Monthly Archives: October 2010

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Hallow-weenie…….

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It has been an eventful day. We had our traditional trick or treat outing with our friends the Lingenfelters, and then the (also) traditional pizza afterwards. Ben was Buzz Lightyear (Gabe’s old costume from a few years ago), Gabe was Anakin Skywalker, and Bella was a Fairy Princess. It is always a great time, and this was no exception.

But I also had the opportunity to re-visit a Halloween of many years ago……because this morning, I was pulled over by one of Indiana’s Finest (and yes, I capitalize it because I am not being funny…..I am a huge admirer of our police and military). But apparently I was going a bit fast and not paying attention to that at all. The officer was a real gentleman, and I was as well. I apologized with the truth, I was speeding and wasn’t paying attention, and handed over my license and registration.
He came back to my car a few minutes later with a warning, which was a real gift to me since I was going pretty fast, but the rest of my trip got me thinking.
My mind was taken back to Halloween in 1975 where my boss send me to the Handy Andy (a hardware store) in Spring Hill, Florida just a few months after I had been ordained. I had purchased what he sent me for at the service desk in the back, since that was where they handled such things, but was then stopped at the front of the store and not treated all that well because they thought I was stealing something. It took me weeks to get the fact that a young 20-something in a priest’s outfit on Halloween is pretty suspicious. Yet I was insulted and still have trouble thinking about it to this day.
Funny how I was treated so well on my second Halloween detainment. Just like before I never thought anything about a costume until later, but it certainly could have been construed as such I suppose.
But the irony of it all was not wasted on me, and it has provided me a pretty good life lesson…..after all, what am I in such a hurry for? I know the bishop has told the story of me blowing by him on the interstate. Yeah, I drive fast, but for what?
So I drove the speed limit the rest of the way there, and despite being pulled over and driving slow, I still got there in time. And then going home, I didn’t program up the Tom Tom and try and beat some time home, I just drove through the country and stayed off the roads with cars. It wasn’t to avoid another pull over, it was just to relax.
Ultimately, I am not as glad for how the ticket was just a warning, but how the real gleaning for me was to slow down and take it in and enjoy it. The slow drive through the country made the rest of the day better. And for every bit of this day, I am thankful!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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A night of refusal……..

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Well, some days he just refuses to get his picture taken, and today was one of those days. And since we no longer live in an era of being able to force anything other than husbands to do things they do not want to do, all you readers must settle for the snap of him (unauthorized) on the kitchen floor.

The good news for me however is that I was able to get a lot done, since much of it did not require either supervision or approval. I am just thankful to get to the end of this day. Productivity always seems more rewarding when you are thinking back to it from your own bed.
Tomorrow will come soon enough though. I have just one service and then a communion visit. PT will be doing three services tomorrow, so please keep him in your prayers. He is covering a retirement community as their regular pastor recovers from prostate cancer…..that’s the third service. He is a very dedicated and giving soul. The people love him everywhere, and particularly at that retirement community. I understand he often has to present ID to leave the building!
So I will hit the hay while I can. Amanda is down working on her Sunday School lesson and Ben, oddly enough, is here in my room (pj’s and all) watching Sprout and telling me he wants each and every toy from each and every commercial on it.
Too bad he wouldn’t let me take his picture…………….
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Bat out of hell and other philosophical works….

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It has been a wild day, but a good one! We got news that my wife has been promoted (no, not to a better husband, after all, how would that be possible?) but to another position within her company. AND, in addition to that, we will be signing a contract tomorrow to purchase another home. (The economy is good for that, especially in England, where I have told the Queen she has 60 days to move out of Buckingham Palace!)

But we celebrated tonight the best we could. Ben and I made dinner and it was just the three of us, but it was fun. I didn’t broach the subject of whether or not I could now retire, but the barometer of that was how much of that strong peach bolini I made her she was drinking. I did have a tape recorder all ready, but alas, I guess I have to keep working for a while. She had only half of a small one. (I think drinking scares her because she really all but stopped drinking after we married….but who am I to discredit the fact that I am really her trophy husband?)
So even though the retirement was my FIRST choice, I will have to say in the words of that great philosopher Meatloaf, “Don’t be sad, cause two out of three ain’t bad.”
But I still am gravely disappointed! 😉
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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No delusions here…..

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It is our break at school, but since no one else is on break, we had to play our game tonight shorthanded.

It was not that bad either, although we lost. We had a goalie who had put on the equipment just 5 minutes before (she did OUTSTANDING!!! AND she took the equipment home!), and we really controlled the ball most of the game.
Indoor however, never really concerns me…..it is the regular season that does, and this indoor season just makes me hopeful. The girls may get frustrated, but I get excited because I see the potential and the things beginning to come together. Where they focus upon the game and even the play they are in, I see the big picture, and to be honest, it looks more and more like a masterpiece everyday! It is such a privilege to be at the helm of this team.
So tonight I take rest in what may seem to believe is my delusion, but what I know to be the truth….for when we take the field in our full uniforms and our stands full of fans in March these girls will be far different. I can hardly wait. It is going to be a great year!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Bravery in the face of vaccination…..

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Today the boys and I met after school at the doctor to get some shots. I needed my second in the series of three Hepatitis B vaccines, and the boys needed a flu shot which I received a month ago (my first on ever).

It was a total set up too. We planned to get Ben his shot first because if he saw us get ours first he would be out of there. But he hopped up on the stool, and was just talking away when Scotty and I pinned his arms. As the shot went into his leg he screamed……but the very second it was out he stopped, picked out a band aid and a sucker and then started flirting with all the nurses back in that section of the office. He was a hit.
He apparently was not sore either. He refused an elevator ride and took the stairs instead. And on the way home he kept looking for his band aid on the wrong leg. Scotty and I are clearly more sore than he is, but of all the things we got today, the best was a lesson in bravery from Ben.
So tonight the picture is of Ben Tirman the Pumpkin-Shirted……the bravest Tirman of all!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Yeah baby…….

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Although we really were not completely done until about 6:30, the counter tops are in and they look marvelous. I will repaint the kitchen tomorrow and then we are really within just a day or two of being completely done with the house. It looks great, and my only fear is she will want to stay here.

The nice part is that most of the hard work is done……good thing too, because Amanda leaves for Boston for two days tomorrow. Yep, the boys all alone in the house again for a few days! We will see, but right now I will confess I am just too tired to cause any trouble.
Anyway, I am exhausted and I am calling it a day. I have an early morning call tomorrow and will need my beauty sleep just to make it there in time!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Thank God for Scotty…..

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This afternoon, Scotty and I took out our counter tops in anticipation of the new ones being installed tomorrow, saving our family approximately $750,000….at least we felt it should be worth that much. It was a very puzzling endeavor, particularly considering that we do a lot of different kinds of work, but we just couldn’t figure it out.

Oddly enough, it was Scotty who hit the counter and we discovered that it was only caulked on and not screwed. It was a quick job from there. It looks like the installers will have a clear path, and for that, we are both thankful.
I probably should say a little about the work to prepare our house for sale and for our hope to move. I apparently have caused a bit of an uproar by it.
Yes, we do hope to move, and we have been thinking about areas. NO….I am not leaving my job though, which is where apparently the anxiety is….okay, maybe it is rejoicing, I should really find out, but we just intend to move from where we are to somewhere else, and have had that on our radar for quite some time.
You see, I am really never in one place for more than two Sundays in a row and travel often. Amanda works for Lilly, and to be honest, without a readily accessible Interstate, it takes a long time to get to work. We have been waiting for Scott to graduate, and he will (we think) in May. The time to get busy therefore is now.
And we are ready to POUNCE! If we find what we want we will make an offer. Our house will be ready to list by Saturday, and we will go from there. For parishioners who are praying for us to move….sorry!! We are in for the long-haul! hahahahaha!
Goodnight and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Living in the midst of disappointment…..

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I had the opportunity to watch my beloved Chicago Bears play this afternoon at home against the Washington Redskins. It was truly an amazing game, and one which I had to get close to the TV to make sure it really wasn’t the Cubs playing instead.

I mean, even CLEVELAND WON today. All we could seem to do was get out quarterback sacked every other play through the first half, and then the completions we made to guys wearing Washington Redskins jerseys and the fumbles almost put me over the top. Generally I watch the Bears and the Cubs (and even Notre Dame) to relax……I have to say, it is not working this year.
I have no delusions that I could do better. And as a former athlete and now a coach, I know I have had (and have) my share of people shaking their heads at me occasionally. It really is all part of playing…..sometimes you have it and sometimes you don’t…..and sometimes you REALLY DON’T. It seems as if the year is getting longer, and thank God I didn’t like all that science in school because now in my ignorance I can say that it is longer!
But sports have taught me some important lessons in life. I have learned many lessons on important topics such as competition, being a better player, mistakes, and recovering from mistakes too. Mental attitude, especially in trying times, and the concept of loyalty have all been monumental as well.
The last two I will hold onto today. I love the teams I have loved all my life, not because of who they are on any given day, but for what they have always been to me…..my team.
It is going to be a rough year apparently, and of course the science people (I think my wife the microbiologist calls them “scientists”) are saying that this year is definitely one of the longest on record. But I will still be there rooting them on…….I am what I am, but a true fan through and though.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Da surprise…….

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Amanda left to meet a friend this morning, Scott was sleeping (along with Viper and the cat) and Ben was stalking me in every single solitary bit of personal space I had when there was a knock on the door. We ran to open it only to have Stephanie say, “Hi daddy!” What a surprise! She and her friend Lindsey had come into town to see friends and to visit. AND….she wanted it to be a surprise, which it was.

And of course I had to write about it this evening! And of course you can see how very excited they were to be the subjects of my blog tonight. And of course you can tell I didn’t really care, because I took their picture at the Bob Evans anyway. Two young attractive girls who cover their faces in public! I probably shouldn’t have shouted, “okay girls look at the camera…gitchy gitchy goo!” But I am a dad, and what do I know.
But as quick as they came, they left. Tonight their reunion tour heads up to Wabash (it was at Butler last night apparently) and will break up sometime tomorrow. It was just great to see them.
Of course now I am behind. I have everything out of the way tomorrow but for a sermon. But I have to say, it was well worth it. I miss my kids when they are gone, or when I am gone. And it is always a blessing to get to spend time with them!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Of tea, bigotry, patriots, and faithfulness….

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A few weeks ago I was sitting in a lab waiting to get my blood drawn when a news story about the Tea Party was shown on the TV in the waiting room. A young woman seated across from me, there were only two of us, rolled her eyes in disgust.

Of course not wanting to let that go by unnoticed I asked her, “I guess you’re not a member of the Tea Party?” It clearly took her aback, so I leaned in waiting. She uncomfortably giggled, “Well I guess I am just a member of the coffee party. I just can’t stand the Tea Party.”
Lucky for her she was called back, because I was prepared to ask more…..for I was fairly certain she was just spewing what she had heard, and behind it there was not a lot of substance.
Why did this bother me so? Well for one, the Tea Party is a reference to the Boston Tea Party, where patriots dumped tons of tea into Boston Harbor in protest of the government at the time. Yep, guys like Paul Revere and Sam Adams were involved too….and before revisionist history, I was taught that this was a good thing.
So now patriotic Americans, sick of the policies of what they feel to be a government gone awry, gather together to try and make a difference……and they are.
What is happening is astounding to me. People who feel threatened by these people exercising their basic rights as Americans now label them “bigots” and “racists”. They impugn their character, and question their intellect. And quite honestly, it is a shameful and cowardly act, and does more to erode the values of this country than anything I have seen in my lifetime.
And it strikes a nerve with me, because of where I have been. I was a member of the Episcopal Church the majority of my life. I was a member of its clergy for 18 years. I read the Bible, I prayed and I stood for what I believed. I didn’t take a parish out, I retired…..but did so with my dignity and integrity.
But because I was a conservative, I was also labeled a “bigot” (I am not), a “racist” (which I could never understand), “intolerant” (because I would not believe that “anything goes”), and a “homophobe” (which actually means fearful of homosexuals, I am not, when I expressed a belief in the Church’s traditional teachings on the subject). All my life I was told to stand up for what I believed, but when what I believed threatened the power of those in control, things became too much. I retired without fanfare, and went to work for what I believed. Ironically, I was still charged and tried by a church that while espousing “tolerance” just could not stand anyone like me.
Bigotry? Hatred? You bet my friends…..it’s all around us. The question is just who is selling it. They are all in my prayers.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+