Here is a picture of the pieces of my life. These are the pieces of my life that I have in my house right now, for all the world to see. These are not all of the pieces of my life, there are so many of those, but pieces from this moment in time.

I was moved in a powerful way recently when I attended a Celebration of Life for a young man 26 years of age. I realized what a full life he had packed into those short 26 years. He lived and loved full speed. He left a lasting mark of Christ’s love on those who he surrounded himself with. People of all ages, color, background, religious beliefs and athletic ability. I am thankful he chose our family to be part of his tribe. I was once again reminded of the moment when my husband was diagnosed with leukemia. We didn’t have any information yet and we had to repeat to ourselves that Christ promised us an abundant life and if it was going to be over now, it had been an abundant one.

I got in my car after the service spent with emotion, leaving a piece of my heart with him and tucking the other pieces of him into my soul….. I set the beautiful full color card stock postcard down next to two other cards in my car. One was a beautiful watercolor thank you card from a young woman who follows me on Sweet Flower Home. When this young woman asked me if I could make masks for her and her co-workers who work in pediatric healthcare I was happy to do it! What I soon realized is that she is a young woman that I taught 8th grade home economics to 30 years ago! She sent me a thank you card with the greeting of “Mrs. Mayfield”. My heart melted. She is piece of my life.

The other card was a beautiful picture of sweet girl who moved to my little town and church as a high school senior. Seeing her smiling face and knowing the adventure that she is about to embark on in college brings such joy to my heart! She is a piece of my life. So many memories of joy and sorrow in those three cards.

When I came into my house I looked around and saw more pieces of my life in paper form. I had two homemade cards from my grandsons wishing me a Happy Mother’s Day. Oh my all those grandkids have huge pieces of my heart and soul! There were two other high school senior announcements that I refelcted upon. The wonderful relationships we have with these kids and the fun we have had sharing Christ together are moments that don’t ever leave you. The promise of young lives transistioning into adulthood is such an exhilarating time! They are pieces of my life.

Another card from a dear friend was to just say “thanks for being a friend”! There is no greater compliment than that! Another showed up on my doorstep from the lovely neighbors at the assisted living home. They said thanks for the help during sheltering in. It was purely my pleasure. A card from a young woman who spent time sheltering in with us because her family is out of state was a thoughtful gesture. A Mother’s Day card from my son with a sweet note written inside is a big piece of my life. What a precious gift to have children and grandchildren that you share the moments of your own life with. They are all pieces of my life.

The pieces of my life can be filled with joy, sorrow, worry, laughter, exhaustion or exhilaration at any point in time. I have learned to embrace those feelings as they come to me, sometimes in the form of a piece of paper.

The pieces of my life don’t fit together nicely like a puzzle. They overlap and are scattered sometimes. One might stand out more than another, or an important one might get covered up for a bit. So I try to remember to pay attention to those pieces so that I can appreciated each one for what it is……sadness or joy and then go on to next.

I am thankful for the abundant life I have lived and for each of the pieces that have made me……well, me!

Blessings,

Carrie