Hello Linda,
We were in the same boat you're in with our AA flights this time last year. Cancelled and changed our flights, arrivals after our connection had departed, etc., so we took the refund option and booked a much more expensive flight on Delta. AA restored our old flights on the original days with the CLT connections we like best about 2 or 3 weeks later. We were out a pretty good chunk of change, but it allowed us to keep all our typical island arrival arrangements and length of stay, as well as lessen the "what will they do next" anxiety.