Monthly Archives: July 2011

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Tales from home……..

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Well I am finally home and it is a good thing too. I am not too tired, but it is good to be amongst the chaos that I not only completely understand, but that I am responsible for as well. I was able to arrive home, get a shower, and then go pick up the Bishop for dinner, since he had also driven over from Illinois. (He lives in Ohio)

Our gathering tonight was just to be social. He works hard enough, and we want him to just get refreshed when he is here. We always get him a hotel room, and then we took him to dinner. We didn’t talk business, we just goof around. It was Fr. PT and his wife Jewel, my wife, Ben, Scott and Cassie, and our Parish Intern Robert, his wife Mary Ann and their son Kaleb! It was good food and good times. AND it was nice to just have dinner with an old friend and not have to do any work.
But Jewel wanted a picture of the Bishop and clergy after the dinner, to which he replied, “I’d rather have my picture taken with the women!” He sees US all the time, but she got her way….he took his picture with us. But not to be outdone, I took the one you see here….with our wives and Cassie. It clearly is a better picture than the one with us, and I hope you enjoy it!
We however will be working soon enough. The Bishop is back at the hotel and we will be meeting with our clergy tomorrow morning at St. Patrick’s. It is probably going to be hard for him, as this is now a larger gathering of the same sorry lot he had dinner with tonight. But it will be his burden to bear…….they just work with me, but they are HIS clergy!
I will take him to lunch tomorrow before he heads back to Ohio to help ease his pain. It is just great to have him here.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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It is over…..

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After having a mustache since I was about 18 (I am 25 now….I mean 50) tonight was the last straw. No one meant anything by it, because the people around me really do like me, but tonight it was just too much.

You see, after my stroke in April of 1998 one of my eyelashes got a white spot on it…..no big deal, right? No, not really. But I cannot tell you how many times people have politely told me I have “something in my eye.” LOTS OF TIMES! But in truth, I don’t.
THEN, my face started to loose hair and pigment, no, not in a Michael Jackson sort of way, but it WAS noticeable…..and ALL of it was on the one side….the side of the eyelash. Of course I mentioned this to my neurologist who said, “I think it is unrelated to the stroke.” Which led me to wonder why I go to doctors, since that is the the “coincidence of the century!”
But tonight the comments were about my mustache. The loss of pigment has invaded one side and lots of people mention it. But tonight, here in Peoria, one guy complimented me as if it was on purpose. It caught my attention. As a matter of fact, a few people mentioned it. And when I mentioned it to the Bishop, who is a long-time close friend, he said it actually looks like I have half a mustache and shave the other half. I thought he was joking.
But upon the return to my hotel room, one of my players had posted some pictures of me at the lacrosse banquet about a month ago, and do you know what? The bishop wasn’t joking. I looked absolutely stupid. And I considered my options…..but only for about 3 seconds. I went right into the bathroom and shaved it off. The hair on my head will be next, but please do not tell my wife.
And in truth, it was not as traumatic as I thought it would be. I suppose looking stupid has it’s privileges! But it will NOT come back until either all my hair loses its pigment or someone staples a new one to my face. I do look different, but thank God people will no longer thing that I am some type of “fashion weirdo” anymore!
Thank God I had a razor and clearly the Brian Urlacher jersey helped to ease the pain!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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A preemptive strike………

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Although I was to leave first thing in the morning for Peoria (I have an ordination there on Saturday), I am savvy enough to know when packing too much into one day is a bad idea. The last few weeks, but particularly the last few days, have been close to overload. So I decided to head to Illinois tonight.

And, it has been a good idea. I have A LOT to do, and I am now in my hotel room and able to do it without distraction. In addition to that, as you can see, I like the room COLD. (Amanda hates such things.) But for 2 nights I will ice it up and sleep hopefully like a baby! Or at least like a polar bear.
The good news is that it will make the trip a lot less stressful, and I can get some things done tonight as well as in the morning, and do so without having to worry about the drive and the day. I can work a bit tonight, get a good night’s sleep, and still get a lot done in the morning. PLUS, after the ordination and festivities, I should have a few more hours tomorrow night to work too! The Bishop will be heading back to Indiana on Sunday and Monday, so getting ahead of the work will not be a bad thing.
But for now I think I will stand over the air conditioner and breathe it all in! Please keep Greg Lynn in your prayers tomorrow as he will be ordained a priest. It will be a big day.
Thankfully, with some good rest, I should be at my best!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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End of the rope……

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I always wondered where the expression, “I am at the end of my rope” came from, but I am certain it does not matter…..I am at the end of my rope.

I think I just need some rest. There is just too much happening around me, and quite honestly I am not sure what to do with all of it. It is not that I am indecisive, or even incapable, it’s that it is just more than is healthy for me to deal with at the moment. PLUS, most of what is causing all this will wait for me (a lot of it will wait forever too!) So in the interest of health and even more importantly, sanity, I have decided to “let it ride”. (I think that is a gambling term, but I am not sure…….I have never been a gambler)
So I have set aside the day and hit the reset button as it were…..Dear Lord I hope it reboots! But the big part is setting things aside before they get out of control. I just need to regroup, reframe, and meet all of it with a fresh perspective in the morning.
At least that’s the plan!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Of potpourri and confusion……..

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I had a long day, and it would have been a rough day if I did not have a sense of humor……or at least that is what I would like to believe.

I left this morning for St. Louis. Stephanie’s buddy Cassie (our second daughter) went home to Missouri a few weeks ago and I went to pick her back up today and bring her back to Indiana. It’s about 10 hours of driving, which seems long, but is something I enjoy.
The trip there was really uneventful. As regular readers know, I am weaning off some medicines and I wasn’t worried about this long a trip, but more curious as to how I would do. Even on meds, being tired or stressed can cause symptoms to arise……nothing like walking into a fountain or yelling at statues, this is stroke recovery, not college…but I digress.
Anyway I was quite proud by the half-way point. No runs, no hits, no errors as they say in baseball…..a real good day. But during the second half things went a bit awry. I made a couple of real Bozo-type turns despite having a Tom Tom. I then spoke to my wife on the phone who was irritated because she could no hear my on my hands-free phone, so I pulled into a gas station…..my low fuel light was on and talked to her while I pumped gas. Cassie went in to the bathrooms.
But after I pumped the gas I decided that I ought to go too, so I headed into the restroom. It was then that I got screwed up. First of all, this was a truck stop, and I wondered what kind when I saw the potpourri on the counter. The two, there were no urinals at all…..man was that confusing. I just didn’t understand. So when I went into the stall it was then I noticed the feminine hygiene thingys and was horrified. THANK GOD no one was in there! I ran right out and almost hit a guy heading into the men’s room across the hall.
NO POTPOURRI! I was safe, although he asked me how I liked the women’s room. I explained briefly about my stroke (not the meds) but then he confessed that he had done that same thing before. I thanked God right there for my brain injury (because that would have been my alibi for the police had I been caught in there!) otherwise I would have felt like a moron!
But we made it home with no further issues, or at least none that I can recall. Cassie thought it was hilarious, and that made me laugh……had I been alone it would have been frightening.
But I can see that this will be a challenge, but so far I am up to it….even after today. Tomorrow indeed will be another day!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Holes……

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Well I am guessing that it may be Independence Day for procrastinators today, and I would join them if I were not so far behind. My predicament has not totally been in my control, and that has been a big part of the problem, but I hope to do a large bit of catching up in the morning. As I will have plenty of time to make calls!

I however have become an expert of digging out of holes over the years, despite being a guy who really likes to be ahead of the game. I am glad I have that skill, but would be happy to use it less. With 50 years under my belt in this life I guess I need to admit that I am going to have to cooperate with other people!
The good news is that this is not unfamiliar territory. AND, I expect by the end of the week I should be all caught up and prepared to fall behind at any time beyond that point too. Life is like the ocean, it is only completely still in pictures.
I however intend to ride the waves……
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Happy 4th of July!

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Happy 4th of July everyone! I am so proud to be an American, and I thank God for all the wonderful blessings He has bestowed upon this great land! I would like to say that I spent it eating hot dogs and potato salad, but alas, I spent it instead working on my truck.

The good news is that 1) it starts, 2) it runs, 3) it now has a wooden Hicksville bumper on it, and 4) it also had an almost completed wooden bed to cover the holes in the metal one (and they are plenty). The bad news is that the new sending unit does not tell us how much gasoline is in it. It does however send gas to the motor….which as I understand things is really more important.
But I am not at all worried as I will not be taking this truck cross-country or anywhere near that long of a trip. We will use it to move limbs and stuff out of the lawn and to get mulch and stuff like that. I do get a lot of looks driving it, and was getting ready to let Amanda know that it appears to be a real “chick-magnet,” but I think I probably need to get the muffler fixed first before I make such a pronouncement. It probably is just loud.
But the cool part is that it is mine. The dog likes riding in it, and I feel far more manly in it than when I drive my Matrix. (I did change the Matrix’s horn to make it sound less like a bicycle horn). I still have a lot to do on it, but for now I will just take it slow. It is just fun to tinker a bit. I am happy for the opportunity.
Off to bed to the sound of fireworks! Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Missed a trip I wanted to be on…..

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Today I had to work, so I missed a trip put together by my father that I was invited to to go see my niece in Evansville. Amelia is the daughter of my sister Stephanie (Steph died in 2001) and I have not seen her in quite some time. BUT Steph and Scott, as well as my sister Anna, were able to make the trip yesterday.
I will say that the picture is NOT EVEN REMOTELY RECENT. Amelia is 16 now! But apparently everyone had a camera on their phone, but no one thought to take a picture. This is Amelia as a little kid! I am sure she has all her adult teeth and everything now!
But bothers me a great deal that I have not seen her, and of course that is my fault and not hers. I have been through the area a few times and always have visited my sister’s grave, yet it has always been spontaneous and not planned. I will not use that as an excuse, because it would be a poor one. But I will commit myself to doing a better job in the future. My nieces and nephews are great kids and I can do a better job. I love them all.
So I will take a look at when I can get to see them all. Two live in Virginia (Griff and Katie), two live in Utah (Kayla and Logan), and of course Amelia lives in Indiana. Maybe the next few months will find me doing a better job.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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Truckin it……

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The old gas tank straps are off the truck, and it took forever. The bolts clearly held out through three steel-bit saw blades and their resistance took away the rest of the daylight we had to work with. I need to get this truck running, because if I don’t soon I might as well buy 4 blocks to put it up on in the drive. It is an eyesore when not running. (It is a blurry one when it is)

But we may not have time to take on such a project until the 4th. With services tomorrow and the kids heading out of town to visit their cousin, it will make a two-man job too much. But of course nothing says 4th of July like waking up early and working on your old Ford truck! It will be a proud day I am sure.
The hard parts however are done and we will get it up and going. It has been fun for me. I not only get to do this with my son, but there is often the absence of tangible things in my vocation, so it is great to have a project to work on that I can see……particularly when I get to work that project with my son!
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+
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July 1st…..YEE HA!

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Dear Lord, this post was up and then suddenly disappeared. But I will do my best to retype it as I remember.

But the very best thing I was able to do today was to REMOVE all the leftover birthday cake from Ben’s birthday and take it to the trash. There is no longer anything here in the house that calls my name like that stupid cake. Sadly however, that is all I remember from the post!
But it was also a day that Ben and I spent together. Cindy is still on vacation. AND, Amanda, Steph, and Scott were all working. The job fell to me…..as it had all this week. My job is a bit harder with a 4 year old in tow, particularly now that he asks me something detailed about Star Wars or the Transformers every 4.3 seconds. I always am wrong in my response (after all, he is his mother’s son) but he asks me nonetheless. And I intended to get onto some work that I could not have him talk through when we got back home, but he had exhausted me, so we took that nap together…..though I am sure I may have fallen asleep first.
So it is July 1st. No more cakes, some cookouts, but nothing too dangerous. I am glad it is here. I was beginning to believe I was going to need cake rehab.
Goodnight my friends and God Bless!
Tommy+