When the Answer Is No: A Game, a Bike, and a Lesson in Hope

A game submission, a father-and-son raffle, and a reminder that one disappointing answer does not have to be the end of the story.

A gift made with love

It had been a while since Fatima first came up with an idea for a dog-themed board game. Some time had passed, but not much was happening with its development. A few months before Christmas, I decided to help move things along. I hoped I could surprise her with a finished prototype.

I had to keep the project a secret. I wanted the gift to be more than something wrapped in a box; I wanted to give her my time and help bring her idea to life. When she opened the prototype, her whole world seemed to stop. Then it clicked. “It’s my game!” she said, choking up. We could all feel how much it meant to her.

Fatima, Joslyn, Jordan, and I played the game together, made adjustments, and worked on a short presentation video to show Hasbro. It was challenging, educational, and so much fun. We laughed until we cried.

Once we had the materials ready, I completed the necessary forms and submitted the concept to Hasbro through its Spark program. Weeks passed. Fatima grew impatient, and I told her that companies receive many submissions. I believed in the game and hoped Hasbro would too.

Then the response arrived: “We appreciate your submission, but your game does not line up with our business plan at this time.” It was not the answer we wanted. I thought there would be other companies and other ways to share the game. Fatima took the rejection hard. She had placed a lot of hope in it, especially because she wanted to find better care options for her aging mother.

A few days later, I stood across the kitchen counter from Fatima while she sat at the table. I could feel how disappointed she was. I told her, “That letter from Hasbro is not the end of this. There are other companies and other venues.” As I spoke, a memory from years earlier came back to me.

The bike we thought we would win

It had been a difficult time for our family. The real estate bubble had burst, the stock market had fallen, and the economy was struggling. We had invested a lot in a new home but had not yet sold our old one. We tried to shield our two young children from the worry, though they could tell things had changed.

Our new neighborhood had hills, and Jordan was almost ten and still riding a one-speed bicycle. It had worked fine in our old, mostly flat neighborhood, but the hills made it a challenge. Around that time, Jordan and I went to a father-and-son bowling event where a ten-speed mountain bike was being raffled off.

Before we even arrived, I had a strong feeling that we might win. I bought twelve tickets. I put some in the raffle basket, went back to bowl, and later added more. Jordan and I were having such a good time that we nearly forgot about the bike.

Then an announcement came over the loudspeaker: “We are ready to call the winning ticket for the bike raffle.” I checked my ticket stubs as the number was called. I had missed it by two numbers. We went back to bowling, and it did not take long for the disappointment to fade.

A little later, they announced that the winning ticket was invalid and that they would draw again. Jordan and I waited eagerly. This time the number was 627. I checked my stubs carefully. “Jordan, we won! We won!”

That memory did not mean every disappointment would turn into a prize. But it reminded me that one answer does not always reveal the whole story, and that joy can arrive in ways we did not expect.

A time for everything

After sharing the raffle story with Fatima, I sat at my computer and wrote a Substack article called When God Says “Not Yet”: Trusting Him With Rejection and Disappointment. I hoped it might lift her spirits. The next morning, while reading the daily readings from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops—a habit I had developed during Lent—Ecclesiastes 3:1 stood out to me: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”

I took that verse as a timely reminder to be patient and keep seeking wisdom. It was not a guarantee that the game would be accepted later or that every outcome would unfold the way we hoped. It helped me remember that we can face disappointment without deciding that hope is over. I then wrote another article, An Appointed Time for Everything: From Receiving God’s Word to Serving Through the Cross, which I also planned to share with Fatima.

The Catechism teaches that God sustains and guides creation through His providence, and that He can bring good from the consequences of evil without being the author of evil (CCC 302, 311–314). That does not mean every setback is secretly a blessing or that we can always explain why something happened. A business rejection is painful and real. We may not know what will come next. We can pray, make practical plans, and ask God for the wisdom to take the next step.

Saint Paul reminds us that God works for good in all things for those who love Him (Romans 8:28). That is a promise of God’s faithful presence and saving purpose, not a promise that every earthly plan will succeed. Christian hope is confidence in God and His promises, not certainty that we will get the outcome we want (CCC 1817). When we need guidance, Scripture invites us to ask God for wisdom (James 1:5).

Sharing the story

That Sunday after Mass, I visited two retirement homes and shared these stories with about sixty Catholics. I serve as an Extraordinary Minister to the Sick and Homebound. People were sorry that Hasbro had declined the game, but they were also moved by the raffle story and the reminder that disappointment is not always the end of a journey.

I do not want to suggest that we should brush away a painful “no” or tell someone to simply wait for a better result. Sometimes the next step is to grieve, ask for help, explore another option, or keep company with the person who is hurting. A story can offer encouragement, but listening and practical care matter too.

Hope for the next step

Looking back, I am grateful for the laughter Fatima and our children shared while building the game, for the memory Jordan and I made at the bowling alley, and for the chance to comfort others with those stories. I cannot say that every disappointment happens for a reason we will later understand. I can say that God can meet us in disappointment, help us love one another through it, and give us courage to consider what comes next.

Sometimes the answer is “not yet.” Sometimes it is “no.” Either way, we can stay close to God, care for the people in front of us, and keep looking for the next faithful step.