I Missed the Award by Duane L Herrmann

I had registered, and paid, for the convention banquet. It, and the rest of the convention, was held in the city were my daughter and her children lived.  I planned to spend some time with them, then go to the convention.

Little did I realized the power of grandchildren.

Because they lived far enough away that I wasn't able to see them often, I didn't even think about the convention.  And the banquet I'd paid to attend?  What could be more fulfilling than time with my little ones?  So, I skipped it (and, I hate when people waste a meal!).

“Oh, the banquet is now,” I remember thinking, then I dismissed the thought.

I enjoyed my little children and returned home, the convention forgotten.

A week or so later, I received a letter from the organizers of the convention.  The letter stated that, at the banquet I missed, awards for books published that year or the year before, had been given out.  My book: By Thy Strengthening Grace, had received the Ferguson Kansas History Book Award for its contribution to Kansas history.

I was astonished!

I had remembered submitting the book, then forgot all about it.  While I was at my daughter's, I never thought about the book awards being given.  If I had, I would have wondered, but I didn't.

It would have been so nice to have been there, the surprise of the award, the walk from my seat to the front of the banquet hall to the applause of the crowd.  That had never happened to me, though I had seen other receive such awards. I had missed my chance.

The award certificate duly arrived in the mail, with the award prize check, but I was alone when they arrived, so no one was around to congratulate me.  It was not the same as if I'd been there.

But, I had time with my grandchildren – and that was far more important.