Shout out for Cooper

Last month, in school, Cooper's class had an opportunity (if they wanted) to draw a poster for the Oregon chapter of the American Lung Association that illustrated the importance of not smoking.

He actually had all but completed his poster and brought it home to put the finishing touches on it. But when he went to retrieve it from the side pocket of his backpack, it was nowhere to be found. He had lost it in transit.

Cooper was devastated. All that work! Trying to console him, I told him that he was good at drawing and since there was still some time left, I encouraged him to try to and make another poster. After some time and crying out his disappointment, he finally mustered up the courage to do it again. (Oh, how I can relate to the heartbreaking loss of something you've labored over. The thought of starting again is so overwhelming and you want to just forget about it all together).

The message was the same, but his illustration was different he said. I didn't see his first poster, but the picture on his second one was very impressive. It was a picture of a dinosaur (complete with scales and other defining details) clutching a cigarette in its claws while walking on a giant cigarette. The words were: If you smoke cigarettes, you'll be extinct--like me!  

Cooper's teacher graciously mailed off the over-sized poster from school by the due date and he waited. He really wanted to win first prize...an iPod touch with a $50 gift card to the Apple Store and $250 toward the school to help prevent tobacco use.

Well, Cooper didn't win first place. Or even second or third. Or ninth or tenth. But...he did get a very nice Certificate of Achievement indicating he was the TOP 12 Finalist in the 2013 Youth Tobacco Prevention Poster Contest in Oregon. Wow...not too shabby!

GO COOPER! Congrats on your amazing achievement and for not giving up when you faced an extremely disappointing setback. You're an example for us all.