All posts by Fr Tom Tirman

Uncategorized

Paneraville…….

Leave a comment

My family…..you’ve got to love them. We met at two today at a local Panera, commandeered about four tables (that is 28 in dog tables), and enjoyed an abbreviated Tirman birthday celebration together. It was a fine time, and we were glad to take part.

But I am happy to be home because I have a lot to do. I will be doing two services tomorrow morning (sure, not as many as SAINT – Father PT Morgan who frequently does THREE! Seriously, just ask him…..well you really don’t need to. He tells EVERYBODY!) and then I will head to the airport for a trip to Washington DC for some training. So there is a sermon, some bulletins, some laundry, and some packing to do. If I just had some writers, a secretary and a maid or butler! THEN I would be done!
But alas, I will just make do with what I have handy……my broken down mind, my old printer/copier, and this broken down body! It doesn’t sound glamorous, but at least it is familiar!
Not bad for a guy almost 50!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
Uncategorized

Happy Birthday Dad……..

Leave a comment

Yep, it’s true. And although I do not remember exactly, my dad either turned 316 today or he is 75 today…….it may be 316.

But in honor of his birthday I gave him a call (since I will see him tomorrow) and in honor of his birthday it was from my car as I was taking his grandson (Scott) to the ER to get a few stitches in his hand. He cut himself real good on a piece of slate as we were moving some things around our shed. But the cut, although deep, was pretty clean. Three stitches (one for each century dad) and then a band-aid for the 16 additional years. It was Scott’s gift to us both….seeing as he is aging me faster than I can stand.
But tomorrow we will be meeting for our annual birthday meet and exchange lunch/dinner. This year it will be a late lunch. With all the birthdays we have (Amanda 5/28, Dad 6/3, Scott 6/16, ME 6/19, Father’s Day 6/19, Ben 6/30) it is better for our diets to not eat that much cake! So tomorrow it will be Panera, turkey sandwiches, fat-free soup, and everything I want BUT CAKE.
So Happy Birthday Dad! It really IS 75, and I know it. Of course we hit all the BIG birthdays together……I will not harass you about 75, because it is a BIG ONE. Dear Lord, most people don’t live that long. But since I am just 16 days shy of 50 I will keep my mouth shut about how old you are……lest that sweet revenge rears its ugly head.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+ (still in my 40’s)
Uncategorized

At the mercy of the feet of the master……

Leave a comment

He looks so sweet when he sleeps……right!!! He is tricking you!

Scott and Ben share a room, actually they share two rooms and a bathroom in between. What they decided to do was to put both their beds in one and a couch, and a TV, (and a bunch of toys) in the other. They call it their suite (or better described “sweet”).

It’s a pretty great arrangement and would always be if it were not for Ben. At almost 4, Ben is a constant invader of privacy. And thus is the case most mornings when someone wakes up with him in their bed. Our door is always unlocked so he sneaks into our room often, but Scott’s bed is within just a few feet, so he is an easy mark.
And it really would not be so bad if he, as the littlest Tirman, didn’t take up as much room as, let me say, a room full of Tirmans. He has to keep his feet warm, and he will jam them underneath anyone he chooses. He also bring his toys, his blankies, and anything else he sees fit to bring (and at any hour) but it all becomes very crowded with him and all his possessions.
So this morning I was relieved to see that he had chosen his brother. (Steph and Cassie keep their door locked – Ben proofed). And quite honestly I think we may be onto something as I heard Scott ask him, “When did you sneak in here?”
I am hopeful that this could turn into a daily thing. My ribs are getting a workout when he sneaks in with us. He must be dreaming he is a soccer player.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
Uncategorized

June 1st…..

Leave a comment

Dear Lord it is June and there was so much I wanted to accomplish before this month in my life. Yep, I turn 50 in just 19 short days which means that turning over in my grave is not that far off on the horizon as well. But I will take it like any other well-adjusted middle-aged man…..I will probably forget it altogether and live as if I were a teenager again.

But really….I will get my AARP card this month. I have joked about it for years, but I really DO want all the discounts I can get. I travel quite a bit and can get the room discounts….PLUS with the card you earn the RIGHT to drive slowly in the fast lane with your blinker on….I can hardly wait.
But I should be respectful of all those (old curmudgeons) that have gone before me. I am just looking for the cheap senior coffee, but these folks really ARE old.
So for now I will be off to scout out where I will be eating those early bird specials later this month. I am liking the prospects. And I am just spry enough (and just young and hungry enough) to be able to hit perhaps two of them per night!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
Uncategorized

The BIGGEST Loser…..

Leave a comment

Well I cannot believe it, but I entered a family Biggest Loser challenge and am now a contestant in it. There are only 5 of us in it, my wife, my mother-in-law, and my wife’s sister and her husband. Of all of them I am the shortest. AND of all of them I am the heaviest. Dear Lord, I am ALREADY the Biggest Loser of them all!

But I will take this seriously….at least for 90 days. It ends on August 22nd and I have the opportunity to win CASH of which I will clearly use to buy PIZZA since I intend to be starving by then. But we will see. I may just get over this hump somehow.
But for now I will just CONTINUE to do the things I have been doing and see where I end up. I spent most of my life thin and in great shape. This body-style is really just post-stroke, but I am clearly over it. I want to get back to kicking sand in all the out of shape guys’ on the beach faces! We will see.
So pray for me to eat less, eat better, do more, and of course WIN. I love everyone in the contest, but when I turn 50 in just three short weeks and am eating a cake made out of celery I just may love them a bit less.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
Uncategorized

Memorial Day……

Leave a comment

Today we take the time to take pause and remember those brave men and women who have given their lives in the service of our Country.

Remember always, freedom is not free. And the freedoms we enjoy are the gift of those brave souls who have given their all for them.
Today we remember those who gave their lives….known and unknown but to God. Thank God for them all. May He Bless them and may He continue to Bless this great Country of ours!
God Bless America!
Tommy+
Uncategorized

Restlessness……

Leave a comment

Well it is the end of the day and I feel restless. There is something unsettled in my spirit, and I am not quite sure of what it is. My son has graduated, and my wife’s birthday has come and gone, but there is something that seems to be burning deep within me that is calling me to pay attention. I am not quite sure of what it is, but I will take note of it and take it to heart.

I did attend a wonderful service this morning in Nashville, Indiana where I installed 5 fully trained candidates into the office of Parish Chaplains. It was an exciting time and a real blessing to me. I was in the midst of the “mother of all headaches” at the time, yet something about the day really had me feeling good. On my way to Christ the King in Kokomo I was able to find myself a Nurse Practitioner at a Walgreen’s clinic on my way there who informed me that I had two ear infections (thank God I only have two ears) and a sinus infection and prescribed me some antibiotics. I feel TONS better tonight, although I wish I had seen her two days ago.
But the bottom line is that I am home, in bed, and all I have to do is work for my wife tomorrow. I am well aware of my unsettled spirit, and will ponder that all day. Keep me in your prayers however…….I am paying attention.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless.
Tommy+
Uncategorized

Happy 35th Amanda……

Leave a comment

Yep, today is my wife’s 35th birthday and we had a small get together for her tonight. The cake was a vintage Dairy Queen ice cream cake, and the presents from the kids and I all revolved around the theme of her new garden. She got the most excited over her new compost bin which explains a lot about why an attractive young woman like her would marry me. And I will leave it at just that.

But now the party is over, the kitchen is again clean, and we can get back to allowing Amanda the opportunity to feel old. 35, to her, is the new 60. 35, to me, is but a distant memory. 35, to most people, is just 35.
So for now we are just thankful for the day. Tomorrow she will be out to test out all that new stuff, and maybe, just maybe I can come to grips that there is a big garden in my backyard which we are apparently supporting.
There just may be a lot of salad in my future…..
Goodnight my friends and God Bless! And Happy Birthday Amanda!
Tommy+
Uncategorized

Congratulations graduate…….

Leave a comment

Tonight I had the great pleasure of seeing Scotty graduate from high school. Not that I could really see, since he marched in wearing my glasses, but I was thankful for that dark red shirt we bought last night to wear under his robe…..I could identify him from his collar.

After the ceremony I took back my glasses, and got a lot of great pictures in the dark. Graduations last a long time, and this was the largest class in Noblesville High School’s history. But this was not about me, it was about Scotty and the approximately 60000 other students graduating tonight. God bless them all, the world that they enter as adults is far different from the one I entered just 10 short years ago…..okay maybe longer.
But it was great to see him finish this part of his life. Of course it means another one is right around the corner, and he is looking forward to that for sure.
So congratulations to my wonderful son. I am so proud of you! College is just a few months away. It is hard to believe it all went by so quickly. Way to go Scotty….I love you!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
Uncategorized

On the cusp of a manic weekend…….

Leave a comment

It is going to be a very busy few days coming up, and before it begins I am already behind. I just want to survive until Tuesday!

Tomorrow, God Willing, Scotty will walk across the stage at Noblesville High School and graduate. It is a MASSIVE event with all the kids graduating, the gym is always too hot, and you can barely see your child graduate……but we would not miss it for the world! It is a great accomplishment, and not so much a finish line for him as a starting line.
Then, on Saturday, Amanda has a birthday. She will be 35 and will be depressed about it. I vaguely remember 35, and as I recall there was not too much to be depressed about anyway. But if she had good judgement she would be married to someone else, so I will let her be depressed. It however, is always a weird day.
There is stuff also to do on Sunday and Monday, although for the life of me I cannot remember what it is. I just know I will be a part of it. My life is often not my own, and that will be the case this weekend.
It will however be a weekend to remember, and I will be glad to take part in it all.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+