So.
The year was 2014. I had just gotten into puzzling and had spent the previous 6 months or so working on a beautiful 1000 piece puzzle featuring a momma elephant and her baby. Anyone that knows me knows how much I love elephants and hanging puzzles on the walls in my home.

Because the puzzle had taken so long to complete, it had been wrapped up and put in my sewing room closet for a while in between.

I worked hard on that puzzle. Off and on poking away at her. I motored through with determination for completion.

2014 was a tumultuous year for me. I used puzzle time for reflecting and working through heavy emotional issues. Piece by piece I felt my life settle. my heart heal.

So.
Imagine my disappointment when I realized at the end I was missing a puzzle piece. And, not any piece! Momma’s trunk had a hole in it! I looked through my sewing room closet figuring it had fallen in there somewhere and couldn’t locate it. I was bummed but glued the puzzle together anyways with a black piece of fabric behind the hole so I could hang momma and her baby on my wall without an overly obvious white puzzle shaped hole in the middle of momma’s trunk.

I was bummed but knew one day I would find that piece.

Fast forward to today. 2019. 5 years later. I’m doing a purge of my sewing room supplies and guess what I found at the bottom of my yarn bin?!

the missing piece of Momma’s trunk.
!!!!!

and man, did it feel great to finally, after 5 years of being hopeful I’d find that piece, complete that puzzle.

So.
Sometimes our lives have missing pieces. Most of us have a missing piece right now. Our relationships are strained or our jobs are stressing us out. Family is complicated and dreams are hard to chase. We might be sick. We’re definitely tired. We are mad or frustrated or sorrowful or confused so we beg God (or not) “please can I find the piece I need“. We stress and worry and obsess trying to fill the hole. We pick at the wound. We fight with our loved ones. We drop the ball at work. We don’t accomplish our goals. We throw out the puzzle.

Today was another testament of the power of faith for me. I knew I would eventually find the missing piece. Even though I had no evidence of this, I chose to believe in the unseen. I was hopeful.

We all miss pieces sometimes.

Sometimes we find the last piece of our puzzle right away or sometimes it takes 5 years and sometimes it takes longer. 5 years later for me and momma’s trunk is full and that makes me feel like God (or the Higher Power of your choosing) doesn’t stop taking care of us or working for us. I just needed to purge stuff I didn’t need to find the piece I’ve been waiting for. I needed to do work on my end to find what I needed to complete my puzzle. God was just waiting for me to do my part.

So.
I know life is hard.

I know we’re missing pieces. I know we’ve been desperate for fulfillment. I know we’re tired.

But choose to believe in the unseen. Choose faith over fear. Be hopeful. Keep chasing your dreams. Hang the puzzle on the wall anyways. Consistently pray to your Higher Power. You might not find what you’re looking for immediately but if you choose to believe in the unseen; if you choose faith and hope, I promise the pieces you need will eventually be found.