Halstead One - Shots

Baseballs and Church

To Jay Halstead, the first two weeks of April hold a very special place in his heart for two very different reasons.

The first week is opening weekend for baseball and is one of the only fond memories he remembers with his dad growing up.

His dad would buy them Cubs shirts from the local Target on opening day since they were in school on that Thursday. Come Saturday, he would wake Jay and Will up early, they would raid the local dollar store for candy and popcorn, and they would head off to Wrigley Stadium. Despite living closer to Guaranteed Rate Stadium - the stadium the White Sox would play at - Pat Halstead chose to spend every opening day at Wrigley. Cause in his mind, they could watch a Sox game any weekend they wanted during Baseball season, but it was quite the special trip to go see a Cubs game. When they would arrive at the stadium, he and the boys would sit and watch the game. Anytime the take me out the ball game song would come on, Jay remembered his dad would sing it the loudest and jolliest and would sometimes throw Jay up in the air.

Despite being a busy detective for an elite unit, the first Saturday of April every year, he calls off work and heads to Wrigley Stadium to sit and watch the Cubs opening game! And if he still walks into a local Target to pick up a t-shirt and some candy than nobody has to know.

The second week of April holds a special place in Jay's heart because its Easter aka his late mother's favorite holiday. Growing up Catholic, Jay found himself frequently sitting in the pews of the hot church during Holy Week. He would stare up at the icons on the ceiling and kick his feet about - which always got him in trouble by his father, who probably also didn't want to be there but since he was an adult didn't have the luxury to sit and lallygag.

Despite not being Catholic anymore, every year Jay finds himself sitting through long church services every Holy Week just so he can be closer to his mom.