A Pilgrimage to Lambeau Field

Brett Favre Made a Dream Come True

Game day arrived and we were so excited. I was a bit worried that we might get to the window to find that there really were no tickets. I still couldn't believe it was really happening. We parked near the stadium and made our way to the will call line. Joseph asked on the way, "Mom, why are all these people barbequing and stuff out here? I mean, why are they out here if they don't have tickets to get into the game?" I replied, "They are Packers fans, that's what Packers fans do." The line moved pretty quickly. As we stood there, I prayed the tickets were really at the window. The man in front of me went up to the window, presented his drivers license and was told, "I'm sorry, we don't have any tickets for you." My heart stopped. I said an extra prayer as I handed over my license and held my breath as the man looked for our tickets. The man came to the window and handed me the tickets through the little hole. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, gathered the boys and we headed into the atrium, one step closer to our "Happy Place".

I didn't even look at the envelope until we made our way into the building. Once inside, I read what was written, " Tickets for: Patty Curran. Tickets left by: Brett Favre. Will Call." Wow. This really was happening. The first thing Matthew wanted to do was to buy a new cheesehead, as his old one was literally falling apart. We splurged and bought each of the boys a new cheesehead. We had managed to convert Sean and Joseph into Packers fans on the drive up and they needed cheeseheads to celebrate their crossing over from the dark side. Sean was a 49ers fan, while Joseph was a Raiders fan. This was a huge day for them and their conversion was certainly worthy of celebration!

We made our way to our seats right on the fifty yard line! We could see the entire Packers team on the sidelines. We were REALLY in our "Happy Place". Lambeau filed on game day is an amazing, fun-filled exciting place. We soaked in everything we could, the sights, the smells and the incredible sounds. We watched as the Packers warmed up and were filled with joyful anticipation of the game to come.

We watched Brett Favre's first shut out game. Some would say that it was a depressing. We were even teased with laughter upon our return home, "You drove that far to see Brett Favre get shut out?" Those people missed out on the point. It wasn't depressing! Lambeau Field is a Happy Place, win or lose. Our trip to Green bay wasn't just about a football game. It was about dreams coming true, miracles and heroes. It was a celebration of life. Having two children with a life-threatening illness, we know that winning isn't everything. Matthew's dream came true, and in our world, that is a true miracle.