Peace By Piece

It's so fun putting together jigsaw puzzles.  Sitting down with a Grandparent or other loved one, manipulating all of those pieces.  It brings a certain peace doesn't it?  A calming and soothing feeling that seems unexpected during such a tedious task.  After hours upon hours you come to the final piece of a 1400 piece puzzle, only to find, that the peace is missing.

You search for what seems like a lifetime.  The beautiful display of the Solar System is missing one very important star.  The puzzle sits on the card table, people stare at its beauty as if it were complete.  The puzzle is together in their eyes because all they see is the peace that surrounds you.  They fail to notice the missing piece.

Sometimes things aren't as simple as we'd like them to be.  Sometimes people don't understand how or why happiness can be found in broken puzzles.  Sometimes people ask questions, "What's the story with you?"  "There's more here than meets the eye!"  Maybe those people are smarter than we think.  Maybe they see things that should be obvious to everyone else. 

Ultimately, personal peace can only be found when the final piece to the puzzle is found.  Some of us have found that peace while others search high and low for that piece.  I think it has to do with where you look.  You could empty out the vacuum, walk the aisles of the grocery store, or just patiently wait until it jumps in and fills that void.

I also believe that the missing piece can be tucked away under the puzzle box.  Right there in front of your face.  Like a subtle smile hidden by tears or a quiet I love you from across a parking lot.  I think that peace in the puzzle of life, can only be accomplished once we're brave enough to drop in the missing piece. 

Like a puzzle with a missing piece, many lives miss that peace as well.  If you know where to find that peace, be brave enough to fill the void.  If you're still searching for that piece, I hope that you come across it in the most peaceful way.  We can all go about our lives wondering and wandering.  We can all search aimlessly for that missing peace.  Or we can be brave, smile, breath easy, and love.  We can find peace.  We can lay down the final piece that we already know is there. -Blink