Another Perspective

[PackFaninBucLand]

The decision was uncertain for over three days - make the trip to the NFC Championship game - or perhaps regret it. It meant flying from Tampa to Chicago, staying Saturday night in Madison and heading off after 7:30 Mass at St. Benedicts in Middleton Sunday morning to Green Bay. The experience wouldn't be mine alone, despite having never attended an NFL playoff game. I would be bringing my 15 year old son, a true Packer fan despite being born in Florida.

There were other considerations. My son's high school district soccer schedule that still hadn't been posted at the time of booking the flights. The weather (I'm from Wisconsin but I've been in Florida for over 25 years)! My schedule - I had a meeting in North Carolina on Tuesday. All of these issues paled in comparison to the nagging dilema that tugged at my heart as any trough of artic air could muster. What if we lose?

On the trip back to Madison from Green Bay that night, my son and I hardly spoke. In fact, we barely uttered a word from our seats to our parked rented car in the driveway of the friendly neighbor a couple of blocks from hallowed Lambeau. We couldn't speak then mostly because our words were too muffled under our knit face masks. Even once in the car we hardly spoke because we were cold, tired, and - defeated!

We spent the night at his grandparents home in Madison and woke up to pack our things and head to Chicago for the flight home. He slept most of the way back as he had on the way to Green Bay and I felt pretty good that I must be in fair shape for a nearly 50 year old guy to still be able to make this journey with little sleep and much driving.

Somewhere along the way back on the flight home, we caught each other's eyes just as we had immediately after the Giants' missed field goal that sent the game into overtime. This time, of course, the game was lost and it was all over. Still, the look reminded both of us of the promise that we had already made that, win or lose, we were going to always cherish this game. We had promised that we were going to never regret this game. We both smiled. As I watched him nod off again, another thought came into my head that seemed to soothe my soul, if only for the moment. "It's just a game", I whispered, as I brushed back the hair from his forehead, and everything came back in to perspective.

 

[SNAP]

Great, great post..........Make sure you tell him they'll be other games.........and victories......he may be too young to realize it's just a game.....and the players are his heroes and, obviously , by reading your wonderful post, you are one of them too.

 

[joym13]

Great post! What a great experience for you and your son.

 

[cheesey]

I agree....GREAT post!
I went down the the NFC championship game against Dallas in 1995. To say it was depressing is an understatement. But this season i got to go to the Seattle playoff game, and got to see the "snow bowl" win.
I have seen wins and losses, but ALL have been fun and memories i cherish!

 

[SNAP]

I was the luckiest kid in the world. My parents (Dad(88) died in '04, mom(920 in '05)adopted me when I was 7 days old. It was like "here's the kid, we'll do the paperwork later." So I can relate to PackFan's great post. At 15 my heroes were athletes so you really didnt think about dad as a hero until later on. So this is what I said at his funeral, and I rarely share this w/anybody:

MY DAD……………MY HERO
As a young boy you think you have many heroes, baseball players, astronauts, whatever. But as you grow older you realize that you only have one true hero…your dad. My dad was everything a dad could be and more. No matter where I was in my life my parents always followed. They needed to live close to me and vice-versa. I realized the importance of this as I got older. Especially in dad’s case. Things started breaking down inside him and he had trouble coming to grips with that.
Knowing the type of person he was he would never say how bad it really might have been. He didn’t want to burden me or mom……..she was a worrier.
Lately it got to the point where he could no longer take good care of himself and my mom couldn’t handle it anymore. So it was decided they would both be going to a care facility. Amazingly, he readily agreed.
His first day there was to be today, right about this time of the day. He had to have a short stay in the hospital first.
Today, to ease the pain of giving up most of your independence going to a home, I was going to tell him how I much I really loved him and appreciated everything he ever did for me.
Saturday I lost that chance…………so I’ll say it now.
Thanks Dad for everything……………..Thanks for Little League……..for coming straight from work to watch me play…………thanks for all the nights playing ball with me………….thanks for getting on all fours and walking me around the house when I was real young……………….thanks for the education you gave me………………thanks for being there for every part of my life……………thanks for adopting me so I had the honor of having you as my father…………………and most of all………..thanks for being my dad…………………thanks for being my hero………….I love you

Your Son,

Steven

 

[Green_Bay_Packers]

Aww thats amazing nice to see you and your son had a good time

 

[Pack93z]

PackFaninBucLand thanks for sharing your story, and even in defeat it will truly be remembered in defeat. That is something you keep no matter the score.

Great post!

 

[PackFaninBucLand]

Geez, Snap! You got me all teary eyed. My dad is 83 and has fought WWII, heart problems much of his life and now cancer (terminal over 6 years now). I hope that I can be near as eloquent, thoughtful and loving in his inevitable eulogy as you were!

Good luck to you and the Giants.

 

[SNAP]

Geez, Snap! You got me all teary eyed. My dad is 83 and has fought WWII, heart problems much of his life and now cancer (terminal over 6 years now). I hope that I can be near as eloquent, thoughtful and loving in his inevitable eulogy as you were!

Good luck to you and the Giants.

Thanks Pack.......Hopefully it will be quite a while before you have to make that speech.......Sounds like your dad is a tough one.

 

[packerfan4ever]

great post glad you went and had a good time

 

[Greg C.]

Great post, PackFanInBucLand. I went to both playoff games, after not having been to a game in five years, and like you, I realized that it could go either way. So I experienced both extremes. The joy of victory over Seattle and the disappointment of defeat against the Giants.

But at least we took advantage of the opportunity to support our team in person, and if they do win a championship in the not-too-distant future, it will make the victory just a little sweeter for us than it would've been if we hadn't gone to the game.

 

[Pack93z]

Snap.. honored to meet you. First Class.

 

[SNAP]

Snap.. honored to me you. First Class.

Thanks Pack93z I truly appreciate that.............and I'll say it again...........this is a first class forum w/first class people such as yourself.

Thanks Again,
Steve

And I hope NYG can do the NFC proud.

 

[Zombieslayer]

PackFanInBucLand and SNAP - Thanks to both of you for sharing those. You made my morning a better morning by reading those posts.

 

[cheesey]

Steve....... ..........sounds like you had a GREAT Dad. And looks like he did a GREAT job raising you to be a kind, considerate loving man.
My Dad died when i was 16, at the age of 44 of a massive heart attack. Next Tuesday he will be gone 34 years. I miss him SO much. He was a loving man, who ALWAYS told me he loved me, and taught me to NEVER be ashamed to let those I love KNOW it. So i was glad i told him i loved him all the time. He had a GREAT sense of humor, and always made people smile.
I wish i would have had him here to help me with decisions, and to give me guidence in my life. So many times i wish i could have asked him, "Dad, what do i do now?" So many times i have felt lost, not knowing what to do. I have survived, but sometimes feel so lost.
Now i'm sitting here with tears in my eyes.........life is so short, and so many take it for granted that their loved ones will be there for them "tomorrow".

 

[SNAP]

Steve....... ..........sounds like you had a GREAT Dad. And looks like he did a GREAT job raising you to be a kind, considerate loving man.
My Dad died when i was 16, at the age of 44 of a massive heart attack. Next Tuesday he will be gone 34 years. I miss him SO much. He was a loving man, who ALWAYS told me he loved me, and taught me to NEVER be ashamed to let those I love KNOW it. So i was glad i told him i loved him all the time. He had a GREAT sense of humor, and always made people smile.
I wish i would have had him here to help me with decisions, and to give me guidence in my life. So many times i wish i could have asked him, "Dad, what do i do now?" So many times i have felt lost, not knowing what to do. I have survived, but sometimes feel so lost.
Now i'm sitting here with tears in my eyes.........life is so short, and so many take it for granted that their loved ones will be there for them "tomorrow".

Cheese,

I always tell my girls nevr go to sleep mad at anyone because if you found out the next morning that they died you wouldnt want angry words as the last thing you said to them............Good post Cheesey......at least I had dad til I was 47 and mom for 16 mos. after dad died. They were together 67 years and she pretty much died of a broken heart. I gave her 2 yrs after he died. She lasted 16 mos. She lived 92 years and was never sick. She just gave up. She saw my 2 girls on a Sunday and went the next day..........You got me crying too........Time to go watch the Cowboy/****** video to put a smile on my face.

 

[cheesey]

Steve....... ..........sounds like you had a GREAT Dad. And looks like he did a GREAT job raising you to be a kind, considerate loving man.
My Dad died when i was 16, at the age of 44 of a massive heart attack. Next Tuesday he will be gone 34 years. I miss him SO much. He was a loving man, who ALWAYS told me he loved me, and taught me to NEVER be ashamed to let those I love KNOW it. So i was glad i told him i loved him all the time. He had a GREAT sense of humor, and always made people smile.
I wish i would have had him here to help me with decisions, and to give me guidence in my life. So many times i wish i could have asked him, "Dad, what do i do now?" So many times i have felt lost, not knowing what to do. I have survived, but sometimes feel so lost.
Now i'm sitting here with tears in my eyes.........life is so short, and so many take it for granted that their loved ones will be there for them "tomorrow".

Cheese,

I always tell my girls nevr go to sleep mad at anyone because if you found out the next morning that they died you wouldnt want angry words as the last thing you said to them............Good post Cheesey......at least I had dad til I was 47 and mom for 16 mos. after dad died. They were together 67 years and she pretty much died of a broken heart. I gave her 2 yrs after he died. She lasted 16 mos. She lived 92 years and was never sick. She just gave up. She saw my 2 girls on a Sunday and went the next day..........You got me crying too........Time to go watch the Cowboy/****** video to put a smile on my face.

I lost my Mom when i was 33 (she was 59) and just over 3 years later, my brother died at 43.
I do still have my sister, but she's not doing so well.

 

[joym13]

SNAP and Cheesey - these are some really touching stories you have shared, thank you!

 

[cheesey]

SNAP and Cheesey - these are some really touching stories you have shared, thank you!

THANK YOU Joy!
Sometimes i wonder myself how i can keep laughing........sometimes thats the ONLY thing that keeps me from curling up in a ball and crying myself to sleep.

 

[SNAP]

SNAP and Cheesey - these are some really touching stories you have shared, thank you!

You're welcome joy.........that's a name I like.

 

[SNAP]

Steve....... ..........sounds like you had a GREAT Dad. And looks like he did a GREAT job raising you to be a kind, considerate loving man.
My Dad died when i was 16, at the age of 44 of a massive heart attack. Next Tuesday he will be gone 34 years. I miss him SO much. He was a loving man, who ALWAYS told me he loved me, and taught me to NEVER be ashamed to let those I love KNOW it. So i was glad i told him i loved him all the time. He had a GREAT sense of humor, and always made people smile.
I wish i would have had him here to help me with decisions, and to give me guidence in my life. So many times i wish i could have asked him, "Dad, what do i do now?" So many times i have felt lost, not knowing what to do. I have survived, but sometimes feel so lost.
Now i'm sitting here with tears in my eyes.........life is so short, and so many take it for granted that their loved ones will be there for them "tomorrow".

Cheesey, They were the 2 most unselfish people I have ever known. I could live for 1000 years and never know anyone like them.

 

[mkapp]

Makes me miss my dad too. I moved away just over 3 years ago and have only seen him once since then. We talk on the phone, but we were REALLY close. Being his name is Gary, I am pretty certain I will tattoo the Packer "G" on me this year.

Thanks for all the great stories and its awesome to see the family bonds that you all share with your loved ones...alive or passed.

 

[SNAP]

Makes me miss my dad too. I moved away just over 3 years ago and have only seen him once since then. We talk on the phone, but we were REALLY close. Being his name is Gary, I am pretty certain I will tattoo the Packer "G" on me this year.

Thanks for all the great stories and its awesome to see the family bonds that you all share with your loved ones...alive or passed.

Go see him.......make it a surprise.

 

[cheesey]

Makes me miss my dad too. I moved away just over 3 years ago and have only seen him once since then. We talk on the phone, but we were REALLY close. Being his name is Gary, I am pretty certain I will tattoo the Packer "G" on me this year.

Thanks for all the great stories and its awesome to see the family bonds that you all share with your loved ones...alive or passed.

Go see him.......make it a surprise.

I AGREE!!!
What a GREAT surprise that would be for him! IF you can do it.

I have a Packer "G" tattoo on my right forearm. I got it in August of 1996.

 

[mkapp]

Its a complicated situation but its definetly a consideration. C'mon tax returns!!