I’m so glad I found the missing piece.

The piece that fills in that hole inside my heart and soul.  You see, I think we all have it in some way shape or form.  And through our lives we try to find that missing piece.  The piece that will make us whole.

“Maybe this is it” we say as we buy a new car or find a new relationship.

“Maybe this is it,” when we feel that familiar high due to our substance of choice.

“Maybe this is it,” we think when we change ourselves, the way we dress, the way we do our hair.

But sooner or later, we find no rest.  There is no end to the search for that missing piece when we’re looking in all the wrong places.

I think we are all born with a piece missing.  As infants, it’s barely perceptible.  So small we don’t notice.  The progression stems from there.  The more we grow, the bigger the missing piece.  It becomes painfully obvious.  We resort to all sorts of idiotic behavior.  Think teenagers.  Our ideas about what the missing piece is are painfully immature and sometimes embarrassing to look back upon.

Then we grow older, not necessarily wiser, and try different pieces.  A marriage. A baby. A house?

Nope, all those might be just fine… but still not quite sufficient.

Because the missing piece is something intangible.  It is something indefinable.  It is of the spirit, and the spirit alone can fit the vacancy.  When we are experiencing that sensation of something missing, we have a tendency to look in the realm of the material.

I always had.

And in the material, we shall never find what we are looking for.

Today I know the missing piece is a relationship with my Creator.  The Spirit of the Universe.  God.  Whatever spiritual entity you choose to believe in. The missing piece is the peace of God.  It is what connects me to you, to myself, to the world at large.  No other piece means a thing until that piece is in place…

But.. there is a funny thing about that missing piece.

It seems to need constant adjustment.  Just when I think I have it perfectly in place, a space appears.  I start to feel a little restless.  Something feels off. This is where the seeking comes in.

Now that I have found the substance that satisfies that vacancy, I have to be diligent about fashioning it to fit each and every day.  Just as the piece missing grew from infancy to adolescence, it will continue to grow.  As the vacancy changes, so must I.

So how do I do this?  How do I keep that piece in place?  I have to slow down and practice awareness and being present.  I have to remain willing to grow.  I must reflect and see where I can improve and where I can be helpful.  When I am conscious of that piece of my life, then I have the peace I desire.

The search for the missing piece gives my life meaning.  Without that search, life would be meaningless.