I went to pick my wife up at the airport from her surprise trip to my mother-in-law’s retirement celebration (yes she flew there yesterday and home today) and although I THOUGHT I was taking Ben with me, it turns out that I took BATMAN.

Yes, just out of our driveway I looked into the backseat and saw the Dark Knight riding in my very car in a booster seat.  The Dark Knight never smiles and is the most serious of all the superheroes that live at our house (and there are many).  And he not only went to the airport, but he went INTO the airport as well.

It was amazing at how many people recognized him too.  I suppose most don’t get to see Batman everyday like I do, so there was a lot of excitement there.  People shouted “Hey Batman” and “look, it’s Batman,” but Batman just took it in stride.

I just hope there were no bad guys there, because when he saw my wife he yelled, “Mommy,” and even posed for this picture with her.  Bad guys just might get the impression he is my son, and his secret identity could be compromised.  Fortunately, when Batman is around, most bad guys take off.

So the good news is that all is well and even Batman has something to smile about…….but not in his mask of course.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Well, today is a big day.  Today my mother-in-law is retiring from her job as a librarian at the Topeka Public Library.  It is a big thing and I dropped my wife off at the airport, very early, this morning so she could surprise her.  As it turned out, miscommunication with Amanda and her sister Rhonda made this less of a surprise than it was intended to be, and that surprises me, as I have never ever heard of siblings not communicating clearly with each other!  The good part is that Amanda was there for the big day!

And retiring is a BIG THING, as it is something I think about close to every 15 minutes.  Okay, I will confess that this is just a fabrication in order to be funny…….I actually think about it every 10 minutes.  BUT, I was reading on the computer tonight that IF I retire at 62 my Social Security will be at 75% for life.  If I retire at 65 it will be at 100%.  BUT….if I retire at 70 it will be at 132%.  So my bet is to head for 70.  Ben will be about 10 then and Amanda close to 30.  And getting close to $100 a month for the six or seven months I may live seems well worth it.

Of course retirement is probably not in my future.  I can at some point give up being paid, but I cannot imagine not functioning as a priest, albeit a very old one.  But those old ones are always the coolest.  They tell all the stories over and over again, and complain about how today is nothing like the “good ole days.” And I agree!  I hope to be one of them forever and live to be a long time burden to my family.

As for my mother-in-law, I really hope she retires here.  She would be fun to have around, and there is no better work than to hang with grand kids in those retirement years.

But what do I know?  I will work forever!  Or at least that’s the plan until some grand kids come my way!!

Scotty is out doing something, Steph won her game which I listened to the broadcast of, and Amanda will be home tomorrow.  As for Ben, he is here, and yes, he is still just Ben.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yep, today’s picture is from our lunch.  Ben and I went to the Edge, and he was able to sit in the Reynold’s Farm Equipment race car that was in the only place at the Edge we were allowed in under 21.  It seemed to be a good choice too.  He loved the race car.

But lunch was just the break in a busy day.  I am happy to say it is over, but tomorrow will start soon enough.  Tomorrow however, there will be no race cars…..just school for Ben, and work for me……not quite the day we had today.

The good parts are that the basement is almost done, all the taxes are done and filed, and the big tree branch is no longer looming, but cut up and ready to burn, thanks to Scotty helping me out!

So it is off to bed for me, as I am putting this one in the books!!  I hope your day was as productive as mine!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Currently, my whole life is in a bit of disarray.  The plumbers are gone, but they are coming back SOON, as I have all but completed the new bathroom in the basement, minus their final part.  But my basement is a mess still, my garage is full of stuff I have been using to complete all this, my knee is close to qualifying me for handicap parking, and this morning as I was in the process of FILING my taxes, the Turbo Tax site went to some sort of “maintenance” mode, and by the time it was done, my taxes (OUR TAXES) disappeared.  Needless to say, today has not been stressful at all!!!

Well I would like to say that my knee is better, but that would be a bit of a fabrication.  I did buy a brace, as I could not find the 150 others that I am sure my two older kids have commandeered for their injuries over the course of their sport’s careers.  But this one will do, and if I am able to find a stationary bike over the next day or two, perhaps I can get back to the land of the, at least, limping like 50…..

The good news is that it is not any worse.  As I stopped at the “Play It Again Sports,” the helpful young clerk (female) asked me, “Don’t you think you ought to go to the doctor?”  I of course shared my philosophy that he would indeed just find something wrong with you (they all do), so I wanted to just get a stationary bike instead.  After all, if I need surgery or not, they put you on one of them anyway.  It’s a standard part of therapy (physical).  So I intend to give it a shot myself.

So……so far so good…..both legs still appear to be attached!  But keep me in your prayers!!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Well my intention was to spend much of this week catching up on things I have neglected through Lent, and one of those things was to finish our bathroom downstairs.  It is now just a little after 9 on Monday night and I accomplished A LOT…..unfortunately, one of those things has been to injure my knee.  It is as big as a baseball right now, and that is after going down!  My hope is some sleep will get it back to the right size and a new start tomorrow.

The good news is that I may be ready to paint tomorrow, that is if I am given the colors.  Sure, I am trusted with everything else other than how it will be finished.  My hope is to get that far so I can trim it out and have the plumbers back out at the end of the week.

But for now, me and my icky knee are off to bed.  I will confess that it is my “good” knee, as the other one was rebuilt in 1995.  The picture shows my rebuilt one a few years back!!  But I will still call it good, especially as I intend for it to cooperate tomorrow!!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I once again am posting at the END of a long day upon which the beginning may have been more appropriate, but Happy Easter to all of you!  I had the great blessing of celebrating at three different churches today, and was blessed by them all.

In addition to that, I was able to be with Ben and Amanda for all three, Scott for two, and was able to speak with Steph on the phone who actually had GAMES on Good Friday AND Easter.  Fortunately they won them both handily!  So it was a pretty good day, even though it would have been better to have Steph here with us.

My odd moments came throughout the day when I thought about calling my grandma or visiting my mom.  It surprised me at how often I thought about that too.  I wondered if I felt this way at Christmas, and I suppose I can look back to find out, but it (having them both gone) is just a hard thing to get used to.  I wondered if my inability to get this right might have something to do with my brain, but I suppose it does not matter as it is what it is, and honestly, it is what it will be as well.  My comfort was knowing that the Easter Miracle makes it easier to know that in the end it is all okay.  I still think however, this is going to take me some getting used to!

But as I hear my bed calling, let me say Happy Easter to all once more.  What a great day!  I am so thankful for it, and all that it means to me in my life!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I have to admit, today was one long day.  I normally do not do too much on Holy Saturday other than to contemplate the happenings of Holy Week and to prepare for Easter Sunday.  In the beginning of my ministry I would do Easter Vigils on Saturday, but they gave way to VERY early ones on Sunday mornings, so that the Vigil would end with the sunrise and we would celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter as the sun came up.  Vigils were often times for baptisms, but even that gave way to doing them in the main Easter Day service.  (I figured if I had so many people who only came twice a year that I might as well keep them a little longer)

Today however, Father PT, Deacon Kim, and I went up to some ordinations in Fort Wayne.  One deacon and one priest were ordained and they both are great guys.  It was a real blessing.  But with all the stuff I have been doing, I got a bit behind with all I had to do.  I do believe, now at 10:30, that I am caught up……but only tomorrow morning will tell.

But for tonight, my prayers go out for all of you.  There are good churches open tomorrow all around you with good people waiting to walk with you in faith.

Tomorrow we celebrate the biggest victory of all!  Come celebrate it with us and join us tomorrow in Church!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, I know.  I should really post my Good Friday blog post at the beginning of the day rather than at the end, but I generally do this each day at the same time with very little exception, so at the end it is.

Although we had services everywhere, I attended the one we had in Nashville.  We were short on cassocks, and I really just wanted to be a part, so I told Father Dan I would just be a participant, rather than help to lead the service.  It was the Stations of the Cross, and he did a marvelous job, and I enjoyed just responding rather than leading, as it was a great opportunity for me to reflect.  It was a blessing to me for certain.

Good Friday is important to me as I am a firm believer that in celebrating it, although the imagery of the Crucifixion (particularly since it takes place for each of us) is often difficult, it makes the celebration of Easter far more meaningful.

Yes, Jesus died this day on that Cross for both you and me.  He thought of us both there.

Contemplate this day His Sacrifice for you, and allow it to transform your experience of Easter this Sunday in Church!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I am an ice hockey player by experience, so my illustrations sometimes may be a bit off….but with today being Maundy Thursday, I think it means we are now in the “stretch” in terms of Holy Week.  I am not too sure if I have the right rems, but I know from this point on it is pretty much a dash to the end….with meaning of course.

But tonight Father PT and I had the opportunity to see Father Robert celebrate his very first Maundy Thursday service.  I did the sermon click here to get our sermons and Father Robert did everything else.  It was pretty great to be a part!  And for me in particular, it was a great way to start these very important days.  It was a real blessing to see a new priest doing such an important service!

But now I am home and my thoughts have shifted to Good Friday……tomorrow.  I will celebrate it tomorrow in Nashville, but we will be offering services everywhere.  It is one of the most solemn and important days of the Church Year, and my hope and prayer is that you get to church wherever you are.

Now however, I must call it a day.  Working through these days can be a distraction, and I will need my rest to fully engage.  My prayers however are with you Dear Reader.

Blessings to you as we continue to journey toward Easter.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+