Do you believe that when something is taken from you, something better is returned?  I was reminded of this simple truth last Sunday, in of all places, Sea World San Antonio.  And thankfully, it was just a “small scale” demonstration.  Here’s the full story…

A few weeks ago, we received a card in the mail from Sea World San Antonio, which is celebrating its 20th year, informing us that it will be opening it’s doors for the 2008 season on March 1 and 2.  As a special treat, the first 10,000 season pass holders will each get a commemorative 20th birthday drink container (read: a really nice tumbler).  Freebie freaks that we are, we were raring to go.  And besides, we wanted to make sulit the most out of our precious season passes, also referred to as silver passports, which we bought in December last year.

And so, on March 2nd, we went to Sea World for the second time (the first was 01 December).  We arrived at almost exactly 12nn and proceeded to pick up our 2008 coupon booklets.  Going through Sea World’s entrance gates is akin to that of airport security.  One presents the season pass together with a valid ID with photo and then there’s an index finger scan.  Unbelievable, isn’t it? :)  Our first stop when we were fere finally inside the park was the tumbler distribution tent.  After we got our loots, we shoved all three tumblers in the storage basket under Abby’s stroller.  Then we focused on having fun!

We went to the Nautilus Amphitheater next, just in time to catch the first of two animal presentations from Jack Hannah.  We parked Abby’s stroller at the designated stroller parking spaces.  Jack introduced a number of animals to the audience including a camel, lemurs, porcupines, a kangaroo, etc.  It was a very informative show, to say the least, and lasted no more than 20 minutes.  We had a full afternoon ahead of us and after the show, the Dolphin Cove was our next stop.

Just as we were leaving the stroller parking area of the Nautilus Amphitheater, hubby took a quick survey of the storage basket under Abby’s stroller.  “Oh maaan,” I heard hubby say, in a tone which hinted that something was amiss.  Waddaya know?!  One tumbler was missing.  I ran back to where we parked the stroller to check if it fell off.  It wasn’t there and there was no way it could have fallen.  Hubby and I were a littlle shocked and admittedly, we were disappointed.  Who steals a frikkin’ tumbler anyway?  Well, your guess is as good as mine.  Shame on you, tumbler taker!

Hubby and I were both irked and the sad part was, we didn’t know who to be irked at.  So it was just a lousy tumbler which we got for free.  Nothing to lose sleep over.   But if you think about it, we drove 2 hours to get to Sea World, woke up early on a Sunday, etcetera, etcetera, that in the end, the tumbler no longer comes out free.  We then speculated on what could have happened: some child must have gotten it and the parent didn’t notice; maybe the tumbler taker thought that since we had 3, we wouldn’t mind if one was “taken”; or maybe, the taker thought it was meant for everyone in the park and we can just ask for another one.  At first, I thought I should just let it go.  But there’s this discomfort I was feeling because we were done wrong. ..and it’s bad to take somebody else’s stuff, people!   Period!

And here is where thinking happy/positive thoughts come in.  I told hubby we’ll get another tumbler because I simply can’t let anyone  ruin our day.  I thought I’d ask for another one and that’s exactly what I did en route to Dolphin Cove.  We stopped by the tumbler distribution tent and I told Dan, one of 3 Sea World staffers at the booth, that we’ve already picked up our tumblers earlier but somebody stole one of them and then I asked him if he could possibly give me another one. :D  He gave me a new one with a smile.  Bless you and thank you, Dan!

Little did I know that throughout the day, the tumbler that was taken will be returned to us in more ways than the replacement one.  First, Abby won for herself, on her own merit, a medium-sized Shamu stuffed toy at her signature carnival game.  You know that game where you throw a ball and it’s supposed to land on a colored hole?  Yes, that game!  It was the exact same game for which Abby won for herself last year, a giant Bugs Bunny stuffed toy from Six Flags Dallas.

Abby tries to win herself a prize…

…and she does!

And there’s more, on our way to Boardwalk Games, an area where people can play more carnival games with bigger and better prizes, a little boy shoved pink tickets (ones that can be exchanged for a prize) in hubby’s hands in full view of his parents.  When asked if he was sure, he said yes.  So we kept the tickets.

I knew exactly what I wanted to bring home for Abby, a giant “My Littly Pony” stuffed toy, which I saw a number of people carrying around!  Hee hee!  Call it pony envy, if you will. :)  We found the game booth, one wherein there are 3 bottles forming a pyramid which should all be knocked off the little round table they’re standing on in one throw of a small bean ball. :D  Hubby knocked all bottles off the table, including another bottle on the adjacent table.  Hahaha!  We now have a pony at home.

Daddy wins a pony for Abby

I had to share in the excitement, too!

What did we do we the pink tickets?  We exchanged them for a prize.  We only had 24 tickets and the only prize we can get with that number of tickets are cute rings worth 5 tickets each.  I told the lady behind the counter that we’ll get 4 rings and she said she’ll give us five.  Then I found bead bracelets and asked how many tickets one was worth…she said 30 (according to hubby…I thought I heard 50).  Uh, ok. :D  She said she’d give me one…plus one ring.  Yipee!  That’s way  more than the tickets we have!
On our way to the car, hubby and I (and Abby, of course!) were still high from the excitement of how our day turned out to be.  We kept saying that we got so much more (and better, too!) in return for the tumbler that was taken from us. 

The End.
oOo

I look at what happened last Sunday as a reminder.  I am first to admit that when God takes something away from me or from my loved ones, I go through the natural and normal process of crying, whining, doubting and asking Him why…”Bakit naman po?“…in the same way that we ask our parents why they’re taking away the car or phone priveleges.  Over the years, God has taken something from me and my loved ones…as in “big ticket items”. :)  But always, and I mean always, He gives us something better in return…an upgrade, if you will.  And that is the exciting part!

And so to you from whom something was taken, be it a dollar or a million dollars, a tooth or what used to be a perfectly clean bill of health, a night’s sleep or many many night’s sleep, I say unto you, hang in there.  Wait patiently and wait excitedly, too!  I don’t mean to trivialize your loss/es with the above simple demonstration.  Yes, sometimes we feel it’s taking too long before that something better, that miracle, comes along, but it will.  You just wait and see.  And when it does, you might even feel a tad silly that for a brief moment, you doubted God’s plan and felt sorry for yourself. :)  But that’s ok.  That’s what you call being human.  So while you’re waiting, count your blessings. Focus on what you have and be truly thankful for them.  Before you know it, you have more of the same blessings that you’re being thankful for. ;)