Puzzle Pieces

I've learned over the years that people come into one's life for many reasons and for different amounts of time. Some come in, stay a while, leave and come back. Others are gone forever. Some live in your heart and some you just wish would run far away. Whether you are spiritual or not, you can't deny there are lessons to be learned from each of these people. Some leave lasting impressions that you will never forget or spend the rest of your life trying to live up to being even half of what they were.

These people, the bad ones and the good ones, make me who I am. It's amazing to me that my life could have gone in hundreds of directions all depending on who crossed my path at various times. I would have never known that choosing to say hello to that girl I passed in the hallway would led to a deeper friendship than I could ever imagine. Choosing that one extracurricular activity over the others led to a lifetime of priceless friendships all over the country and a lifetime of heartache all at the same time. Choosing to change my course of study led to me meeting the man of my dreams. Choosing to stand up and not back down led me down a path to a career that I love.  Decisions are like puzzle pieces that somehow fit together when it's all said and done. Decisions come with people. People come with love. I'd hate to envision my life without the people and love that make it how wonderful it is.

The last few months I've struggled a bit with what kind of wife, mom, friend, daughter I've become. In many ways, I want to do better. However, I also believe I deserve to give myself credit, which is what I struggle with. Over the past few weeks, various people have said things to me that I needed to hear. They may not have realized it, but they have made a difference.

I am a lucky woman and I am blessed by those who have walked in and out of my life.


"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." ~ Albert Schweitzer