Here are a few of my favorite images, cartoons and humor from the week:
- Passover—It was fantastic to be able to celebrate the Seders with my parents and Sharon this year. It has been far too long since we were able to do that. The second seder at my friends in Chicago was terrific. Lots of young people and lots of energy. I think the highlight of the Seder was the fact that they handed out little rubber frogs, plastic grasshoppers and small cotton balls for people to throw around the table as we read off the 10 plagues.
- Game Changers at Chicago White Sox—On a cool evening, with a small crowd, the Chicago White Sox hosted a Game Changers event with an impressive panel discussion in recognition of Jackie Robinson Day. You can read a full overview of the event here, but the fact that we still struggle so much with racism in this country is disturbing. It would be great to have a day when people who judge and treat each person as an individual. Sadly, we are a long way from that.
- Ament Celebration of Life—My close friend Neil Ament passed away in December, at far too young of an age. His daughter arranged a beautiful Celebration of Life at one of his favorite places in Highland Park/Highwood. It was nice to share stories and meet more people whose lives he had touched. Neil was a huge Wisconsin Badger fan and was an on-field photographer for many Wisconsin Football games. For anyone interested, we are holding a golf event and BBQ in his honor on Sunday, June 30, 2019. If you would like to join us, please let me know.
- Kids dinner—One thing that strikes me each time I have the privilege of having dinner with my kids, is how rapidly they grow up. I used to be able to plan so many things for us to do together and loved every second of it (well, virtually every second). Now, it is tough to get on their calendar with all of their activities, school, friends, BBYO and the hectic teenage life. I am so fortunate to have them in my life and share so many experiences together. I feel horrible for many of the divorced parents out there who are denied access to their children or the ability to share in all of their happiness, struggles and day-to-day activities. Don’t take it for granted.
- Hoss—Hoss Johnson has run dozens of football mission trips around the world. His trips have taken people to Central America, Israel, Europe and many other places. I had the opportunity to hear more about his work and efforts on this week’s podcast. Take a listen, I think you will enjoy it!!
- Easter—I always love seeing people being able to celebrate special occasions with their families and loved ones. It is something that I never take for granted and my empathy goes out to those that are not able to do so due to illness, death, finances or incarceration. If you were privileged enough to be able to do that, be thankful. Too often I see people complain about the “family stress” and they never really enjoy what they had until someone has passed away.