March 20-23

My mother's younger brother (my uncle Chester) passed away on March 14, he was 74. In recent years his health had severely deteriorated, in many ways it's remarkable he lived as long as he did. His services were on Thursday morning at the church he attended in Columbia, my mother asked me to drive her there since she had no idea where it was (I found driving directions online). I must admit to being one with no concern for religion. As a youngster my parents tried to instill it in me, I never liked it because frankly I didn't get anything out of it and I still don't. When I was thirteen years old my grandfather in Elmira passed on, my parents made the trip for the formalities and of course I had to go as well. The entire experience traumatized me to the point where I grew to hate funerals (although I don't suppose there is anybody who actually LIKES them), in my adult years I've tried to gracefully avoid them because it's just too damn depressing. When a loved one passes away I can accept that they are gone, I merely wish to remember them as they were when they were alive. When the services began I sat out in the corridor and overheard everything that was going on which was depressing enough without actually sitting inside. I saw my aunt Marilyn and my cousins before the services started, they knew I was physically present and that's all that really matters. On Friday Jenny was in town, we saw each other over the lunch break. On Saturday we had lunch together in Quarryville. Earlier in the week I had a message from old friend Phil Zangari, the APBA baseball league he supervises was having its annual draft on Sunday. The league has been going since 1978, I played in it the first six years it existed. If I'm available I attend the draft and keep track of the paperwork since having a non-participant in that role makes it easier for everyone, this was the first time I was there since 2011 (Royals games kept me away in '12 and '13). The Royals split a pair of games on the road over the weekend, they are back home on Friday the 28th. Take care, thanks for reading.