One of Jacob's favorite toys, a remote control ("RC") car, recently broke. He was pretty sad about it. This car was actually slightly older, and only had two buttons on the remote and was fairly slow, so it was designed for youngsters to get their head around the controls and get introduced to RC cars.
After almost two years of carrying around the RC car by the antenna, it finally broke and would no longer respond to the controls. Kristine had to console Jacob, they talked about it, and then they put the broken toy in the trash. After walking through the disappointment with his mom, Jacob was OK with it, though still sad.
It reminded me that family, friends and faith can help all of us get through life's disappointments. I was also reminded that when one "toy breaks", there are many others to fill its spot - life goes on.
Jacob got a new RC car for Christmas from a relative. The new RC car is quite the opposite from this first one - this one is fast and complicated. The RC car connects to my smartphone via Bluetooth, and requires pushing multiple buttons and steering the phone in order to drive the RC car. It is so wild that it is an outside toy only, and zips around the curl-de-sac at lighting speed. It is really too advanced for Jacob now, so he is still learning and will need more practice before he masters this one.
However, it just goes to show that after the initial disappointment, there is usually something positive on the other side, which is usually a better alternative in hindsight. I hope you find this true in your own life.
Take care,
Brian