All posts by Fr Tom Tirman

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Snow, with a low chance of weasels……

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For the last few days it has been cold, but I have enjoyed the grass and the very warm weather that proceeded it to melt all the ice and snow. Lacrosse practice has been fun this week, as it is always good to get started, but of course today it was cancelled.
And why, you may ask? Well we went from grass to six inches of snow, that’s why! And even school was cancelled, which in my mind is a crime since I am from the north. We have a freshman on our team who moved here from Wisconsin and she and I laugh about how people deal with snow here. My Superintendent of Schools when I was growing up would wake up, get a cup of coffee, walk to his front door and open it, and as long as he could see the chimney of the house across the street, even if it was only barley visible, we would have school. We didn’t walk to school three miles uphill both ways like my dad’s generation. We were far tougher than that. With just six inches Pomeranians could pull a sled…..weenies!
But it gave me some time to work here at home. My office is here at the house, but I also have quite a few projects on which I am working. I am sure there will always be work to do here, but if I can complete the stuff I am working on, there is a good chance that I may finally feel settled. I have stuff spread out all over my office as I repair the closet. And it is not only the construction stuff, but all the things that go in the closet! Soon soon soon!
So it is off to bed I go! But let me report that the weasel has done very well all day, and is much less weasely than he has been. It has been an answer to my prayer.
Now if he only knew more about construction………
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+
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Living among the weasels…..

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On Tuesday, the first day of lacrosse practice for the season, I ended practice probably about 20 minutes early, not due to any intention, but because my watch was broken. Of course I thought about how time was just flying and it felt pretty good. But on Wednesday everyone commented about how early I let them out.

Yesterday, Ben and I bought me a new watch. It was not a fancy one, but a digital one (which I hate) that will help me keep time more accurately. I set it on my nightstand last night in the hopes of programming it in the morning, but as Ben and I left the house, it was not in my possession. Things like this upset me a great deal, because just like a heart attack survivor who wonders if each chest pain is another heart attack, stroke survivors question their brains and memory. I wondered (and believed) if I had lost it. And despite being sure of where it was, the whole process of remembering was torturous.
Of course all this tension and doubt was relieved a bit when I had a conversation with the weasel…..Be, my youngest son. On the way to the sitter he confessed that it was really his watch, and that he had put it in “mommy’s brown sleeping box,” which I hadn’t a clue what he meant. Of course at home right before leaving for practice I ripped my room apart again, but nothing. Amanda however had the brilliant idea at home tonight to ask him to show her the box……DEAR GOD IT WAS FULL OF LOOT….even $100 of Monopoly money.
Ben apparently has made this his safe. I told her to keep the watch there, since he thinks it is his, and the last thing I need is for him to choose a new hideout. But he, as my mom would say, is clearly a weasel……..and I am at least not certifiably crazy. Praise God!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless.
Tommy+
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Going nuts……

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Although I gladly picked up Ben at 5pm from the sitter’s, he has been the model of poor behavior since the moment we connected, but at 10:45 I am thinking, “it’s just 6 hours of pushing my buttons.” Unfortunately for Ben, that is about 6 hours too much.

The sad part is that this is not his normal for Ben. He is generally a good kid, but apparently tonight he did not read the memo. I have placed him in MY BED tonight too, not because I want him there, but because after the day we have had I need to keep an eye on him. At this point I not sure he would try to take one of our cars and perhaps rob a bank. His DNA, at least on my side, leans that way, and yes, probably is to blame for the day….and although I cannot shake that DNA, it doesn’t mean I cannot complain about it……after all, it is really all my dad’s fault.
So clearly I am getting it from both sides….my dad passed on this rebellion, and now I am living with it…at least for today. Of course they would both laugh about it when together I am sure. They are in cahoots together, but I will have the last laugh. For I will live through this day…..and God willing live to see Ben’s kids give him a day like today. It’s my right for passing on this crooked DNA.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless.
Tommy+
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Yeah baby!!!!!

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It starts!! Today was the first day of the 2011 Lacrosse Season (yes, capitalized for GOOD REASON) and almost the entire team was there, sans a couple of sickies! It absolutely fired me up too, because I love to coach and these girls are ready to make it happen.

Oddly enough, I think about retiring from it all the time. But as I looked at the freshmen and sophomores today I kept thinking, “wow, we will be contenders for years!” We graduated a lot of excellent players, yet even in the first practice it is clear that many of the young ones are stepping up. I truly love being a part, although I am not always sure what my staff thinks.
Of course, I am meaning my clergy staff! My coaching staff loves it that I am there, but from today until June, my church staff steps up so that I can do this. I suppose I ought to list them on the coaching staff too.
But the picture tonight is lousy! It was 25 degrees and they were miserable, but excited! My fingers could barely move to get the picture too. But it will be in the 40’s the rest of the week and Thursday will see us practicing in the pouring rain.
But it is Lacrosse Season and it takes hard work and dedication to win!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless! (And sticks up!)
Tommy+
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Into a construction-type Narnia….

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I know that the former owners of our home, being regular readers of this blog, may get uneasy when I talk about the house and repairs, but in all honesty, it is the most wonderful place I have ever lived. AND, I am enjoying every bit of what I am doing!

So now that the chimney is fixed, I began the work of repairing the closet in my office and the entry walls in the main hall that were damaged by the moisture. A little tap on my closet wall was all that it took for a big piece to crumble, and it gave me a view into history. Our home was built in 1936, and the walls are all plaster, even the closet….which was not able to survive the moisture. I broke out two big sections which allowed me to look into the construction of the wall, and it was like going back in time.
Of course, I will always feel badly that my repair was not as good as the original, but you can hardly beat 1936 era craftsmanship. The good news is that I should be done before the weekend is over and I will finally be able to use the closet fully and de-clutter my office.But it has been a big thing, and I have loved it. All of this has been like traveling into another time.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Coach Corry, where art thou????

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I am so happy today is finally over. Do not get me wrong, I love what I do. But I am so very far behind that I need to catch up. And I will spend the lion’s share of the next two days doing just that….catching up.

There really is nothing more frustrating to me than getting behind. Being behind is like trying to dig a hole in quicksand….as fast as you did it fills right back up. It takes patience and a lot of dedication to make progress, and truthfully I NEED to make that progress. Lacrosse practice begins Tuesday after school and it will be a daily deal for me from then until June. (Of course I have that whole priest-gig going on too.)
But I am excited to get started. I am handicapped however in that this is the first year I have not had my partner in crime, my Administrative Coach, Lisa Corry….she retired! (She and I are in this picture with our daughters at JUNIOR PROM because I could not find that classic coaching picture that she could find in an instant!) But I have to order uniforms, and surprise surprise, my players have not turned in all their forms or fees, and I, with my stroke-infested mind, will have to try and chase all that down tomorrow. Because not everyone fulfilled their responsibilities too, we will start the year without everyone having practice jerseys too. To me it is a BIG FLAG of an undisciplined team, and that is something we will begin to work on Tuesday right away.
But for now, I am surrendering quicker than France to my day. I just want to call it a day and relax. It is 10:30 and I would take Viper out for a walk if he were not already in bed with Ben. They are both happier than clams, which I clearly do not know what that means because I am not only from Indiana, but I am allergic. But I suppose you understand my intent.
So bedtime it is. The day is done, and that is my blessing. I hope however your entire day has been blessed!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Hanging with Aunt Joi……

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No, Joi is not related by blood, but she is clearly family. She is not only Amanda’s good friend, but she has been a big part of our lives as long as I can remember. But more than that, the kids are all very attached to her…..especially Ben.

But Joi works for Novartis, (she used to work for Lilly with Amanda) and for the last couple of years she has been living out of the country. That has been hard, and I am not sure I can identify just who it has been the hardest on most. As I said, Ben is very attached to her, and when he gets the chance he just picks right back up. And tonight was no exception.
The good news is that Joi, excuse me, Aunt Joi no lives back in the States….North Carolina to be exact (yes, I was there last week and nobody told me, but I am not high on the list for anyone to visit with). But now they can be together on a regular basis. Ben told her tonight that he would come see her in North Carolina, after asking her of course if she had any Transformers there. She, being the good Aunt that she is, told him that there would be Transformers there if he comes.
And there will. Joi and Ben are tight, and it was great to see her. I am just blessed that there are people like her in his life!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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No, not go 81……it’s now 13

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Tonight would have been over a few weeks ago had it not been for the ice and snow that cancelled their games in Texas, but tonight my daughter is in California where the Lindenwood Lions take the field against the current number one team in the country in their division. It will be Steph’s first game as a college player, and I am pretty nervous to say the least.

Steph is an amazing player. She was an All-State player here in Indiana and on top of the heap here. But Lindenwood is different. Steph would share how much she had to learn and how bad she was in comparison to the other girls. She went from the top to the bottom, and has had to work hard (which she has) to work her way up. As a Freshman, I told her to prepare to ride the bench and earn her way, for as good as she was, she was bound to get better. She was a center here and one of the best in the state. She rarely lost a draw (what we in hockey would call a face-off) on top, but ironically, at Lindenwood she has never even taken a draw. She has been moved to defense…..and she has excelled in that role.
I expect she will probably play, if not start, but if not, it will all be in her future. As a coach I understand the concept of team and hard work. No one is above getting better, and in my experience as an ice hockey player, nothing was ever better for me to develop than to have to earn my way back up. It builds skill and character. It also builds a better team.
I have only ever missed one of Steph’s games, and it was when I had my stroke and was hospitalized. I coached every one of them since. But tonight I will just be hoping that the next three days sees them knocking off three of the best teams in the country. They WANT a National Championship, and those dreams are built on hard work and execution, one game at a time. I am so very proud to know she is going to be a part of that. She is no longer #81, but now #13….one of my old numbers ironically. And although I am many miles away, I am still her biggest fan……and I will be cheering them on via the live Twitter feed tonight as they play.
Go Lions!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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New life or not….I still stink at basketball……

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Although a few weeks ago I would not have thought it possible, today my driveways, both front and back are clean and free of ice. Granted, there are piles of ice on the sides of the drive that are very high, but at least I can drive on it now.

And as an added bonus, we cleared it away from our basketball hoop too. But in all honesty after a few shots I considered bringing the ice back. Don’t get me wrong, I love basketball, but in reality I came to grips rather quickly with the fact that I am an ice hockey player at heart. I was what they call an “embarrassment” shooting hoops, but had I been on skates and had a stick, I am sure things would have been different.
The best part however is that today I got a glimpse of Spring. The green was popping through and it reminded me of new life. I really needed the reminder too. It rejuvenates me at a time I can appreciate it too.
But the lesson for today is that we can all thank God that our salvation does not depend upon my ability to shoot a basketball, because today we all would have been doomed. But God created basketball is for the tall, and among them I am clearly not. So for now I will rejoice, and as long as it stays warm I will keep shooting each day……just in case I am called on.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Enforcing the rules……

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The very fact that he is next to me at a restaurant is, in our family, a bad sign. Three year old little boys only like to sit by their daddys when their mommys (Indiana plurals are only grammatically correct in Indiana) are not around. But his mommy actually took this picture, which is him doing his time in restaurant “time-out.” He was totally out of control right before this too.

I’d like to confess that this is a very rare occurrence too. Normally it is Amanda that misbehaves in public, so this was pretty new for us. Of course Amanda tends to straighten up when threatened with having to sit by me. And Scott of course doesn’t mind it now that he is a foot taller than me.
But once everyone understood the rules and we played “musical booth,” dinner seemed to go on just fine. We do enjoy being together and Ben endured sitting in the penalty box for the duration. I am just thankful it was not me.
I just am not sure how we would handle the whole penalty phase, especially since I appear to be the enforcer.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+