Yes, today we were able to see Steph and watch her play lacrosse.  Today the Lions suffered their FIRST defeat at the hands of Rollins, the current #5 ranked team in the NCAA Division II (national) poll.  Lindenwood had the lead and control over the majority of the game, but lost by one goal in the final two minutes.  It was a heartbreaker.

But we did get to see Steph, and she was one of the featured players on the program today (see the picture….bottom left)  AND we were able to get her supplies and take her out to dinner.  So the other picture is of Steph and Mel and Ben at Outback Steakhouse where Ben told our waitress (Kayla) that his cousin had the SAME NAME as her…….and that she was a girl.

But that was not his biggest feat tonight.  You may notice some writings on his forearms.  It was autograph night at Hunter Field and the team held an autograph session where they signed their season poster.  AND TONIGHT they also signed Ben.  He is a big hit with all the girls and he and they had a blast doing it.  It was far cheaper than a real tattoo artist too.

So this has been an eventful and fun day.  A win would have been better, but as an old coach and athlete I know you do not win them all.  It makes me no less proud.  Steph plays for one of the best teams in the country (see THIS ARTICLE in Laxmagazine.com Lindenwood Setting the Stage for NCAA II Contention  And ALSO this article about tonight’s game Rollins survives scare from Lindenwood)

But I am proud to be here rooting them on.  They are a great team and I have a great daughter.  And one more year of watching and then who knows………maybe I will step back into coaching again.  Lord knows I miss it!!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

I begin with yet another gratuitous picture of Ben, but the picture is unrelated.  Today has not been a good day for me, in fact it has been awful…..for sometimes even in what appear to be the calmest waters there can be storms.  And today was such a day.

What bothers me the most is that I look at life an really do have a lot of hope for people, but some days they really let you down.  And yes, sure, that signifies a much deeper issue for me, but I assure you I keep at it and work hard to try and make this world a better place.  I have dedicated my life to it in fact.

But today has been more than a disappointment for me.  No, I need not go into the detail other than to say that I ask you prayers for people to live in the ways that God intended for them to live.  We are not animals without reason.  We are not hedonists who are just concerned about our own pleasure or satisfaction.  We are instead children of God, called to live into that reality and reflect it with our lives.

I pray this day for the people not only in my heart, but for those who cut it and try to wound it as well. We can do better and we should……yet all I can do is pray and begin with me.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Okay, this is sort of old news, as this picture was not taken today, but yesterday.  I did however see it on my phone today.  AND all I have to say is THANK GOD FOR THE BOOK FAIR.

Why you ask?  Well, quite simply because this picture was taken yesterday….the day I did NOT come to pick Ben up in the Challenger (a rental…see prior posts) and to be very honest he was very PUT OFF.  But it WAS the day of the book fair, and like any other 5 year old with his priorities in order, he picked a book that had a TOY…..3D glasses, so he was not willing to be put off that long.  He instead wore the glasses in protest (see picture) and the dog was cropped out as he was in the back too, but just seemed too damn happy for any type of negativity.  (He was not allowed in the rental car)

The highlight however was the trip home.  The glass company swept the truck out as there was glass EVERYWHERE (including in my clothes…although I swept that myself).  But I offered to pay them to do that, but it was just part of what they did.  Regardless however, with a 5 year old, I re-swept it myself.  I did find some glass and was glad to find it without crisis.

BUT………after I picked up Ben I turned on the defroster……and guess what?  YEP…glass shards everywhere.  So we headed to the car wash to sweep the crisis out and then home to my Rigid Vac to get the rest.

HE HOWEVER kept the glasses on the whole way.  He is such a Prima Dona…… but then again, isn’t everyone who hits the Book Fair?

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Okay, I am now CHALLENGERLESS, but I do have my truck back and am pretty damn happy to say the very least.  It is raining like mad right now, and my basement is a mess, but I just had it WATERPROOFED, so there is not a lot that will bother me right now.  In fact life is good.  I have had A LOT of trauma these past few weeks, yet I am doing very well, and more than that….. I am a Chicago Cubs fan and I am sure they will win the WORLD SERIES this year, so everything is marvelous.

Oh yeah, but with all that has happened, Amanda and I are still fielding questions….and I understand that.  In fact I am VERY BLESSED that people are concerned about me, but puzzled that they ask my wife how I am doing over me.  To be honest, if my wife REALLY knew what was going on she would be married to someone else.  But that doesn’t take away the honor of feeling cared about.

But it has been a GREAT DAY.  Because as I said I turned the Challenger back in as I was able to get my truck back just before noon!!  And what was even better was that Viper was SO VERY HAPPY, as he could not ride in the rental car, but gladly hopped back into the truck!!

Anyway…..here is a picture of me PRE-stroke and pretty dang happy.  I am post stroke now, a bit heavier, but just as happy……I just cannot find my phone to take a picture!

Go to bed!! It is late!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

First of all, YES, Father PT and I are fine, but as you can see my truck is not.  On the way back from a meeting this morning the driver in front of us hit a piece of steel and it flew up and struck the truck.  Fortunately, it was just wider than the windshield.  It dented the top of the cab just above where it hit and shattered the windshield.  And it is now in the shop overnight where it will have a new windshield installed in the morning (which I have a zero deductible on) and the dent will stay as I do not want to fork out $500.

But there are two things that come to mind as I type this tonight.  The first is the picture of Viper in MY SEAT LAST NIGHT.  And when I got in the truck and told him to get into H
IS seat I told him he was a dog and he couldn’t drive because I liked my truck and I was afraid he would wreck it.  He complied…..and I WRECKED the truck.

The second thing in the reminded of PT and I hitting what I believe to this day to be a wooly mammoth up just east of Fort Wayne last year.  (It’s no wonder they are extinct, that stupid thing jumped right into our car).  But he and I joking talked today about driving together anywhere anymore.  We clearly are having more than our share of troubles.

But I ALSO realized that I had cancelled any rental car insurance as I have 100 children and they all have cars, except for Ben.  The problem today is that they no longer live here.  So I rented a car, I THOUGHT for two days, but now it will be one as I will get my truck back tomorrow.

BUT WHEN I WENT IN to Enterprise to pick up my dinky whatever sized car I ordered, I mentioned that it must mean that she (the rental car manager) meant it was that hot black Dodge Challenger in the lot.  She said no, but had pity on me and for an extra $15 it was worth it.  Ben thinks we bought a race car.  And yes, he still doesn’t believe that we are getting the truck back.

But there are a few lessons from this day that I have learned.  One, I need to stop driving with PT.  I have almost killed him twice now and he and I are great friends.  I don’t want to put any tension on that by injuring him.  Two, my son Ben is a moron (although a moron who enjoyed taking his picture tonight with his mom in his new race car). We have told him CLEARLY that this is a rental, and what happened, and how tomorrow we will have the truck back, yet he still doesn’t get it.

But last and most importantly, from now on Viper can drive.  I have never let him, but he does have a license  and Lord knows he has to be able to do a better job than me.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Tonight’s picture is of the sanctuary of the newly updated St. Patrick’s in Noblesville.  Looking at it you would hardly believe it is in a shopping center, but it is.  Its face lift is the product of quite a few people to whom we are all eternally thankful, and it was not just my pleasure to be able to be a part of the unveiling, but also to appoint Father Tony Bender to serve as the new Vicar there……all moments before I went crazy (see my Easter Day post!)

But seeing the picture really lifts my spirits.  Sure, it is not Westminster Abby, but it is pretty dang impressive for what it is.  The people I work and walk among are some very talented people, in addition to their dedication.  The design of all this was the brainchild of my wife, who selected colors and banners and arranged for the help.  It amazes me at what she can envision as clearly her choices of husbands and such show such very poor judgment.  But who I am to be critical of her as I am the largest benefactor.

And Father Tony, my friend of more than 30 years, was so very blessed and thankful…..not just for the opportunity to become the Vicar there, but for the work that was done.

Yet in all of these things I AM THE ONE WHO IS BLESSED.

Sure my brain gives me fits, but life holds and shows me constant blessings.  And for that I am truly thankful.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

Yes, forgive me Father, for my last blog post was on Easter.  And I do confess with all my heart, soul, and mind that I have intentionally taken this past week off to make sure I adequately heal.

But TODAY I reentered the world of work and instead of being skiddish after last week’s stroke-fueled debacle, I got “back up on the horse” today and delivered sermons at both St. Patrick’s (where I was violently THROWN off the horse on Easter Sunday – you can read that post) and at St. Anne’s (which I missed to go have a CT scan).  And the day was a success.  I survived both and did quite well, which I am sure is about as big of a deal to many as the fact that May follows April.

The week however was interesting…..and instead of posting a scan of my brain I have decided to post a picture of the next Chuck Norris.  Yes indeedy, Ben has started Taekwondo, insisting even now (as a white belt which comes with your uniform) that he can already kick his brother’s sorry US Marine Corps butt…..which I cannot wait to see as Scotty should be home in late May on leave.

So for what it is worth, it was a really good distraction for me.  I am not big on doctors and hospitals nor residual problems from a stroke 5 years old that suddenly becomes public….very public.  But I am big on 5 year old “Hiya’s” (not to be confused with my more comfortable Curly Howard hiya.)  I cannot lie, I HATE HAVING ISSUES, and although they are a constant reminder of 5 years ago, they are almost always in private.  So having my own personal and delusional 5 year old really helps.

It reminds me of what I don’t want to be………. PFC Scotty Tirman who is coming home in May to get his but kicked by Chuck Norris Jr.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

This certainly wasn’t the post that I wanted to post for Easter, and my Easter was far from the one I wanted to live, but as we say it is what it is.

Yesterday, mid-sermon I experienced a lot of confusion, and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT.  Post stroke (it was 5 years ago this month) I no longer use manuscripts as I have trouble going back and forth and keeping on track.  So now I generally use some notes and talk…..and “generally” it goes well.  Sure occasionally I get stuck in what I call “stroke loops,” but if I just keep talking or relax a bit I am able to move on.  This has worked for just about 5 years, but it suddenly did not work yesterday.

Somewhere in my sermon I got lost.  I suddenly did not know whether I was in the middle, at the beginning, or close to the end.  I had no idea as to that point as to what I said, although I knew what I was going to say.  People who have had strokes sometimes struggle for the right words, and I was struggling with a ton of them.  I even stopped twice for longer periods of time….it didn’t work.  People looked in what they I sure would describe as concerned, I felt they were horrified…..at least I was.  So I confessed exactly what was happening and handed over the service to Father Tony who finished it.

The thought that was running through my mind, as everyone else’s, was he is having another stroke.  It is the same thought that runs through your mind every time you get confused, or have a headache, or have trouble seeing.  It’s really just paranoia though as I had none of those problems pre-stroke and no recollection of the event at all.  It is just what you think.

But a neurological exam and a CT scan later (and probably about a million dollars too) saw me released on my own recognizance to home.  I confess that I am horrified and embarrassed and although tons of people will tell me not to be, in fact I do.  I have it all still recorded, which I shall erase in a few minutes.  AND, I will be doing very little today (MONDAY) other than hiding in my hole and feeling stupid.

Sure, it has never happened to that extent before or in that particular setting, and it may not ever happen again.  But as for now I am just happy to not be in the hospital.  After all, if you are going to be crazy, there is really no place like home.

God bless!

Tommy+

Well it is Holy Saturday, and like always, the anticipation is killing me.  Easter Sunday is tomorrow and it is also the big “reveal” for the newly remodeled St. Patrick’s in Noblesville.  And no, I will not post a picture and ruin the surprise!  I have instead posted a picture of “There is a cat on my bed.” An artistic rendition of real life that is hanging on my bedroom door, and which I am certain will become a classic.  It has a current value of about $10,000, but in all honesty is not for sale.

But regardless, it has been a busy busy busy day.  Father Jon Back came up from Cincinnati to help, and the small Holy Saturday service we did took far less time than all the other work.  It was reflective of the season….everything builds toward Easter.

So I hope you are prepared for what is to come.  I know I am thanks to a lot of work by a lot of different people.  But now I need to get some sleep, of course after getting that dang cat off my bed.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

This is perhaps the most bizarre Holy Week I have ever endured, and yes I am using the word endured as I thought a lot about it and it is sadly appropriated.  Our basement is a mess, the washer and dryer are no longer connected (not that I need to wear any clothes during Holy Week), and I logged about 300 miles yesterday during which I tried to clear my head the entire time……it is not working.

Oddly enough, in times like these I always turn to my sisters Stephanie and Sarah, God rest their souls.  Steph fought cancer for over 15 years before leaving this earth in 2001.  Sarah fought a much shorter battle but sadly with the same outcome,  She died in 2004.

I wasn’t with Sarah too much in her illness as she lived 10 hours away and we were older, but Sarah and I got to spend a lot of time with Steph, and I think we would both agree that she was the bravest person we had ever known.  Steph didn’t complain, she didn’t show fear, yet she was beaten up by cancer more than anyone I have ever seen.  But when you would visit with her, she was always concerned about you and your problems.

So she helps me a lot.  Every time things get rough, or even on fire, I think of her example.  SHE had problems, I just have stuff to sort through…..and really I shouldn’t complain.  Thanks Steph for helping me endure this, and a lot of other things too.

I miss both of them very much, and yet I will confess YES they are my sisters…….and it needs to be said, yes, I do wonder if they are paying someone off up there to give me a hard time even more!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+