More than 60 years ago a mighty friendship was forged between two brothers. These two brothers were Dick and Bruce Abbott. They did many things together over the years as most friends do. Even as they got older that friendship grew.
Dick purchased a piece of property on the Mississippi River that had been in the family for many years. There had been numerous changes made to that property over those many years, but the friendship between these two brothers never seemed to change. One aspect of that river front property that never really changed was a small shed built right along the shoreline of that Mighty Mississippi River. Because of the close proximity to the river this shed had to be built tough, forged in steel, to withstand the floods and the tests of time, just like the friendship between Dick and Bruce.
Over the years as these two men got older the activity they enjoyed the most together was sitting in that reinforced shed on a winter Sunday afternoon drinking beer and watching football. Bruce was as much of a Green Bay Packer fan as Dick was a Chicago Bear fan. As Bruce drank his beer of choice, Old Style Light, Dick would consume his beer of choice, Old Style, in front of the wood burning stove. They needed some sort of cold beverage because that wood burner filled that little shed with enough heat to melt the Arctic Ice Cap.
Time passed and unfortunately eventually one of those friends did, too. Dick died suddenly in November of 2007. This passing was the only thing that could have ever ended the friendship of these two men. Because of Dick's dedication as the world's greatest Bear's fan, Bruce had to come up with some way to honor his friend. Bruce had been a long time employee of the city of Clinton and A.) had connections and B.) knew where the best junk was on Big Grabage Pick-up Day. Through his brain-storming and craftiness, he came up with a fitting way to honor his best friend and the 12th Man for the Chicago Bears. He located a discarded wooden statue or lawn ornimant of a two foot tall bear. He put on this bear a remnant of one of Dick's old Bear's sweatshirts with a sign on the edge that said "12th Man". Also because of Dick's life-long occupation as being the best baker around, Bruce gave the wooden statue a miniature doll of the Pillsbury Doughboy to hold. Another loss that occured shortly after Dick's passing was his dedicated companion Boomer, the Yellow Lab that never left his side. I think Boomer died of a broken heart or from lost hope after wandering around for weeks looking to see where Dick went off to. So to add to the memorial statue of the 12th Man, Bruce added a colloar with Boomer's dog tag on it wrapped around the bear's neck.
Time marched on again as is it always does. Many things changed while one thing stayed the same. That shed to this day still stands. After enduring several floods and a change of possesion of property, that old wooden shed along the shores of the Mississippi River still hosts Uncle Bruce drinking his now beer of choice, Busch Light and his new companion, Uncle Dick. They sit around that same wood burning stove where they watch football every Sunday afternoon. The shed and the rest of the property belong to Dick's daughter and me now. The role of the Yellow Lab is now played by our dog, Titus. The memorial bear statue still sits on the table absorbing the 100 degree heat of the burner and watching the game as the 12th Man.
A fan is a mere supprter of a team. The 12th Man in football is a fan in overdrive. He's the one who is so engrossed into every move the team makes that he would jump off of sidelines and play for them if he could. That was the dedication of Dick Abbott. He was the ultimate Bear's fan. He would have loved being called in off of the sidelines today in the 182nd meeting of his brother's favorite team to see if he could have taken them to the Super Bowl. That 12th Man was not there today so Uncle Bruce got his wish this time as the Packers advanced to the big game.
Who is your 12th Man? Who would jump into save the game for you? Do you realize we have a God in heaven loves you so much, who come to save the day in your darkest hour? Call upon your 12th Man. he just might save your life and send you to the big game.
