Puzzle

I often wonder why there are people in our lives that we see every day for months or years at a time who can be lifted out of our lives with little to no consequence. I had dozens of teachers in my life that I saw daily for 9 months, and I no longer remember their names. There are people I have worked beside for years, with whom I have no lasting bond. We are shoulder to shoulder with these people, and our lives rub up against each other, yet somehow our lives do not connect. They are inconsequential to our story, to our purpose.

Then there are those people that are, often times, instantly profoundly significant; like we are a puzzle piece and they fit us perfectly. Part of them is meant to relate or connect to part of us. The relationship is effortless. The acceptance and mutual understanding is immediate.

When I watch a movie I often mentally reinterpret the characters and situations on the screen into my own life in order to appreciate the universal truth being told in the story. These are the faces I see when I watch a romantic comedy, a tragic drama or maybe an action adventure! This is why we cry at movies or commercials. It's why every song we hear is about them. It is not an uncanny ability to empathize with those flat characters. It is our ability to feel again the feeling we had when we were the girl standing in front of the boy who clearly wants more but is too scared to get hurt again.

One of my best friends called and left a message on my phone this week. She is expecting, and I am thrilled. We are matching puzzle pieces, and therefore, her child is overwhelmingly powerful to me. I see babies every day, but I can’t wait to meet hers.

How do we know who those people are? Why are they important to us? Why do the moments meeting them, or the shared experience that defines us run through our minds over and over again? Is there such a thing as emotional memory? Why do I see their faces when I am watching a plot that should not remind me of them? Why don’t I ever think about the girl that sat next to me in second grade, but Dirty Dancing always reminds me of my childhood best friend? I spent more hours next to the nameless girl, but when our puzzle pieces were side by side, we were never a match. Some people do complete us, or at least fit us. As I reflect on my life and mentally divide people into significant and insignificant, I recognize that they were a part of a major storm or joyful celebration in my life. They participated in God speaking the truth of myself to me.

To those of you that I consider part of my puzzle. I am grateful that you fit with me.

Soundtrack: Walk on the Ocean, Toad the Wet Sprocket