I was in Fort Wayne for work all day today, and though the people were wonderful, and the experience a blessing, I was not looking forward to the drive home. Stress occasionally works its way on me, and today that made the drive home look a bit larger than it really was. It is not that it is a long drive, because it really isn’t. But all the traffic can become a visual overload. I just didn’t want to weave in and out of it going home.

Oh but not to worry, because I had good training. You see, as a kid, my grandfather and I would OFTEN hope into the Thunderbird and just take rides through the country. They were always peaceful relaxing and wonderful. We were never in a hurry, the country was beautiful (all Indiana farmland) and I was with my grandpa. I could do that everyday….really.

And where I grew up, though it is not like that anymore, you had to drive through cornfields to get there….from any direction. We played in those fields as kids too, and there is just a certain smell and purity in the country.

So when I need to clear my head, or when I need some time away, I often drive through the country. Oddly enough, I always have. When I lived away from my grandfather, it was how I remembered, and now that he resides at the “home office” as I like to say, it is a way I connect with him and center myself.

So today, I probably could have hustled back in half the time, but I chose the back roads instead…..all the way from Fort Wayne. It helped a great deal, and I enjoyed it very much. And though I suppose a picture of a corn field isn’t very exciting to most, it is to me because it connects my past and present all at once.

So today I thank God that He provided me the beautiful fields to drive through this day, and in doing so blessed me tremendously. But now it is back to the grind. Tomorrow is another day, but thank God…….there is another corn field just across the field from my back porch!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Tonight I am playing smarter, not harder, so instead of asking my wife for a picture for the blog, I asked my son….the youngest son, who will do just about anything if you bribe him….thus the apple juice and the cheese puffs.

But regardless of whether his motives are to help me or not, it is just a blessing to have some company and to have that company not say “no.” Even with cheese puffs in his mouth he is more likely to interrupt than to actually motivate, but he provides a lot of comic relief. That would normally be Scott’s job, but he is out at open houses for graduates, and Stephanie, who is much more serious, is at work. So Mr. Ben just has to do.

His fake burps and laughs, along with his accompanying “excuse mes” are a bit hit, although almost exclusively with just him. For me the comedy is found in how he gets that orange stuff even on his nose when he eats, and how his mouth now looks like he bought lipstick at the Syracuse University bookstore. And everyone but he apparently knows that you cannot get that orange stuff off your hands by rubbing them together. Oh wait, he just found the right way…..he rubbed it on his shirt.

But the good news is that we are having a great time and getting this done…..together. He’s not exactly the world’s best writer. But tonight, Ben is all the help I need.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

One of the lessons I have learned about my wife is that when she decides to do something, she heads into it full speed ahead. (With the exception of scratching my back which she stopped doing diligently on the way back down the aisle after saying “I do.”) So with trying to do something special for Stephanie, she was at about Mach 2 and I was just trying to stay out of her way.

But another lesson that I have learned about my wife is that if her mother is here, she will try to make Mach 2 look slow. Amanda really kicks it up even further and the sad reality for me is that it is pretty difficult to not feel the sonic boom.

The sad reality of the day has been that I have been suffering from a very bad headache and just trying to get by. And it was a busy one already. The two of them can accomplish more in one day that any team of people together than I have ever seen. And if you add Amanda’s sister Rhonda to the mix, well then it gets even more spectacular.

My mother-in-law leaves in the morning to return to Kansas and we will not see her for a couple of weeks until we stop out there on vacation at the end of June…..but it was a real blessing to have her here with us now.

And the last lesson I will share tonight, though there are many, is to not attempt to be too respectful or sentimental about what you want to write in your blog or you may be hung! I just took a picture of them both looking at pictures and it was a good one. But because Amanda (who did not see the picture) threatened my life if I used it (I am pretty sure she was serious) I decided to use this old one, with Rhonda included, instead.

As a scientist, I am sure she would make quick work of me and leave not a trace……and with her mom here, it could happen quicker than I’d expect. After all, who can keep up with Mach 2 plus??

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Today we held a graduation party for Stephanie at our house. A lot of the people from church, our friends, as well as lacrosse players, came by to say congrats……and Amanda’s mom even surprised us by driving in from Kansas. My sister Anna came too. It was a lot of work, but well worth it because it was a nice time.

The reality of it all though is daunting. It truly was the last thing connected to her high school and “kid” career. She is now 18, and a freshman in college. And although it was nice to reminisce a bit, our attention will now turn to finalizing her registration for classes, getting supplies for her dorm room, arranging for the move to St. Charles. It seems strange to me, not in the sense that I haven’t expected it all along, but in the fact that I have just never experienced it. But I am proud of her and although she is all grown up, to me she will always be my little girl.

But now I will call it a night. I am meeting the Bishop at 9am tomorrow morning in Indianapolis. He is in town to do a wedding. But I have to do a little reading to get my mind back on the work page! Being sentimental and nostalgic can turn a mind to mush, and when you figure in my damaged mind you can bet I need to review a few things before I head down there.

I hope your day was as blessed as mine!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

On June 3rd in 1836, my poor grandmother gave birth to my dad, making him exactly 174 years old on this day! And yes, of course that is not true, but I harass him about his age every year, (he is really only 104) but he is out of the country, in FRANCE, on what he SAYS is a school trip, but I think it only helps support my lifelong theory that he is working for the CIA.

But if you are reading this dad (in France) I want to assure you that your ice cream cake was delicious! This of course (eating all this bad stuff) convicts me of my delusion that I will ever live as long as you, but I intend to have a lot of fun trying! But in truth, having that fun, and having this great Tirman sense of humor, I acquired by sitting at the feet of the Master.

Yep, all Tirmans are smart #&*#$@^’s BUT, the older ones we revere. My dad, Uncle Mickey, and Uncle Al are all at the top of the food chain, I mean family, but over a lifetime they have diligently dedicated themselves to their family. In truth, I have the greatest family in the world, and we were taught, not by my dad and his generation but by the generation above them (all working now from the home office in heaven) that we were blessed. And in truth, we are. I may be of the first generation born outside of Brooklyn, New York, but though very few are New Yorkers anymore, the Tirman name means something to us all.

God bless you dad as you celebrate your birthday among strangers more prone to surrender than to watch your back! But know this….we love you here and we are proud of you! Happy birthday, and thanks for being my dad.

And thanks for the cake…..it was delicious!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yep, Ben came home from the Wal-Mart with a can of Spaghettios, and he was SO excited! Nothing however, will quell one’s excitement than having a MOM. Yep, she suddenly piped in letting us know that though it was okay to have the Spaghettios, it was not okay to wear the “Valentine’s shirt” he had been wearing ALL DAY. And although I reminded her that by Valentines Day he most likely would be 6’4″ and have outgrown it, apparently there was a plan for that shirt, just like the one for my body that she has yet to share for me. She is the QUEEN of organization and I do not cross her!

But really, who cares? Ben is shoveling down tasty pasta (or what we THINK is pasta) treats and his mom is not mad at him (us). And we are all happy. A wet rag will clean any mess up, the precious shirt will be saved, and Ben will think I am a spectacular cook (which I really am) because ALL KIDS love Spaghettios! It is a win win all the way.

So for now I will quit while I am ahead. It is just 8:30, Ben is fed, and this blog is done. If everything goes right, I will be asleep by 9! Tomorrow is the last scheduled exam day, so it will be great to get a good night’s sleep!

Thank God for Spaghettios!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Today, and over the next two days if there is no crisis that overtakes us, I am and will be proctoring the priesthood exams for both Deacon PT Morgan and Deacon Dan Conley. They I am sure will both do fine, but they are worried about it. They have been studying for the better art of four years, sadly mostly under me! But the good Father Dave Terwilliger also had a strong hand in their training, especially at the beginning, so when they fail I will just blame it on him!! No no no….he gave them a good foundation. They are well on their way!

Of course times like these make me miss Dave, not just because if he were here we would have had them taking these exams a lot sooner, but also because he really would enjoy proctoring this exam! PT and Dan will make fine priests, and there are so many great guys who have helped to get them to this point. We all have worked hard. It has never been about us though, nor has it been for Dan and PT about them either. It has always been about Christ and serving Him…….a truly noble cause.

You may find the picture odd, but I was surprised at how hard it is to find a picture searching for nobility. But Ben has been watching Shrek 2 and Puss in Boots really embodies the noble cause. And considering my personality, I thought it was quite appropriate as well. Tomorrow I may post the Penguins of Madagascar, since our staff kind of resembles them…..but for tonight Puss will have to do!

Pray for Dan and PT. PT took the lion’s share of his today and Dan will tomorrow. Thursday they will finish up, not together, but in the same place. Then, hopefully some poor reader will have mercy on their submitted works! No no no….I am certain they will do fine!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Though my work seems just about constant, today I attempted to take the day off. I did very little in terms of work, but when your work is really a vocation, it becomes hard to separate the two. I did however make the attempt to spend the day at home and set aside church work until tomorrow. I did fail miserably, but in truth it did not bother me……for I feel my walk as a priest is not incongruous with my walk as a Christian man, parent, husband. Sure, I didn’t make a bunch of appointments, but I also still did the things I needed to.

It reminded me of how many pastors I come in contact with that really try to treat their faith lives as a job, and not as a vocation. Some of their intentional divisions, though they try and justify them, are offensive. Even Jesus questioned about if your cow fell into the ditch on the Sabbath, would you leave it there? The answer is no…..life is not meant to be regimented, just lived. And our character and behavior is meant to reflect belief and faith, not the worship of some vacation-oriented ideal. Life is meant to reflect not just common sense, but the care and respect for each other as we walk through it. And though I did work a bit today, my life I feel reflected the best of what it should have.

Anyway, the day is over and I feel rested and refreshed. I also feel I accomplished a bit as well. It may not have been entirely work-free…..but in the end it was a good one, and the best possible one to begin the week with.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tommy+

I hate very few things in life, but one of the things I DO hate is living in central Indiana on Race Day. (yep, it is capitalized because it is considered a holiday here) Living here means you cannot watch the Indianapolis 500 on the television, quite simply because it is blacked out. And it is not that I am a big race fan, though I DO love Tony Stewart and NASCAR, but I just like being able to take the afternoon off an watch the race like I used to in Mishawaka as a kid.

Sadly, I no longer live in Mishawaka (my hometown) and I had to settle for the radio. I never did get to hear a lot, and still do not know who won. And as I sit here at 8:30, Ben has commandeered the TV to watch this new preschool channel called Sprout, but I suppose it is better than him telling me at every point a race is on that Lightening McQueen is going to win, and asking me where he is. Sooner or later he will be crushed to learn that Lightening McQueen is not real, and that even if he was, in the word of NASCAR Tony Stewart would beat him soundly. But for now, it is a non-issue. Sprout has taken over our lives tonight. Hopefully I can avoid finding out who wins till I get the couch back. We will see. In these days of constant information, I know my odds are low.

Off to watch…………an episode of “Kipper the dog.” I am praying it is a racing episode.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tommy+

Yep, today in the midst of all the stuff I have had to do, I managed to sneak over to the Wal-Mart and pick up the plastic pool big enough for Ben, his brother, and the dog. Only Ben tried it out, and was VERY HAPPY to do so. And even though I am a northerner, I am convinced he is part polar bear because he went right in after I filled it with the hose and it was COLD. Little kids brains are clearly not developed.

But I knew this would happen. As I was waiting in line with the pool at the checkout, the lady in front of me who was a grandmother buying the same pool for her 4 year old granddaughter asked me how long she should let the water warm up before letting her in. Of course I answered I didn’t know. I am the father of an almost 3 year old polar bear, I mean boy, who couldn’t care less as long as he was in the water. I will say however that I am convinced it is genetic, for though my sister Stephanie and I had brains, my sister Sarah could not stay out of ANY water if you could see it. Her nickname was “Fish,” and God rest her soul. I do hope there is a pool in heaven (and margaritas) or she will be raising a bit of hell. Our other sister, Steph, is also there but is probably much more compliant as long as there is some sort of gymnastics facility. But I digress…..

Anyway, I was headed off to the hospital for the hard part of the evening, which was getting him out of the pool……I am sorry I missed it. It must have been intense, because when I got home at 9:30 the polar bear and his mom were already asleep in my bed. Fighting polar bears wears you out.

But the good part is that the beach is open and he loves it. Today it was a beach on the northern peninsula, but in time it will feel more like a beach in the tropics, (except for the Golden Retriever in the water). We are just glad summer is here!

Off to bed for me! I am heading to visit the good people of St. Matthew’s Nashville in the morning!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+