The Start of Spring, Easter, and Another Baseball Season!

The start of spring is definitely in the air – even in Chicago!!! OK, temperatures are still in the 30s, but since spring officially started on March 19, I refuse to let that get in the way of enjoying a wonderful start to the season!

First of all, I want to wish everybody celebrating Easter a very happy one! The Kraemer family participated in a wonderful mass celebrated by Father Wayne Watts, the pastor of Saints Joseph and Francis Xavier Church. His homilies always give me a lot of opportunity for important self-reflection regarding values, purpose, and what really matters in this life.

And then, for a little fun, we attended a wonderful brunch. Believe it or not, Shannon and I even had the opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with the Easter bunny!

Not everyone made it through the brunch without needing a nap! Harrison decided it was better to dream about the Easter bunny. 🤣

I also want to recognize all of my Muslim friends who are participating in Ramadan. To all of them, a mid-Ramadan Mubarak!!! I really admire the fasting they do for 30 days. My family and I try to simply give up candy and sweets for the 40 days of Lent. However, that seems easy when I compare it to my friends participating in Ramadan and not eating or drinking anything (not even water!) from sunrise to sunset for 30 days!

The second major event of the coming of spring is the start of another BASEBALL SEASON!!! Here’s a cartoon that a friend of mine sent me that summarizes the importance of baseball to some of us:

As most of you who have been following my blog know by now, baseball is my very favorite sport, and the Chicago Cubs are my very favorite team. You may recall that the Cubbies won the World Series in 2016 (yes, it did take 108 years since the last time they won in 1908).

I would like to think that 2024 may be another big year for the Cubs. So, since today, April 1, is opening day for the Cubs at Wrigley Field, Julie and I are planning to attend. We realize that it may be 30° and rainy, but I never said we weren’t crazy.

While I am optimistic for the Cubs this year, I am aware they have lost two of their first three games on the road to the Rangers and are already 2.5 games out of first place. But please don’t despair, my fellow Cubs fans: There are still 159 games left in the season. 😎