Disappointment...done right!

Everybody faces disappointment...everybody!  It is typically a pretty bitter pill to swallow... for most of us anyway.  This past week, I had two pieces of disappointing news to deliver to Rowan.  In the end though, not only did I take it a lot harder than he did... I ended up learning a few things from him.

#1

Rowan signed up for Soccer again this season and has been anxiously waiting to hear if he gets on a team with any of the same kids from his team last season.  Unfortunately, we already knew that one player moved out of town, one decided to play football, one went back to baseball, one moved up to a higher league, and the others...we had not heard about yet.  I registered Rowan, asking them to place him with anyone left in the league from his team last season, and we waited.  This past week, we received an email from Rowan's new coach, along with a roster of the kids on his new team.  I realized right away that they were all new names, as in none of them were from Rowan's team last season.  I was worried about telling him, because he has been waiting several months to play soccer with his old buddies.  Finally, I broke the news.  He was bummed at first, and almost looked like he would cry.  However, after a few seconds, he smiled and said, "Well, I made 11 friends on the first night of practice last year, I guess this just means that I have 11 new friends to make this year too!"  

That is disappointment done right!

#2

Rowan auditioned for the Woodlawn Theater's production of Peter Pan Jr. on Saturday.  He was so excited to get back into acting, and to "feel like a normal kid again".  He was thrilled to be in the same audition group as some of his best acting buds, and happy to hear that one of his other best acting buds was trying out the next day.  Everything went great Saturday, and they were told that they would get the casting emails by the following Friday.  Unfortunately, the very next night I received an email from one of Rowan's buddies, that he was counting on being in the play with.  He told me that he couldn't explain why, but he would not be able to be in this production.  He wanted to let me know that he wanted to get together with Rowan again sometime soon though.  I broke the news to Rowan, who at first burst in to tears, so sad that he would not be in the play with this friend.  I tried to console Rowan, telling him that at least they would remain friends, whether they were in the show together or not.  After a few minutes, Rowan calmed down, then he suddenly got even sadder and said, "Oh no, what if it's a money problem, or someone is sick in his family, or his parents getting divorced, or something like that?!"  He was more overcome with worry for his friend than he was with his own disappointment about not being in the play with him. 

That is disappointment done right!



What is disappointment done right...it is knowing that:

~Things aren't always what they seem.

Sometimes we learn lessons during the most difficult of times.

~It isn't always just about us.

~We don't always get to be on the team that we want to be on.  Instead of being disappointed, or giving up, we should be thankful that we have new team members!

~Sometimes, we aren't placed with our best friends, or they don't join us in our next adventure, but you know what...they may have more serious issues of their own to handle, so we should pray for them, rather than feel sorry for ourselves!

Thank you Rowan for reminding us of these life lessons, and for teaching is how to handle life's disappointments, graciously and gratefully!


A few more reasons to be encouraged by Rowan's outlook during these situations is that he had his first soccer practice this week, and was thrilled to meet new friends.

He also got the Woodlawn Theater "Peter Pan" cast list today and he earned the role that he wanted, "Michael Darling", which he couldn't be happier about.

Thank you for reminding us Rowan, that missed opportunities are sometimes simply new opportunities, and that losing friends, sometimes just means gaining new ones, but that either way... God provides for us.

Now, please mark your calendars for December 5th (3 pm), 7th (7 pm) and 9th (7 pm), and come watch this talented group of individuals in their performance of "Peter Pan Jr." at the Woodlawn Theater in San Antonio, Texas.

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