The missing piece

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 This past Christmas break I spent my downtime putting puzzles together. My 20-year-old daughter Tweeted, "why did my mom get me a puzzle for Christmas and she just did the whole thing herself??? I have to laugh." So I was a little obsessed with finishing the Frida Kahlo puzzle, it was so pretty! As soon as I finished it, I took a picture of it and took it apart, announcing to my daughter that all the pieces were there (insert cheesy smile). 

Later the same day, my sister's children came over to visit. I asked my eldest niece if she'd like to work on a puzzle with me. She said yes and I quickly grabbed one none of us had ever put together before. It was The Polar Express! We immediately started strategizing and sorting pieces but we didn't get too far. The next morning I got to work on the puzzle, convinced that I'd be done by the end of the day... HA! To my surprise, this innocent-looking puzzle actually took over the rest of my days off, and then some. Just when I thought I had the right piece, it wouldn't fit, it was weird... perhaps shape-shifting pieces? OK, maybe I underestimated how hard it would be, so I obsessively worked (at times with my kids, who would quickly give up) until I was almost done. And then... when it was time to place the last piece, I was robbed of my moment of glory. The piece was nowhere to be found! Did the dog take it? What about the cat? Nope... the piece was gone, or never there. I almost got mad when I realized how alike my life this experience had been. Just when you think you have something figured out, the piece doesn't fit or isn't there, making the picture is incomplete. But is it ever complete? Maybe that's what makes life interesting and looking for missing pieces gives us meaning. Whether it's learning something new, or helping someone else, looking for a solution to a problem gives me a sense of purpose. 

In my journey, there have always been pieces missing, or some that I thought fit and didn't. The constant missing piece, my husband, is due to arrive home in less than 14 months. When he does, we'll start working on a whole new puzzle as the old one hangs on the wall. Together we intend to help others who may be going through the same difficulties that we have endured for so long. We may not change the world, but perhaps we can be that one tiny piece that connects another in the grand puzzle of life. 




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