Oh….I forgot!!!!!

January 11, 2011 Fr Tom Tirman Leave a comment

Wow….what an idiot! I forgot to post the coolest thing that happened last night. I could not take a picture because it was too dark, but it was something that reminded me of why I LOVE living in Indiana.

After dinner at the “Texas Road House” in Anderson, Ben and I left early because there was a policewoman in uniform waiting to be seated for what was probably her lunch. Ben and I went to meet her. He, like all three year olds, is fascinated with the police, and he was more than happy to head her way. Of course when it came down to meeting her, he chickened out and walked right by. However, when I said “I thought you wanted to say hi to her,” he turned right around and told her he was three. And from there you could feel the love.

And suddenly there was another officer who was there to eat with her, and he talked to Ben too. And he was in three year old heaven. But the best was yet to come as we went out toward our car and met the third officer coming in. Ben was VERY excited and said hello. And this officer asked him if he wanted to see his CAR.

Of course Ben said YES. And suddenly there were lights and sirens in the parking lot of the Texas Roadhouse….all courtesy of newly swore in three year old police officer Benjamin Scott Tirman. He couldn’t have been happier.

One of the things that I suddenly realized is a sense of home. There is a real feel about Indiana, and although I had been missing it for many years I felt it then. I grew up in a small town, and was the product of a way of life I often have trouble expressing…..but I saw it and experienced it again last night.

I love it here and I thank God for it. What a blessing and a privilege to see and experience what I did last night!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

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Anniversary Entertainment…….

January 10, 2011 Fr Tom Tirman Leave a comment

Today we celebrated the four-year anniversary of our ministry here in central Indiana. There was even a very nice pitch-in following the service there, but one I could not stay for due to a pastoral emergency. But I was told everyone had a marvelous time.

I do have to say that it is quite an accomplishment, and from that one sort of “non-intentional” church plant, many others have sprung. It hardly seems possible that it was four years ago, but then again lots of things hardly seem possible these days, particularly things like I will turn 50 this year.

But after I finished my day, Amanda, Ben, and I were able to join Fr. PT and his wife Jewel for dinner to celebrate. Ben put on my glasses in an attempt to entertain us all, and that’s where the picture comes from. He was very entertaining, far more entertaining than either PT or I, and he was relatively cheap too, in that kid’s meals are next to nothing. That’s how Scotty lost his job as our family dinner entertainer….he switched from the kids mean to the filet.

But the anniversary is finished and we are home and I am looking forward to going to bed. I am beat. From my office however I hear the voice of that “baby turtle” coming from my room.

He’s still funny, but I think his kid’s meal is feeling more like the filet tonight to me…….

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

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Let em eat cake…..oh wait, they are done…..

January 8, 2011 Fr Tom Tirman Leave a comment

Yep, a cake party, and I wasn’t invited. Of course the two of them (Amanda and Ben) are most often in their own little world.

An example of this was when I came back upstairs this morning to Ben hiding under the covers if my bed. He was being the “baby turtle” and his mom was the “mommy turtle,” and apparently I was not just “in the water” but from the way he yelled and hid I was apparently some sort of “predator.” And quite honestly I would have sent him to his room if Greenpeace weren’t such a militant group. I am a pastor after all, and I do not need the bad press.

But the two of them enjoy their playtime, especially when Scotty is not around to be Ben’s Assistant. Had Scott been there this morning he would have clearly been the “brother turtle,” which could be taken to mean either “sibling turtle” or “religious turtle,” because I suppose he qualifies as either.

But the fact remains that I am excluded from all the cake and turtle games. No worries though…..because I am really trying to lose the weight, and of course they do not make a shell in my size.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

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If you please……

January 8, 2011 Fr Tom Tirman Leave a comment

I am pleased to report that over the last few days I posted my 900th blog. It may have been yesterday, or the day before, but the big news is that I got at least that far. And although at times writing is very challenging for me, the discipline has been a big part of my recovery. If you talked with me in person you would have no idea I have had a stroke. You would instead see me as a typical confused 49 year old married guy…..we are all forgetful, but what about I cannot remember.

But not all of this blog will be pleasing, for this afternoon we got some snow, and it seemed to catch the plows off guard. It was VERY slick, so since I was out at St. Patrick’s today, I decided to head home at about 1:30 and pick up Ben from the sitters on the way. I figured it would be more responsible to get him a few hours early rather than later to avoid the possibility of the roads being worse.

So I picked up Ben…..PRE-nap……and although he was awake, he was not pleased. I tricked him into looking at the camera, but he didn’t speak to me much of the way home. When we arrived, he was then suddenly NOT tired, and still not pleased…this time because he didn’t want or need a nap.

So we watched a few episodes of Transformers (pre-Megan Fox and Even Steven) and then I scratched his back trying to get him to go out. And although I do consider myself a professional parent, all of this (meaning EVERYTHING I tried) did nothing but make ME tired. Now I was not pleased.

How he does what he does I will never know. He fell asleep in my bed with me scratching his back approximately 15 minutes before his mom arrived home, and then they both napped two hours in each others’ arms. Let’s not think he is innocent, because he clearly knows what he is doing. He may have been asleep, but his face had that “who’s the pro now?” look. I am living with a genius I swear.

But the good news is that it is still snowing and we are all safe. I wanted to drive up and visit my grandma tomorrow and see my mom….both for Christmas. Since I have been “not well” these past few weeks I didn’t want to take the chance of exposing them to anything. But I am now fine (the walking has helped clear my lungs) and I was looking forward to it….the snow and ice however will most likely delay those plans for a few days….as it did Viper and I walking today.

So no walk today (Viper is not pleased), and no pleasing anyone else either. But I am not worried. I have progressed a great deal and if I were not so tired I would toast myself for hitting 900. And for that, at least I am pleased.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

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The Inside Scoop on Winter……

January 6, 2011 Fr Tom Tirman Leave a comment

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday’s blog entry has a picture of the same dog on the same road. Yesterday of course was nice, whereas today was treacherous (meaning “awful”) but we went out for our walk just the same.

Of course the weather was so bad that not even the squirrels were out, and the advantage of four legs over two was that Viper did not almost “bite the dust” twice like I almost did. Now “bite the dust” I am sure is either a western term, or if not that something developed by the Pledge company (Johnson and Johnson – New Brunswick, New Jersey 08933) But the bottom line is that I almost fell, and I almost fell on ICE and TWICE!

The horrifying reality (this can be confirmed by the Reverend Joe Mlaker of WISCONSIN, where they use the NCAA Ice Hockey Rulebook as the Constitution) is that hockey players DO NOT fall on ice unless they are hit, and in all honesty there was no one near me. Of course had I gone out for this walk on skates, this would not be my blog topic, because I skate better than I walk (I really do). But as I looked like a total loon trying to stay on my feet all I can say is how thankful I was that Viper did not laugh, especially because we love him and I would hate to have to put him to sleep (but it is in the ice hockey rulebook – it really is the toughest sport in the world).

But there IS a silver lining (and no, I have NO CLUE what that means or why it would be a good thing…after all it is not like a “Big Mac lining”) and that is that my tracking program, “RunKeeper” on my phone listed our walk as over 7 miles! It has listed prior walks as all over 4 miles, which I truly believe are closer to 3.5, but really, who cares?

I almost “bit the dust”…….I think I deserve a little bonus.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

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The Great Hunter….

January 6, 2011 Fr Tom Tirman Leave a comment

I have decided to change my life….and with that, our dog’s too. Viper and I began walking yesterday, and although I am not certain I believe the distance that is calculated through the GPS on my phone, it is the actual discipline that matters. Viper and I will walk about an hour each day.

Of course it is ridiculously easy to walk a show dog, or at least I thought. He carries his own leash and at least in the ring, never leaves my side. But unlike any ring, and unlike our prior neighborhood, this neighborhood is loaded…….not with money, but with squirrels!

In retrospect, I wish I had squirrels when I was training him for the ring, because he is certainly interested. He wants to chase, but in truth he wouldn’t catch a thing. I just do not want to irritate neighbors. I personally like the squirrels in our yard, although I am sure he will attempt to chase them all. I KNOW for a FACT that he will not want to rid our yard (2 acres) of them, but he is just in it for the chase. Everything is a game to Viper, and it is fun to see. He is a great dog, and it cracks me up that he even thinks he could catch one.

Of course I am his role model. No one in their right mind would ever think I could be married to someone as attractive or as smart as my wife, so I suppose if you are Viper you might think you would have a chance at anything. After all, they are just squirrels…..I caught a cheetah! And when you are an old goat like Viper and me, those things have meaning.

And even if he doesn’t catch one, at least he has his stuffed squirrel here at home!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

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Ode to the Original Stephanie Tirman…….

January 5, 2011 Fr Tom Tirman Leave a comment

Today would have been my sister Stephanie’s 48th birthday had she not succumbed to cancer back in 2001. Of all my siblings, she and I had the most contentious relationship, being able to make each other insane at just the drop of a hat, yet I have to confess I miss her terribly. She was a real pro at torturing her older brother, but in all reality I must confess, she had a heart of gold.

Actually, two of my sisters are gone, and although I think of them often, on their birthdays I like to do something special to remember them by. My sister Sarah is easy. She used to take my mom out for margaritas at the Hacienda, so on her birthday I generally have a margarita. In all honesty I never even tried one until she died, which was 2004. But they are pretty good, and a great way to remember her.

My sister Stephanie (for whom my daughter is named – they spent 10 great years together before she died) is much harder to celebrate. We called her “The Queen of Christmas” because she was so stinking generous to everyone, but I am too cheap for that. I thought about trying to get my own goat (irritate myself in rural Indiana terms) but I really find that oppressive. And because she was a first class competitive gymnast all the way through college, I thought about learning to flip or something “gymnastic-fastic,” but my body says I am too old. (Though Amanda and the kids encourage me on the last one, but probably just because they are my beneficiaries.)

So what do I do? Well, quite honestly I just remember. Steph, for all her abilities to drive me insane, could only really do that because she knew me probably even better than I did myself. Sure, she abused that privilege, and probably with great glee, but although we could fight like cats and dogs, I really have no recollection of her ever not being at my side. It was really more of a game, a game that I played too, but you do not name your daughter after someone you dislike, you do it after someone you really admire and want them to emulate.

And although we were both pretty good athletes, I will also remember as her “big brother” how much tougher she was than me. I was an ice hockey player, which is very physical. She was an all-around gymnast. I often played injured or in pain, she made someone in the athletic tape business rich…..she had to be taped all the time. And despite ankles and wrists that ached all the time, she could leap through the air like she had wings and land with remarkable precision. At 4’6″ and 70 pounds, she was always tougher than me. And if that was not a great witness to me, then she spent years kicking cancer’s butt again and again and again.

So I guess my way to celebrate her is not just found on her birthday, but it is really embedded in my life. I am thankful for that, and I am sure if she could take that back she would, just too irritate me! But this time I finally win!

Thanks for being such a big part of my life Steph. I love you and I miss you. And I will see you again soon enough. (And yes, I am sure she reads my blog!)

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

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Oh brother…..

January 4, 2011 Fr Tom Tirman Leave a comment

I remember warning them both….”beware, after your little brother is born he will invade every part of your life, including your personal space. He will eat every meal you have before you, but not the healthy parts, the good ones like the fries. None of your stuff will be safe, and privacy as you know it will all be disappear.” And of course Stephanie and Scott just laughed it off.

But tonight is the last night of Scott’s Christmas vacation, and apparently “movie night.” Oh no, it is not any movie HE wants, it is something that Ben has chosen. And the picture, if expanded would show a “full-size” couch, but as you can see they are on one small part of it. Ben has already eaten some of Scott’s pizza and if all goes to his little evil plan, he will have his brother for the remainder of the night.

The funny part is that this picture is from their “playroom.” They each have a room and share a “Jack and Jill” bathroom, but have put both their beds in the one room and have this couch and TV and toys in the other room….the “playroom.” They really do think they are hot stuff, and in truth, they are. And in a short while Scott will head off to bed, and Ben will probably snake into his bed with him. You see, he doesn’t just seek to invade space, he ultimately like his mom, seeks heat. It’s all about him, and if you live here you just better be used to it.

But they deserve a bit of fun tonight. Scotty spent a lot of time searching and applying to colleges today. If anyone has about $50,000 lying around that they can send him, let me know. Most of Stephanie’s college is paid for, but Scotty will need some help. Please keep him (and us) in your prayers!

So hopefully the rest of the night will be uneventful. They appear to be enjoying this last night of vacation. I am glad too. Tomorrow Scott begins his very last semester of high school, and the thought of that unsettles me. Sure, with Ben being just three, I will probably have a child at home long after I am dead, but to have both Stephanie and Scott gone will be hard on me, let alone on Amanda and Ben.

But birds leave the nest……tonight I am just a bit saddened that I cannot keep them all forever.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+

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The trouble with good intentions…..

January 3, 2011 Fr Tom Tirman Leave a comment

Okay, needless to say my wife was not pleased. I got for her (really, they were not for me) the “nine ladies dancing,” for the ninth day of Christmas and it was embarrassing to ask them to leave. Yep, try and do a good thing……..I guess even the best intentions can go awry.

Of course I should have known. All the birds and livestock do not make for a festive celebration…..especially in a new home, but then again you cannot criticize a guy for trying. I am just trying to be a good guy.

Of course everything is relative. But ultimately I am a man, and therefore used to being wrong, even when I attempt to be right, or even believe myself to be.

But time heals all wounds, and of course ServiceMaster cleans all livestock accidents. Only three more days to go…..and leaping lords, pipers, and drums can’t do that much damage…..can they?

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+