[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 176 (Monday, December 7, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 A FATHER'S LOVE: IN HONOR OF BRETT FAVRE ``4'' AT THE RETIRING OF HIS 
                        NUMBER AT LAMBEAU FIELD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. REID J. RIBBLE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 7, 2015

  Mr. RIBBLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Brett Favre, who 
was inducted into the Hall of Fame this past summer, and the halftime 
ceremony which took place on Thanksgiving retiring his number ``4'' at 
Lambeau Field. I submit this poem penned in his honor by Albert Carey 
Caswell.

                            A Father's Love

                       (By Albert Carey Caswell)

     The heart of a champion,
     and from where does it all so come
     And how is one so born into this among
     And where does such a splendid gift originate from
     And how may we pass on these gifts of love,
     to our sons
     For its only through our love and time,
     and life lessons find, what we have won
     For our days on this earth,
     are the shortest of all ones
     So cherish each moment with your sons
     For its all about what we leave behind,
     when all is said and done
     So who will we touch before our last suns
     To raise a son and instill in him all his of hopes and 
           dreams,
     and values to come
     To bestow upon him all your gifts of love,
     to help him rise above
     One of our Lord's most precious gifts,
     is to raise a child of love
     No greater blessing on the wings of a dove
     Because a child is the brightest of all lights.
     Passing onto him all our wisdom and love.
     Watching him grow up into a fine man,
     is the culmination of all our dreams begun
     There was once a little boy sitting on his father's knee,
     as his dad spoke to him about his future dreams,
     and what he could be.
     ``listen my son, you are the one, believe''
     ``And little man, you will go Favre
     and football is in your blood and she'll give you all you 
           need!''
     And from that first day as was completed,
     such a warm bond in hearts to succeed it
     A catch with dad, a fine Father and Son,
     as such a love story grew on fields of green
     Like Father like Son into this winning team
     As a father and a coach passed onto him his creed
     Showing him what he would need
     And what it was to be a man,
     hitting pay dirt in The Game of Life . . . TD
     A pat on the back, extending a warm hand, and respect to 
           demand,
     to lead his heart towards his future dreams
     And throughout the years,
     those bumps and bruises here
     Nights at home with broken bones,
     and contusions as a love story grew so dear.
     Pop Warner, High School ball,
     and then a College comes to call,
     and soon the big leagues Brett's name would fear
     To be a Pro, at the Top, To Be The Best,
     as Brett's leadership they could not contest
     As the cream of the crop,
     is an almost impossible quest,
     to be in The Hall of Fame one day as one of The Very Best
     In football,
     the very heart of any team is but The Quarterback
     The point from which,
     all leadership on fields of green attacks
     Where the toughest of the tough react
     With only micro seconds to counteract,
     on coming mammoths of size and speed
     As all around you 300lb men come crashing in,
     trying to make you bleed
     And throughout the years,
     many great names have here played on fields of green
     Like Johnny Its U, The Young Man too, The Montana Man,
     In the Namath of Football whose legend grew, that Shaw of 
           Football
     Terry too, and Peyton's Place, Marino, Captain Comeback 
           Stauback,
     a Cool Brees, Brady, Rocket Rogers a list of greats he, and 
           Bart a Star of
     the who's who
     And now its Brave Brett,
     that gunslinger with the quad threat history pursued
     And when we close the
     door on number ``4''
     in The Hall of Fame him we will view
     A ``4'' threat man who can beat you with his feet,
     his arm, his head, and his heart too.
     Because on fields of green,
     Brett is one of greatest warriors seen
     SMASHING ALL KNOWN RECORDS AS HE DEEMED
     A gunslinger who could hit any target,
     dislocating receivers fingers on his team
     And it did not happen by luck or by circumstance,
     but because of a Father's Love which gave him the chance
     Who helped him shape his future dreams,
     as reflections of him in Brett are seen
     Because of this great love which convened.
     Which helped him weather the storms of life,
     when days turned mean.
     As he grew up strong and tall,
     to compete on those fields of green
     For Football is such a splendid game,
     where her life lessons with us remain
     Where a Father and Son's reflections,
     into future generation can be seen
     The year was 2003,
     as across our country a great love story was about to convene
     As the power of a Father and Son's love,
     our Nation was about to glean
     As Brett went deep on the TV screen
     Just like the Gipper of old,
     a new love story was about to unfold
     As a Nation for his son so grieved
     To win one for DAD on fields of green
     With tears in eyes, Brett showed us all why,
     in life what the most so really means
     As we saw what his Dad had given him,
     so deep down inside that which gleams
     Solid Gold,
     molding one of the greatest of all time so.
     Bringing tears to eyes
     In life, no greater victory can be achieved.
     Then the love of a parent and child believe
     From end to end,
     no greater drive could be conceived
     Sadly though, some children will never know such a friend so 
           very deep
     To arm a child,
     with their love all the while to compete.
     To realize his dreams to seek
     Up in heaven this day
     Brett your Dad is working out a long term
     contract with Vince and our Lord for when
     you come up to play
     Where, you can walk with your Best Friend
     and talk football and go fishing once again.
     For Heaven my friends,
     is the real Super Bowl for all us to contend.
     And there can be no greater gift,
     then all of this in a child's heart to help him rise above
     And that's why In The Game of Life,
     Brett always went deep armed with his Father's Love.

                          ____________________