The Puzzle of Life....

There are no extra pieces in the universe.

Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill,

and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle.

~ Deepak Chopra

As someone who thrives on taking in the world around them....the spoken and written words of others, shared experiences, observing people as they go about their daily routine, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of world with which we inhabit I end up with a large collection of puzzle pieces to sift through. Each experience carries some influence on my own personal puzzle....my journey of life.

I have spent the last several months "leaning on" several different people from all different realms of my life. Each person offering me their own special form of support, insight, words of wisdom, perspective and gifts. As an "independent soul" this has been a new experience for me.....to be the person needing support instead of the person supporting others. As hard as I try to "fight it" and do this on my own, I can't. I have needed ears to listen, shoulders to cry on, arms to embrace, hands to hold and mouths to share. And through every opportunity I have gathered more pieces for my puzzle. Turning the pieces around, analyzing them, taking them in, sitting back and looking at them....until I find the place where the piece fits.

Facing a challenging time of my life, where clarity is hard to find...where many answers are unknown...where I face the struggle to be strong....to embrace life.....to feel joy in my life....to recognize the things that I can control, I have needed more than ever the tender love, guidance and support of many special people in my life.

When I am greeted with a "today is going to be a good day" and my response is "do you know something I don't know...because all day I have been fighting tears", I am given the love and support, the words of wisdom and insight that my spirit so desperately needed to hear. That although I feel such a deep lack of control over many things in my life....what I can control is how I choose to face the day. I can control bringing things into my life that bring me joy....like dancing around the living room with my daughter to "Old Time Rock and Roll" or sharing a dance with a friend through words alone.

That strong desire to be someone who makes a difference in this world.....to be "larger than life"....to leave my mark on this world...to do so many things in my lifetime, seems to be a constant presence in my life. Through sharing with a friend the overwhelming feeling of all I am going through I am given the gift of the words of friendship and perspective that I so needed to hear. That perhaps in life all we ever will be is ordinary through the things we do....but it will be the lives we touch that truly make a difference. That loving ourselves and finding our true sense of worth is our purpose and there is where we will end up touching the lives of others. As my dear friend said "all I ever will be is Angela (my name instead of her's) ~ a mother, a friend, a sister, a daughter...a handful I will touch....and I when I get to the end of my life I will look back at all I have touched not by all that I never accomplished."

This perspective makes me think about a blog that I read a while ago. One about the roles that different people play in our lives and the roles we play in other's lives. This insightful woman gave her perspective from her heart ~ people come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

The people who come into our lives for a reason serve a purpose, usually an immediate purpose. Perhaps it is the cashier at the grocery store who helps you find an item, or the person in the elevator who pushes the button for you because your hands are full or it is the stranger's story you hear that sheds light on your own life. The people who come into our lives for a season touch our lives on a deeper level. They are there to see us through a particular stage (season) in our life. Perhaps it is the best friend from elementary school whom you drift apart from once you reach high school. Perhaps it is the people in your workplace that you develop relationships with who you lose touch with once you move on to a different job. It is the people, the few people, who are in our lives for a lifetime that perhaps influence our journey the most. They are the people who walk through your journey with you, sharing moments ~ the joyful ones and the challenging ones....the people who grow with you, along side you as individuals yet still connected. Each role that every person who touches your life plays influences your individual puzzle pieces and together we join the pieces of our individual puzzles to create the bigger jigsaw puzzle, the one that is ever evolving....

The people in our lives shed a unique perspective on the things that we see and experience as we piece together our puzzle. I have shared many of my pieces with you through this blog and your insightful comments and caring and supportive words have been truly taken to heart. My dear friend (yes, I know you are reading this) whose perspective and support has been so incredibly vital to my journey lately shared with me her "vision" on the recent blog I wrote about the pathway picture. She was able to see things in a different light than I had. To see the challenges and opportunity....which truly is where life is....a series of challenges that provide opportunities that create our journey and interspersed with it all is the moments of joy and reprieve....each moment creating our puzzle and is in itself a blessing.

My life is so richly blessed by many pieces that are a part of my puzzle....the many people who touch my life in roles of a reason, season or lifetime...each one bringing to my life their own gifts....

~ the Chai latte that warms my heart and spirit

~ the Valentine's treasure that shows up at my front door

~ the friend who calls nearly every day just to see how I am

~ the "keeping in touch" emails that fill my inbox

~ the special little care package when I need it the most

~ the reminder that I am not alone

~ the reminder that there is always someone who is struggling more than I am

~ the reminder to laugh, sing, dance and embrace life

~ the reminder about the things I can control and to release the need to control that which I can't

~ the blessing of a friend's voice on the phone

~ the warm embrace that lets me know I am loved and cared about

~ the listening ear....even when I talk on and on and around and around and it seems like it is "all about me"

~ the people who love and accept me as I am....because after all I am who I am

~ the friend who will join me for a walk or a workout at the gym

~ a snuggle, a hug or an I love you from one of my beautiful children

~ the words of the pastor, an author, a friend or a family member that touch my heart

~ any moment shared with the many wonderful people who touch my life

~ my list is truly endless because everyday I am touched by so many amazing gifts....the gifts that come from the many people who are a blessing in my life....

~ the greatest gift is the gift of the people in my life who are who they are.....

Yes I am truly blessed......

All I ever will be is myself living the journey of life as I create it piece by piece. Finding myself in truth, the core of my being, who I really am...beyond masks and expectations. So that I can truly live....embrace my life fully and be able to look back on my life, on the many blessings, the many lives I have touched and have been touched by. And to know that I have achieved the only accomplishment I need to achieve in my lifetime, because with it all other things will fall into place as they should ~ to truly love myself and feel that sense of worth....what we all deserve to achieve. To know that my piece in the big puzzle fits perfectly because I existed....because I am who I am.

To those of you who have made it through what is my longest entry yet....thank you. Each one of you is an integral part of my puzzle....a treasured and valued piece in my life. Thank you.....for being you!