Pieces of Faith by Rebecca Nolting

Author:Rebecca Nolting
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rebecca Nolting
Published: 2021-10-13T00:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

LOSING AND FINDING PIECES

“Don’t let people pull you into their storm…pull them into your peace.”27

Sometimes, even if the puzzle is brand new, there can be a missing piece or two. In life, you can have a piece, or several, go missing, or maybe they can be better described as lost. These pieces can be people, personal items, or memories. You may go through the stages of grief for any or all these losses. It is also how you look at the losses. What have you learned from the person or situation that you carry with you?

While doing the Route 66 puzzle, I kept dropping pieces on the floor. Usually, my dogs didn’t even notice. One time though, Shadow was chewing a couple of pieces before I even realized what happened. Even if I had gotten them out of her mouth, they would not have blended in well. This changed the finished product because now I had a couple of missing pieces. Even with something simple like missing puzzle pieces, I went through the stages of grief—denial (no, they’re not really missing), anger (why did I let the pieces fall on the floor?), bargaining (can I salvage the pieces?), depression (now the puzzle will not be complete), and finally, acceptance (it is what it is). The acceptance stage can also be described as being at peace. I believe this is fitting for the final stage because if you have peace, what else do you truly need?

When I was nineteen, someone broke into my apartment and stole my things. It was almost surreal because I had decided to take a break from studying and went to browse at a bookstore. I then decided to walk through this little shopping area and had some of the most peaceful minutes, listening to some soft music while strolling along. I think I was led there so I would not run into the burglar. It was weird to go from that deep peace to complete chaos in only a few minutes. I saw our door open, a knife on the kitchen floor, and my stuff missing. The burglar stole a piece of my peace. I didn’t know what I was walking into as I checked the entire apartment. I called for my roommates, but both were gone. I went to the apartment office, and they helped me call the police. It was a total violation of my privacy and safety. I had to work through those stages of grief. They only stole material items, but they also took my peace of mind and innocence that day. It took time to feel comfortable where I was living and trust that it was most likely a random act. They never did recover my stolen items. When I got to the stage of acceptance, I found the peace for which I was searching. I learned that even lost pieces shape who we become.

When you lose someone, it can also feel like a piece is missing. One of the pieces that helped shape me I lost when I was sixteen: my grandpa (my mom’s dad).

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