a day where that concept has been important. My office is still not quite done, although things are making their way into the repaired closet. But I decided to stain my desk and file cabinet which has now made treading more of a necessity.
But the good news is that I will be hopefully done with it tomorrow evening, lest something else comes up.
If it does, let’s just pray it isn’t a shark.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Of things Irish…….

My hometown is a place called Mishawaka, Indiana. Not too many people have heard of it, not because it isn’t the coolest place in the world, but because the most famous person to ever come from there was Robbie Madacowski, the inventor of dental appliances for dairy cows.

But right next to Mishawka is its much more famous twin city, South Bend, Indiana…..home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. I am actually from where I am from because my dad came from Brooklyn, New York (before it went gangsta…ridiculous) to Notre Dame to go to college. (Yep, I am the first generation born outside of Brooklyn….which probably explains a lot). BUT my point is that today when I was growing up was a MAJOR HOLIDAY….much like Dyngus Day!
And yes, although most of us were not from anything even near to Irish ancestry, EVERYONE who lived there was Irish. Or at least that’s what we were told. You just didn’t see too much other than Notre Dame anywhere. And although people from Indiana are often called Hoosiers, to us a Hoosier was someone who went to Indiana University. We bled green beer.
But in my infinite wisdom, when it came time to go to college, I decided to leave home and not go there. In retrospect it was a mistake. I didn’t even apply…..and that was back in the day when I probably could have gotten in. (my pre-end my sentences in preposition days). So now I am Irish, but only by my geographical heritage and sports loyalty.
But today I am thinking of things Irish, but today it is of my longtime close friend Kelly Irish, who I went to seminary with back in the Dark Ages. He lives in Ohio (an Ohio State fan, though he is technically an Akron ZIP – a side note, U of A’s motto “It’s never sunny here” was changed in 1996 to attract students who were not depressed…but I digress) Kelly is in a pastors’ group in his community that decided to go to Africa together and do ministry for 10 days. And this morning I spoke to him as he was at Dulles Airport (motto – “we make your delays seem much longer”) awaiting his 13 hour flight on Ethiopia Airlines.
He actually was pretty amazed that he was going, and frankly so was I. But tonight as I reflect upon all the things one could do on St. Patrick’s Day, heading off to help other people is something I believe Patrick himself would endorse.
So keep Kelly in your prayers as well as the pastoral team and the people they will be working with. It is a BIG step of faith and I admire him for it. He will be a blessing there, as he has been to me. And tonight I am thankful for his example of faithfulness in my life.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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A WHOMPIN start…….

Not that I have not mentioned this before, but as the Women’s Head Lacrosse Coach for the high school, I am usually busy and not able to see any men’s games, but it is early in the season (the first game) and tonight I was able to see a special one.

Why was it special? Well, first of all it was my son Scotty’s first game as the starting varsity goalie. He stepped into playing goal, sort of as a joke with the Assistant Coach last year. The JV goalie was hurt and wanted to move to another position, and Scott mouthed off that he was a baseball catcher for many years and could step in for the practice…..he has never stepped out. He played the full year as the JV goalie and the heir of the position on Varsity this year.
So tonight was beginning of his season on Varsity as the goalie…..but it was more than that. I have coached my team for four years, this is my fifth….the first was as the Assistant, the last three as the Head Coach. The Assistant on the men’s team has been Coach Andy McIntyre, or Coach Mac (to me Mac). And he was the coach who goaded Scott into the goal. Tonight was his first game at the helm as Head Coach…..so it was the start of an era for sure.
And what a start it was. Park Tudor is no opossum. And Mac and the boys handled them soundly, beating them 13-5. Scotty was a rockstar, but as I tell the girls, it’s a TEAM SPORT. And tonight Andy’s team showed amazing poise, discipline, and execution. I made sure I stuck around to shake his hand after that first big win.
Both of us have high pressure positions….it takes a lot to be a high school coach. But he is a good one. As a coach myself, I try to just watch, but we all get too involved. I however understand the pressures of the job. This was his showcase of what is to come…..it was an awesome start.
Andy (Mac) has actually coached, not for me, but in place of me one time. When I had my stroke, he and another Assistant Coach, Michael Treinen came over to take my first game. It showed a lot of character, and so did taking the team from the first NHS Head Coach and moving it forward. Great win Mac and congrats! The best I am sure is yet to come.
I would have taken a picture of Scott in goal if my cell phone camera could get close enough, so I had to settle for a picture of my dad, Amanda, and Ben in the stands. Scott’s girlfriend was with us, but seemed to always switch sides to the goal he was defending…..he best pay attention too….
Why? She is my starting center!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+