I am restarting this blog today and writing it, more I suppose for therapy than anything else. On Monday morning April 14th I suffered a small stroke, and spent the week in the hospital.

There has truly been no experience in my life that I can compare to this. Though I look fine, I still feel pretty weak. I am a little droopy on the left side of my face, I stutter at times, and have trouble putting together thoughts, particularly when speaking or writing…but writing is clearly getting better. The last sentence I had to stop and think about a lot, but I can go back and look at it. The whole thing reminds me of taking a foreign language. You think in your mind the English sentence and then try to remember the words to exchange for them in the foreign language….it takes some time, and it an be frustrating, but more than anything, I want you to know I am up to the challenge, AND, I will be fine.

Of course I have to be. I write, speak, and pray for a living (okay it is a vocation for me) but you get my point. Thinking and communicating are vital in what I do, and it is really scary to think about not being able to do that. But more than that, I have teenage children who I am convinced would NEVER clean their rooms or let the dogs out without my direction. Plus Ben, who is just 10 months, needs to have me teach him how to drive his mom nuts! It is imperative I get better!

As you can see, I still can laugh. My smile is a little crooked, but perhaps that just reflects a bit of the character that the Lord has had in me all along. In truth I am up, I am breathing, I am laughing, I am walking, and I am alive. Was it scary? You bet. Will I continue to take care of myself? For sure, I was taking care of myself before. But in the whole scheme of things, all of these things are just obstacles to overcome…..and I promise I will.

As a discipline for myself, and as a therapy, I will now post daily to this blog. I ask and hope that you pray for me and help to support me in this endeavor.

I intend to return to St. Michael the Archangel to deliver the sermons on Sunday the 27th in both our Hamilton County and Anderson Missions. It would mean a great deal to me if you would come and join me in celebration there.

Father Tom+