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The toddler son returneth, but he sleepeth not……

Where in the world does he get his energy? Dear Lord, I do not know! Ben arrived (with his mommy) at the Indianapolis International Airport at 12:45, and after a short power nap in the car (about 10 minutes), he was up and remained up and active until he was put to bed FINALLY at 9:45. BUT, I can hear him screaming for someone to come get him even now, so I am pretty sure his awake and active streak is still alive.

But really I do not care. I am so happy to have them home. Scotty, Stephy and I have all felt it has been way too quiet around here (and clean)…..a situation he remedied within minutes of his return. It has been a delight to see our lives get back to normal almost instantaneously!

Anyway, the down-side is that I am exhausted and do need to call it a night. I have played and played all day, but clearly Ben has won every game. I have hardly talked to Amanda at all, but I will if she can get to me before I am unconscious. Unfortunately, I see that happening anytime!

Off to bed for me. Pray for me! Ben and I have a date all day tomorrow!!

Goodnight and God Bless!

Tom+

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The prodigal son, or at least the toddler son, returns……

Oh finally!!! The night before the return of Ben and Amanda! On the phone tonight we all commented about how weird this has all been. We are not used to the house being so silent. No one has been hit in the head with a toy, the TV has had shows on other than Veggietales, and more than anything, we are just desperately lonely for their return.

But tomorrow will come and we will rejoice. Steph has to work shortly after school, but was excited to know that Ben would be here for the short time she will be home. Scott will be home later, but is anxious to wrestle with his brother. Ben on the other hand, probably doesn’t know a thing. Last we heard he was on his grandma’s lap being read a Dr. Suess book. I am sure he is miserable without us (at least that is what I tell the kids). But in reality, he will be so excited to be with us all.

I am looking forward to 12:35! Amanda, I know is as well. We have a pretty great family, but we are really at our best when we are all together. I know we will all rejoice tomorrow when the noise level will once again go up and the toys will be everywhere. It may seem chaotic, but it’s our life and we enjoy its many blessings. Thanks be to God that tomorrow we will finally all be under one roof again!

I am going to bed so it gets here more quickly!! Goodnight and God Bless!

Tom+

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The end of a busy day…….

Today many members of St. Patrick’s in Noblesville joined us in Nashville at St. Matthew’s to get an idea of they type of facility we might be able to acquire up north. It was a great day. The people of each mission are so different, and it was great to give them a glimpse of the possibilities! And though there was no cake, there certainly was coffee and donuts as well a lunch…..as I said, it was a great day!

BUT, it was a long day! With all I had to do, I am just finishing up….just prior to 11. I did get to speak with Amanda and Ben, though I understood Ben better. I miss them both and Scotty and I got to talk to them on the phone. Steph, who has a boyfriend AND a life currently, was at the movies. She seemed disappointed to miss their call. We are just two days from their return, so we will just be patient.

I have to say though that I miss Ben running us ragged. I miss Amanda coming to bed talking about how exhausted she is. I miss having Ben as an excuse in order to watch Nickelodeon and Sponge Bob. And I know we all do! Though it is often chaotic, our house is best and blessed when we are all here.

Anyway, that’s it for tonight. I am beat and can go to bed without the expectation of being disturbed…..at least until Monday night. Tonight will be great, but I am looking forward to Monday more!

Good night my friends and God bless!

Tom+

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Being thankful for the important and right things……

It has been a stressful day. Amanda and Ben are still out of town, and this morning Steph (who was driving) and Scott got in an accident with two other cars on their way to school. A friend of theirs was also riding in the car, and although no one was hurt, as a parent it still weighs heavily on your heart. I am so very thankful they are all fine. A car we can fix.

But the stress and worry has me struggling to keep things straight! I have a gathering tomorrow to be at in Nashville in the morning at St. Matthew’s, but I am supposed to bring quite a few things with me, and in the fog I am wondering whether or not I will remember. Fortunately people are pretty forgiving and what I do forget, if indeed I do, I can go buy someplace down there.

With all of it though I need to say I must now go to bed. The posting times of these entries do not reflect the time or time zone I write them in. It is now 1:30 in the morning and I am leaving in 6 hours. Stress and too many things happening is never my friend, but I will not make it worse…..I will sign off and go try and sleep.

Thanks for checking in! Say a prayer of thanksgiving with me today! I hope you have had a blessed day!

Good night and God Bless!

Tom+

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Home Sweet Home, with qualifications…..

I am SO HAPPY to finally be home. The sad part is that Amanda and Ben are not here, but are in Kansas visiting Amanda’s mother. It disappoints me greatly to not be able to lay down on the floor and have him run and jump on me like he loves to. But I am going to wait on that until Monday, because Steph and Scott would not only jump at the chance, but it would probably hurt!

So anyway, it’s going to be the three Musketeers until Monday, but we will do our best to get by. I was originally worried that without Amanda here that Scott and I might not know when we were wrong, but apparently Steph is working for the darkside and will not just remind us of the rules, but certainly will tattle. She is on Amanda’s team and deeply devoted to Ben, but one day she will see that Ben is really on our team, and drawn to the ever rule-avoiding world of guy-dom! Scotty and I can hardly wait.

Anyway, my trip home, though slow, was good. My dad’s family is from Brooklyn, New York, but my mom’s side is from Ohio. So, as I often do when traveling through, I stopped at the cemeteries to visit the graves of my Great-Grandparents. It was a difficult time, because though I had been to both cemeteries often, the need to think in a linear fashion and handle confusion made itself well-known. The cemetery office was open in Urbana, and they were helpful in getting me to my grandfather’s parents. (I had actually buried my great grandma during Holy Week in 1998 at 103!!) But the office in Springfield was closed, and despite my “remembering” I could not find the graves. I intend however, to call before I go back.

I know many people believe visiting the cemetery is unnecessary, but it is important to me. Though I didn’t grow up knowing my grandma’s dad, I did know everyone else. They were all important to me too, and the parents of the most influential people in my life, my grandparents. I owe them all a lot and going to their graves is an important way for me to remember. I am glad I did…I am just sorry I was just 50% successful.

They say that home is where the heart is. I believe that to be true. I also know that cemeteries are just places……but I don’t worry, because I still hold all of them in my heart. Who you are and what you become is often a reflection of the people in your life, particularly those who love you. I am truly blessed, and I am glad I went.

Anyway, it is great to be home. Pray for my wife….I am sure she misses me terribly!!!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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Conferencing my brains out……..

Today has been an exhausting day. I have worked hard to pace myself, particularly since our conference today was loaded with some of the most influential Bishops in the Church. It was a blessed day! And the conference ended for the day with a service where the preacher was Bishop Bob Duncan, the Bishop of Pittsburgh. He has been the lead Bishop of most the reformation in the American Anglican Church for years, and he was recently charged, tried, and deposed by the Episcopal Church for “abandonment of the Communion.” What a farce! He, like me and many others run through the Kangaroo Court, all seem to be still hard at work for the Lord. I just thank God for brave leaders like him.

Tomorrow however is the final day, and after a 6 hour drive home, I hope to get my life back to normal! I have lots of work to do when I get there, but the very fact that my bed will be there waiting for me is kind of exciting! Hotels can be nice, but Dorothy was right, there really is no place like home. I look forward to getting there!

Anyway, I will sign off for now. Please keep me in your prayers as I travel tomorrow afternoon. I am looking forward to coming home!

Good night and God Bless.

Tom+

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Awakening? How can it be? I’m tired!

Today has been a long day, but overall a good one. The clergy of our district (that made up my first meeting here in Akron) are some of the finest people I know, and it is always uplifting to be around them. We are not just colleagues, but good friends. I truly feel blessed to spend time with them.

The second part (the part that now lasts until Thursday) is what is called the Anglican Awakening. It is a gathering of Anglicans from across many jurisdictions to talk about a variety of issues facing the Church as well as to worship with each other and pray for each other. It is an important gathering, particularly with the current ongoing Reformation taking place in the Anglican Communion. These are people on the front lines of this work, and it is exciting to be here.

It is, however, exhausting. I am just not used to sitting and listening that long, even when it is interesting! I am SO THANKFUL I was there after a good night’s sleep, but even with that it was trying. Pray that I will have more energy tomorrow….particularly in that it is a longer day! I would rather come back with a report of what went on, rather than having to report how many naps I had to take!

Anyway, I miss my family and of course the good people of Indiana, God’s FAVORITE STATE! I love Ohio, but I love home more…….and I am looking forward to being home very soon!

Goodnight my friends from the Home of the Akron Zips (really) and God Bless.

Fr. Tom+

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On being a compliant and easy-going guy………not!

I have a meeting tomorrow that begins at 10 am, and the interesting part is that it is in Akron, Ohio! My original plan was to leave with Father Sean at 3 in the morning and drive carefully through the night. Father Sean however is from Ohio, so he came up Sunday afternoon. And as Amanda and I thought about it, she was pretty uncomfortable with the idea of me driving all that way at that hour…..particularly alone. I did think I would be fine, which only led me deeper into the abyss. I apparently do not have the self-awareness I used to have, and though I protested, it just led to more conflict. I finally put my foot down and said I would be fine.

So anyway, it is just after 11 on Monday night and I am at the hotel in Akron writing this blog! I know which battles to fight and which ones not to. I will say, and I already told her, that after I unpacked, and checked into the room, I went back out to my car only to find the door wide open. Nothing was in it because I had taken it all out, but so much for having a handle on myself and what I am doing. Don’t get me wrong, I feel much better, but I still have quite a few blindspots. How do you walk away from a car you are looking at and leave a door wide open??? What a goof!

Oddly enough it brought back my conversation with Amanda from earlier this afternoon. It’s when I do too much that I get a bit confused and have trouble. Stress does it too. She wanted me to go so I would be worth something to myself and to others at these meetings. And she was and is right (but please do not tell her). Had I left at 3, I would have been a zombie and had a lot of trouble catching up, if I even could.

In fact, I am pretty sure my wife just loves me and is showing me concern. I can be a little stubborn (ha ha – can’t wait till she reads that!) but I usually end up listening sooner or later. In truth, I will enjoy getting a good night’s sleep and feeling sharp in the morning. It’s how the pre-stroke me would be regardless of the departure time, but the only way the post-stroke me will do well tomorrow.

Anyway, I hope and pray your day went well and that you have a peaceful night’s sleep! I know I will!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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Some ramblings on car repair……..

About a year ago, we sold my beloved SUV since gas prices (along with the amount I drove) were going way up, and we purchased an old 1998 Volvo for me to drive. It is not just far better on gas, but its value was already pretty low! There is really no amount of driving I can do to effect what we will get out of it in the end……it is probably heading from our house to Volvo-heaven! It is not the best looking car, nor is it the most comfortable I have ever had, BUT it runs and is reliable.

I am however spending a lot of time with it in terms of little things. Yesterday the brake lights had a short I needed to find and a panel of the dash had become loose (thank God for duct tape)! But as a guy who works in an environment where little is tangible, it is nice to be able to “fix” something. It reminds me of my younger days in high school where all my cars needed to be fixed, but now I repair for myself rather to try and impress some girl.

The Volvo and I will be heading to Ohio this week for a 3 day meeting, so I hope I have got it in shape. I don’t have OnStar, but I don’t want you to worry. After all, though a priest, I still am a guy……….the trunk not only has a small tool bag, but also a big roll of duct tape.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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Being the sweetest guy I can be……..

Today was Sweetest Day, which is a day that I have never understood. I do not remember it as a young man, yet despite that I did not let that stop me from making sure I got Amanda a card and flowers. It seems there is a day for about everything these days.

I found this to be true also in my ministry as a priest. Even though we walked through the Church calendar, there was also some type of theme to raise are awareness of something. We often got detoured into causes that I often felt a good Christian would probably be about anyway by engaging their faith. We are called to “love our neighbor as ourselves” and that makes for a big net!

You see, reflecting both who and whose we are is so very important in this life. It’s what gives life both purpose and meaning.

Anyway, it has been a long and fruitful day. I am happy however to see it end. Sweetest Day with a cute little baby around always puts me in second place. But I am just hedging my bet and doing my PR work……after all he goes to college in just 17 short years!

Keep the faith and God Bless!

Fr. Tom+