All posts by Fr Tom Tirman

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On being hopeful…….

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I just read an article tonight that now they think that Social Security will run out of money by 2037. But since I am no longer any good at math, I had to find the calculator on my computer, which is another thing I am not good at and DANG….I will be only 76. That’s just too soon.

By 2037 though the retirement age may be a lot higher than 76, so I may not have to worry, and to be quite honest, I do not work in a job, I am in a vocation……..which means I will work for my wife until I die….oh wait, I mean my Bishop.
But I often get things wrong, particularly in terms of timing. But as long as short hair, t-shirts and blue jeans come back into style every few years I can live with myself. And of course if my mind at almost 50 is an indication of the future, I will not have a clue I am poor when I am 76.
I am just hopeful something will change by then, and change for the better. And, if that doesn’t work, maybe Amanda can get a second job. After all, I will be 76!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Abby-Normal……

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I guess things were as back to normal as they always are here. Ben actually went to the sitter today, Scott was at school, Amanda was at work, my mother-in-law was in Kansas, and the dog and cat were here at home. I cannot deny that it all felt a bit odd. Life isn’t always what I should expect most days…..but today it was.

Of course that just means I was waiting for the “shoe to drop,” which I really have no clue what the meaning of that is, but just know it is appropriate in these situations. But much to my surprise nothing really happened, and I have made it through this day apparently unscathed.
You will hear no disappointment in my voice about that either. I am no masochist. I do occasionally need some non-eventful days to make the others more “blog worthy.” And today was one for the record books…… dull, dull, dull. Duller in fact than watching Ben Stein sleep in a chair.
So I am raring for something to do, but my wife has been in her pajamas since 6:00 pm. Yep, it is a wild life I am living for sure.
But as I said, it is normal for here, so I am used to it.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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A day from HE double L…….

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I actually already thought I posted this in the middle of the day, but time gets away from one on a day like today. I am just glad to know I caught my mistake.

My day began with being delegated to take my mother-in-law to the airport, which is really no big deal because we get along marvelously. The problem was Ben, who not only loves his Nanny, but loves the airport, so she and I decided to take him along.
Everything but the traffic was going smoothly. As many of you will know, I am from the north, where in winter we have what you call SNOW. But since it was winter here and snowing, most of the people around me decided they could just not drive.
No, I am not bitter, just frustrated, but as we broke free from the traffic on the way to check in on time at the airport, Ben’s breakfast decided to break free from his body…..that’s right, projectile vomiting in a small car, with my mother-in-law……the fourth level of hell (I am sure that is her definition and not mine).
But the woman is clearly a saint. She unbuckled and tended to Ben, which is so much different from how she treats me, because every time I cough she shouts “Walk toward the light!” It however was touching to see. And Ben as you see didn’t last long after that.
So my day was spent with a sick boy and a lot to do. He seems better now, and for that I am thankful. My mother-in-law is now home, everyone is in bed, and the day is done. What a doozy! I am about to drop!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Loyal Bears’ Fans…….

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Well today was the end. Despite all my hope, my beloved Chicago Bears fell to the not-so-beloved Green Bay Packers…..much to my chagrin. I returned home just before the kickoff and was able to watch the game with Ben. The picture was taken in the first half. I would like to say he was just loyally praying for a Bears’ victory, but in truth he was sawing logs. He did manage to wake up shortly after halftime to have a Transformers battle, generally on my head (those evil Decepticons!) and always between me and the TV.

But as a life-long and loyal fan I can honestly say I was never expecting to make it this far. We really struggled for much of the season, but as I say in coaching, and I said as an athlete, a win is a win is a win. It doesn’t have to be pretty, and it often isn’t. You just have to beat the other guy.
Today of course that didn’t happen, and although I would generally (yikes I have used that word twice in this one post) root for the team in my division, I just cannot forgive the Packers for not keeping forever one of my favorite quarterbacks of all time…… Bart Starr. (Shame on you for thinking Brett Farve).
So today is over, the season is over, and Ben missed the worst part….the first half. Soon enough he will be as tortured however as me. But I have no regrets. I am a lifer for sure, and Ben seems smarter than the rest of these mindless Colts’ fans I live with.
After all, who wants to be a “Pony on the Pasture” when you can be a “Monster of the Midway?”
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Ho Ho Ho…..

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Amanda has been out of commission all day today with a migraine, and I have been working and in meetings much of the day. I am so thankful that my mother-in-law has been here to hang with Ben, because had she not been here today the day would have been far different. Most kids do better after a nap, but Ben was a real pain. Apparently he has developed a “HoHo” dependency and we are currently looking for a treatment center for him. Nanny and I had to tag-team him into submission for dinner and things seemed to be going well until his mom appeared angrily in the doorway.

The good news is that we are back down to Defcon 3 here at the house and everything seems to be back to its normal tension. As for me, I am over the top, as the vodka tonic I have had has taken me beyond my reasonable judgement tonight and I must confess I find that unfortunate. But I am just talking with my mother-in-law in the living room, and I trust her to tell me if I am a goofball…at least more than I usually she thinks I am!
Off to bed for me! Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Swine…….

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My dad called me a couple of days ago to alert me of a very important happening in our country…….both “The Pink Panther” and “A Shot in the Dark” were going to be televised on Thursday night.

Actually, I was not at all surprised by his call. Peter Sellers is my favorite actor, a comedic genius, and I really spent the whole first half of my life emulating him. Steve Martin, though a genius in his own right, was way out of his league in re-making “The Pink Panther,” for there is truly only one Inspector Clouseau (it’s pretty cool that my spellcheck recognizes it too).
But getting back to me, I knew every line, I imitated every mannerism, and now of course I am coming to the realization that with those kind of skills there wasn’t a lot for me to be other than a clergyman. I used to call my sisters and mom “swine,” which would always make them laugh. I would always announce that I was heading to my “reum.” And though I never owned a “minkey” I did have a dog, and it did not bite. It was a great escape for the troubled soul that I was during that part of my life. And I always thought that if I didn’t have the ability to laugh I might not have made it at all.
But my life is much better now, and the laughter has stayed with me. And this week the big laugh is with me. Yep, I talked with my dad today and told him thanks for calling, but I missed the movies. Of course I also told him not to worry too.
That’s right……I own the box set of every one of the Peter Sellers Clouseau movies ever made.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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In the fire……

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I know there is a lot of snow on the ground, but personally feel like things are on fire. And since I am not a young man anymore, I want you to know that I rarely panic in times like these but take them as times to pay closer attention to what is going on and move ahead. Some of my best decisions/life choices have been made in the midst of a fire, and although I am not certain any of this will lead to that, I am paying close attention.

I would say, “that’s why I am paid the big bucks,” but of course I have not made a lot of money since I gave up male modeling years ago. No, I am not living the monastic life of chastity or poverty, well at least not poverty, but my personal existence is pretty humble. Yea, I live in a nice house that pretty much my wife paid for, but I drive a small regular car, I wear jeans and t-shirts, I do not surround myself with possessions, and all of that is because I have found that those things often get in the way of seeing clearly.
Flames and smoke can cloud clarity too, but flames can purify as well. And, I am contemplating what all this means at this particular point in my life.
So please keep me in your prayers. I do believe that for now I am right where I belong.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Upset…..

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I do not normally get upset about things, but I am asking for your prayers for me as I deal with a few issues here at the end of the day (not home ones) and then into tomorrow. I am sure they will all resolve, but they are difficult for me to be dealing with…..especially in my current state of mind. I have really had enough for one day.

So this is to say, I am heading to bed. Tomorrow will hopefully bring me some energy and a fresh perspective to face the day.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Hangin with the peep…….

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Well well well…..my wife and Mother-in-law (yes, I always capitalize it….she tells me to) are out for the night at Beef and Boards, which although I am not sure, but think is some type of restaurant/lumber yard. But regardless, they are gone, so my plans were to hang out with the boys (Ben and Scott) for the evening.

Unfortunately however, Scott called and let me know he had lacrosse practice tonight just leaving Ben and I alone. Oh no, I am not scared at all. He and I have a lot of fun together and the only time I worry about my demise is when he sees his mom and thinks he can have her all to himself. There are two points I want to make about this though….1) I am safe because of the principle of 3 year olds “out of sight out of mind,” and 2) he has my permission to have her all to himself because when she sees me she just gives me stuff to do and I am tired.
But regardless, we have been having fun. He has been giving me the business all night and just playing hard. He has already worn out the dog, which regular readers know is not that big a feat (it could be done by someone in a coma) and has made the cat go into hiding. His “bedtime” is in 5 minutes (8:30 EST) but being the nice guy I am I may fudge that a bit (like 8:28 or 8:29). Oh I kid…..I just have fun with him, so I am not too concerned. He will go to bed soon though.
So my hangin-time (yep I am hip, groovy, and all that) is just about done, but I will just have to deal with it. Youngsters these days need to get their sleep and it is really vital to make sure that they are not being grouchy the next day.
So that’s why I am heading to bed. Ben will just have to fend for himself.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Manly things……

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Although I have been away ALL DAY, Ben has had his mom and his Nanny hopping all day long. In preparation of getting his picture taken tomorrow morning he went to get his first haircut. It was something that did not make me too happy, in that I am a man and I believe men go to a thing we call BARBERS, and barbers work in BARBERSHOPS.

Of course, my barbers (Chuck and Tony) and I lost out, because Ben ended up going to a place they call “Cookie Cutters,” which apparently is a place where they put you in a plastic car, let you watch cartoons and then cut your hair crooked with cooking utensils. Oh yes, AND they charge you too.
As you can tell, I am not a fan of the commercialization of tradition. The same guys cut my hair and even though I have moved about 25 miles away, they will continue to. Scott gets his hair cut there, and soon Ben will. A barber to a man is a very personal thing, and the barbershop is an important place in our lives. Sure there are guys who like to have the young ladies cut their hair, but I have no interest in watching women or cartoons, and I am going to get my haircut, not to go someplace that smells like flowers or where they give you water in a wine glass.
But he will get to my barber soon enough. There are just some things that I need to see him do!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+