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We have white smoke……!!!!!!

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Today we were able to release the news that we have secured a new facility for St. Patrick’s and will be moving in just a few weeks! It has been a long process, but a fruitful one. St. Patrick’s has been meeting at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds for over a year, and it will be a real blessing for them to have their own place! The parishioners there have been very faithful and patient. I rejoice with them at this wonderful accomplishment! Praise God!

St. Patrick’s, like St. Matthew’s, will be meeting in a storefront. And, though we call it St. Patrick’s Noblesville, in truth we will need to start calling it St. Patrick’s Westfield. The church will move to 3032 State Road 32 in Westfield, and just as St. Matthew’s is located next to my favorite pizza place, Pizza King, St. Patrick’s goes in next to my favorite Mexican restaurant, El Japerio! God is blessing me indeed!!

And, to make it all even more wonderful, we will be in the new facility in December! Christmas will be in a permanent home. But we want to thank our friends at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. We are not the first Church here they helped launch, nor will we be the last. Their history of this work goes back almost 20 years. And we are truly thankful for their help and support. It has been a wonderful experience with them. We will pray for the next Church to follow us there as well.

Anyway, the excitement has worn me out so I am of to bed…yep, at 8:30. My Bears won earlier and though the Colts kick off in a matter of moments, I will leave them to their fans (the rest of my family). I need to go to bed while my life, and my world, are very content!

Thank you Lord for a wonderful day!

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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Go Irish, but Scotty, go cheaper…….

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It has been a busy but wonderful day. Scotty and I left early this morning to head to Notre Dame, where Scott was able to tour the campus and attend his first ND football game with my cousins. My uncle and I, who are both older and wiser, didn’t brave the 17 degree weather, but instead watched the game from the Student Union. Sadly ND lost, but Scott was impressed nonetheless.

My cousin Matt is actually a Senior there. Scott and he are pretty close, so it was good for us to be there. Scott, though just a sophomore, needs to start turning his focus toward where he will go, and quite frankly if it is ND he will need TONS of help. We just do not have that kind of money.

Of course he was majorly in love. Notre Dame is a big thing in my family. My dad got his bachelor’s and master’s there, and he even broke his arm playing football there. Now granted it was in gym class, but at least it is not a tall tale!

As for me, I grew up playing hockey in the Irish youth hockey league. My dad taught there, so I was around the campus a lot. When it came time to go to college however, I wanted to go away. Apparently flunking out at home was not good enough, so I made my way away from ND and through two other colleges before heading to, and graduating from, Butler. Don’t get me wrong, Butler is a prestigious school, and I got a great education there. I just regret never going to Notre Dame, and I know I will until the day I die. I will always hold it fondly in my heart.

But I suppose that will have to do….a sheepskin costs well over $100k and I am a bit short! So I will just do my best. Steph is a Junior and will visit ND, probably in March, but will probably go elsewhere. Scotty will probably do the same a year later. Just as long as it is not Penn State I don’t care. Yep, Amanda is one of those, and I already have enough trouble with her. They all think Joe Paterno is in the Bible, and though he is clearly old enough, as a priest I need to be living a little more truth than that. She is a work constantly in progress. Please keep me in your prayers!

Night my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!!!!

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As amazing as it sounds, I not only called Mike Constantine today, but I had the opportunity to talk with him too! Praise God! Mike is such a fine man, and I felt so terrible about my memory, and said so again and again. He was so gracious and understanding. He is a good man! He will be up here in a few months (he and his family live in Little Rock)and I will have the opportunity to get together with him then. I am looking forward to it.

Now of course, I wish I could remember to call Geri Anderson!!!! Okay, I know that sounds like a joke, but I think I wrote about her some time ago. Geri is the Director of the St. Andrew’s Preschool in Spring Hill, Florida, part of the Church I worked at when I was first ordained in the late 80’s. Geri had sent me a letter talking about I think the 30th Anniversary and asked for a letter talking about the time I was there which would be displayed with similar letters from others over all those years.

I was SO EXCITED to read that letter that I sat down and wrote mine right away. I could remember people and details, and how the members of the preschool class were special guests at my ordination to the priesthood. I have a picture of my brother with them when he was just Ben’s age now at that event. And, I still have every gift they gave me. I was so happy to write the letter…..it’s just a crying shame that it has been sitting on my desktop since the moment I wrote it. That’s right, I forgot. Stupid huh? I wrote it September 12th.

Anyway, I am going to contact Geri next week. And your prayers worked so well with Mike, I am asking for them again so I remember this with Geri! It would be nice to conquer this as well.

My friends it has been a GREAT DAY! I will speak more about it in my blog entry this Sunday, but your help in praying for my memory has been greatly appreciated!

As for me, I am off to take my wife to get an ice cream! I am tired, but I am happy, and I still know what side of the bread to butter!

Good night my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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Heading toward normal, sort of……

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Amanda is doing much better, Ben is as well. I had a full day of work, and YES, though I have not yet called Mike Constantine, I did remember ALL DAY. I was just swamped. BUT, despite feeling pretty sharp, I dropped the ball completely in that I forgot to do a surgery visit for a parishioner and very good friend. (sorry Barbara!) I felt absolutely terrible about that, and apologized profusely on the phone, but as I shared yesterday, my detailed short-term memory is pretty awful.

So my day of victory and pride was pretty well all wiped out in one fell swoop. I am still upset about it, but I also know in my heart that it is all part of moving ahead. It seems so long since I have had these struggles in such a way (and here I am struggling to find the correct words) but not every day will a winner. It’s just important to get up, dust off, and try again. And I intend to do just that!

Anyway, despite the struggles, my hope and prayer is that you have had a great day. I am declaring this day now finished. A new day dawns in the morning!

Good night my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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Remembering that I cannot remember to call……

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I have the short-term memory of………well, actually I do not remember. Case in point is an email I received this afternoon from Mike Constantine. Mike is a great guy, with the patience of Job, who works for Family Life, which is a subsidiary of Campus Crusade for Christ.

Since my stroke, I have had it in my mind to call Mike probably 100 times, it is just sadly been in my mind. It amazes me that I can remember details from the 1970’s but somehow cannot remember things in the short-term, even when I really try to. I have written notes to call Mike, and have even put it in my calendar. I do not want to go as far as the tattoo, but by God I need to remember this one. Mike stays in touch, emails, and even prays for me and my family. He’s a real quality guy, and I am really going to try to get it right THIS WEEK.

I sent Mike a reply to his email and said I was going to make sure I would call, and one of the ways to make sure I do is to write it here! I am asking you (my blog readers) to help remind me by praying for my memory Thursday and Friday, and particularly about calling Mike! I will post about it after I call, but I figure my best bet is to give it back to God! (and the call to Mike is one of MANY things I forget, but the one I want to accomplish the most) It seems silly that something so simple would be so hard, but I find my frustration often comes with not being able to get my mind around even the most simple of things.

As an example, I had a clear train of thought, but Amanda just asked me a question and now I cannot even remember what I was going to say after what I have just written. That seems pretty common to most, but this dynamic is my constant companion. My math skills are coming back, as well as complex thought, but remembering, and remembering to remember, just evade me!

Anyway, with all that garble I will sign off for the night. Within 48 hours though I intend to talk to my friend Mike and celebrate a victory! At least that’s the plan (like it has been before!) Pray, pray, pray! And Mike, be waiting for that call!

Good night and God Bless!

Tom+

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Getting closer to the prize………

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I am happy to report that Amanda seems to be getting a bit better. Ben still has a whale of a cough, but the doc says he is doing just fine. I am just happy to know they are heading in the right direction. It is hard in a family when one or two people get sick.

I am always reminded however, of our call to serve others before ourselves. I suppose it is easier to do for a family member, but in truth our responsibility goes far beyond that. We were created, not to be all about ourselves, but to care about and for one another and God. It’s a tall order I know, yet one we were indeed made for.

As a priest it is often frustrating for me to see people act self-focused. It is a misunderstanding of the Gospel, and even of the American Dream. It is not that we are not to achieve individually, in fact we are, but we then use what we have gained or even become to freely serve others. No, not by having what we have earned taken by the government and redistributed, that’s socialism. But instead freely giving of ourselves and our resources to reflect both who it is and Whose it is we are. Faith and faithful living are never to be coerced…..they are meant to be our choice. We freely choose God too!

Anyway, after this long day of service I am heading to bed lest I collapse and need some service myself. I am so very pleased we are getting a spirit of health and wellness back here at home. But keep praying…..both Amanda and Ben have a ways to go. And they, as well as I, appreciate your help.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless.

Tom+

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Ode to a transportation miracle…..

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Tonight I was able to tell my daughter that she could have my car until hers was fixed and she couldn’t have been happier. Her car has been in the body shop for close to a month as parts come in and work is done. What has been sacrificed has been her freedom. She has to hitch a ride everywhere now, and hearing that era was now over produced a big big smile! It made my day!

My car is a 1998 Volvo and it will become Scott’s when he gets his license, but I know he is not too pleased about it. it is a great car, but hardly something a teenager might want. I remember the days. My first car was a red white and blue 1970 Ford Pinto, hardly the “chick magnet” my 16 year old mind had envisioned. But it was good for me. I learned that a car just gets you from one place to another, and how it looks is not nearly as important as how (or if) it runs!

Anyway, tomorrow Steph will take Scott to school in “his car.” It ought to be interesting. I am just glad they will be able to drive and not lug all their stuff on the bus.

In time, lessons will be learned and most importantly I will be a chauffeur to only Ben and his mom. I like them in that they rarely go anywhere after 7! Praise the Lord for that!

Okay…off to pick up Steph from work for the last time! Yee hah!

Good night my friends and God Bless!

Tom+

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200 and counting……..

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Today marks the 200th post on this, “Tales of a Faithful Dragonslayer,” quite an accomplishment seeing as I started the daily posts to help recover from the stroke. It has been a joyful, though at times arduous task. But in the end it has helped get me to where I am now. I believe I still have a long way to go, but clearly my mind is far better than it was in April, and I want to thank all of you for coming along on this ride!

As I reflect back, I know I have run the full spectrum of themes and issues. Sometimes I just shared about my life and family, sometimes I spoke about the Church and faith, and others I clearly talked about my struggles in recovery. I am sure it has not always been pretty, but in truth I never expected it to be. My life is complex and has plenty going on. It has been healthy for me, a real gift, to be able to write about it.

At the onset, I never had the intention of that path for this. It was going to be far more serious. But God often has other plans for us, doesn’t He? I take it in stride. After all, I never thought I would be a priest. I figured I would be in medicine or something similar. My blog reflects the life I never intended to live. The Lord sure has a great sense of humor. But for Him and this life I am truly thankful.

So with that, I am off to bed. It has been a long day, and long weekend at that. May God Bless you as deeply or even more than He has blessed me! Thanks for checking in and following along. The Lord only knows what these next 200 will bring!

Night!

Tom+

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Just one? No thanks, let’s make her’s a double……..

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Well this has been one of those instances where I really didn’t want to be right, but unfortunately I am. Though Ben got an “all clear” from the doctor this morning, Amanda did not fare so well. And though I was worried about them both, in truth, she appeared to be much worse.

To make a long story short, she has double pneumonia and bronchitis. The rest and the antibiotics I am certain will help her, but they of course are not instantaneous. I knew she was stubborn before we married, but I told her a week ago when she was heading off to work once again that she would have a hard time getting to work if this killed her. She just laughed it off. I am so very pleased that she is only as stubborn as she is. I was surprised to see her go today.

Anyway, please keep us all, but particularly Amanda, in your prayers. Being sick is no fun, and she is more on the miserable side of everything right now. In time it will change, but I will bet anything she will be up and ready to head to Church in the morning. It is just how she is. I won’t complain. I admire her drive and determination. But I am anticipating her not going Back to the 80’s tonight!

God Bless.

Tom+

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On living in a temporary infirmary…….

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Well I went “Back to the 80’s” again tonight, but Amanda stayed home. She hasn’t been feeling too good for weeks, and I am beginning to think that it doesn’t have anything to do with being married to me. She has been coughing her brains out (not literally) for a couple of weeks. I think it is worse, and she and Ben will head to the doctor in the morning. I am very thankful for that.

Steph is not feeling all that great either and has a low grade fever. Scott however is doing fine. That is a good thing too….he has one more show Saturday night.

Anyway. though I am certainly the wrong kind of doctor to be working here at home, I am the right kind of husband and father. So I am off to take care of the sick, the weak, and the weary. I really don’t mind, and if I do, maybe I can count on them later to take care of me!

Goodnight and God Bless.

Tom+