Don't Miss It

Disappointment creeps in unexpectedly at times, often on the heels of missed opportunities.  Regret settles in and causes vague dissatisfaction.  A recent experience painted this emotion with unusual clarity.  Such a feeling would normally hang like an impressionistic watercolor on the wall of my memory, but this occurrence painted a stark image affirming how important it is to seize opportunities. 

Ever since Hannah’s fourth Christmas, she and I had enjoyed a tradition of looking at a beautiful display of nativity scenes from around the world at Medical Teams International.  The collection included scenes from many different countries, crafted from numerous interesting resources such as ebony, corn husks, tin, ivory, soapstone, jade, and clay.  A small card next to each crèche declared the country of origin and the materials used.  I appreciated the educational value inherent in such a tour.  Learning about different cultures and crafts in the context of celebrating the birth of Christ sparked my interest as both an adult and a mother. 

However, since the timing of the display coincides with the busiest season of the year, days passed as I forgot to call Medical Teams International to inquire about public viewing hours.  Christmas came and went, but I hoped we could go the following week since school would still be out for winter break.  I called the MTI office; the receptionist connected me to a voice mail.  I left a message asking if it would still be possible to view the scenes.  I received a return call on January 2^nd.  The person began by saying that the scenes were still on display.  “Oh, that is so great!” I exclaimed, “I was afraid that we would have missed them…”  The person interrupted me then:  “I’m sorry; someone just informed me that they were put away this morning.   And just to let you know, you may want to call and check before coming next Christmas.  Our president is retiring in July and this private collection belongs to his family.”  This news struck me with a sudden sense of finality.  It made me feel as though my failure to act in time prematurely ended a tradition.  The momentary sense of relief of believing we had not missed out blurred with the news that we had.  I could imagine the scenes newly packed into boxes.  Instead of proudly displayed atop brilliantly draped tables, they were already carefully wrapped in containers.  And worse yet, the opportunity to view them again may have disappeared forever. 

I learned a valuable lesson from this experience.  It made me realize how important it is to seize opportunities.  When Hannah asks me to play games of pretend, my first response tends to be a deferral.  Responsibilities crowd in, making it easier for me to tell her that I have to take care of something else on my ‘to-do’ list first.  But when Hannah came to me that afternoon, asking to play as if she was a cat in an animal shelter to be adopted by me, I surprised her by saying, “Sure!”  We played happily together for at least an hour, sharing dialogue and laughs.  Now I am looking for ways to answer affirmatively to Hannah’s requests whenever possible.  I do not want regrets to cloud my days.  The sunny disposition of a happy daughter and the legacy of shared memories strengthen our relationship.  If one fairly minor disappointment could cause this kind of improvement in our lives, I am grateful for it.