Tag Archives: thankful

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Being thankful for the important and right things……

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It has been a stressful day. Amanda and Ben are still out of town, and this morning Steph (who was driving) and Scott got in an accident with two other cars on their way to school. A friend of theirs was also riding in the car, and although no one was hurt, as a parent it still weighs heavily on your heart. I am so very thankful they are all fine. A car we can fix.

But the stress and worry has me struggling to keep things straight! I have a gathering tomorrow to be at in Nashville in the morning at St. Matthew’s, but I am supposed to bring quite a few things with me, and in the fog I am wondering whether or not I will remember. Fortunately people are pretty forgiving and what I do forget, if indeed I do, I can go buy someplace down there.

With all of it though I need to say I must now go to bed. The posting times of these entries do not reflect the time or time zone I write them in. It is now 1:30 in the morning and I am leaving in 6 hours. Stress and too many things happening is never my friend, but I will not make it worse…..I will sign off and go try and sleep.

Thanks for checking in! Say a prayer of thanksgiving with me today! I hope you have had a blessed day!

Good night and God Bless!

Tom+

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A great excuse to be short……..

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It’s midnight on Saturday and I am just getting home from a long day of meetings and travel. Since I am getting up in just four hours to polish up my sermon and then head to Nashville for a 9am service, I thought I would just pop in and ask for your prayers for me tomorrow. Today, and even the last few days, though productive, were extremely challenging. And though I apparently have survived them since I do think at least that I am home, tomorrow with the 9am in Nashville and the launch of St. Paul’s Greenfield at 1:00pm will take a lot out of me. It concerns me in that I feel way beyond my limit now. Hopefully, with God’s help, all will work out the way He wants it too.

Anyway, all this is to say I am going to just post this cheap excuse tonight and head to bed. God Bless you my friends. It is so great to be back home again in Indiana! Come join us tomorrow in Greenfield if you can. I will be the one sleeping through my own sermon!

Fr. Tom+

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The end of a perfect day…….

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Today was the first day of Summer, but more than that, it was my best day yet since my stroke. I felt great all day long and enjoyed every bit of it! Working in Nashville went well, and even folding laundry at the end of the day didn’t bother me at all AND I did it all on my own!! (I must have brain damage). But I hadn’t had a day like today in a long time, so nothing was going to taint it!

And I am all set for tomorrow too. I didn’t feel real good about my sermon, but it seemed to be received well at St. Matthew’s Nashville, so I will use it again tomorrow and it will appear on our website (www.IndianaAnglican.com) tomorrow afternoon. Deacon Tony Bender, (and his wife Denise), were at St. Matthew’s for the first time tonight, and it was great to see the people welcome him as one of the family there. There was no cake, which disappointed me (after this past week I sort of hope to see cake everywhere) but I did sneak a cookie or two and it was just what I needed to counteract all the salad I have been eating since my birthday!

I was just so very thankful to have a good day, and not just a good one, but a great one. Today I felt NORMAL, and that has been a long time coming I can tell you! And hopefully tomorrow will bring another great day!

For now however, I will finish this up. My laptop is with me in bed, and Amanda is already asleep just a foot or so away. I do have a bit of pain, but I am confident it is nothing serious, It is actually just the heel of an infant who is but 9 days shy of 1. He is asleep in a wedge in between us, but he is clearly more “in between” towards my side than hers (he works for her…. you know it and I do too!!).

But what do I care? It’s been a perfect day! I am blessed to have lived it, and I hope for many more too! And not just for me, but for you as well!

God bless and goodnight!!!

Tom+

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My brain, and yes, it’s still there……..

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Because I was heading back to the neurologist yesterday I wanted to wait until after my appointment to post. Though I was only one of three people in the exam room (my doctor, my wife, and I) and though I certainly was apprehensive, I do want to report that it all went pretty well. In a nutshell, basically, I have a bit of work to do to get to where I both need and want to be. I have indicators of problems in a few areas, but as I told Amanda in front of the doctor, not loading the dishwasher is a problem I had pre-stroke, and was not a neurological issue that he needed to deal with….but I digress. (but I still struggle with the dishes)

The bottom line is that even though there are a few test results we are still waiting for, they will not change my bottom line. I will have some speech therapy, I will watch myself, I will work hard, and I will do all I can to make sure I recover and that this never happens again. Thankfully the chances of a repeat performance apparently are extremely low, so hopefully sooner or later I will get back to only seeing my doctor for check-ups like everyone else. My face is still a little numb, and I stutter a bit, but I am 46 and have a 10 month old baby……I already ache all the time. And if Mel Tillis can overcome stuttering to record tons of country songs, why should I worry about a few sermons? After all, maybe the change of pace in my “giddy-up” will help a wake a few people up!

I want you all to understand though, despite my making fun of it, I do take my health very seriously, as we all should. Laughing for me however, helps me to deal with things as I go through them, particularly hard things. In truth, the Lord only gives us this one body, and you have to take care of it. I want you to know that I am working hard to take care of mine. I hope and pray you are too.

Please praying for me as I continue to walk forward. I appreciate it very much and it is the most helpful thing for me that you can do.

God Bless, and thanks!

Fr. Tom+