Picking Up the Pieces and Making Something Beautful

Recently, I was reminiscing on the phone with a longtime friend with whom I’ve shared many of life’s ups and downs and shattered dreams. Katie and I have been there for each other during moves, job changes, the deaths of our mothers, and the endings of relationships. She’s a spiritual seeker like me, so we have great talks about life and how we see the world.

We don’t always see eye to eye, but we respect each other’s perspective. Over the years, we’ve gotten to know each other so well that we call each other out on our “stuff,” and I wouldn’t have it any other way. But mostly, we laugh a lot and love each other deeply.

During this conversation, we talked about one of the funniest moments we shared in Fort Lauderdale at a garage sale we cohosted many years ago. Katie and her partner helped my partner and I renovate the condo we purchased together. During the demolition, Katie and I carefully removed a large mirror from the half-bath, wrapped it in blankets, and transported it to her house for the garage sale. The mirror was in great shape so surely someone would buy it.

When the day came, people purchased a lot of crazy things at that garage sale. They snatched up a used toilet bowl brush and a gas grill that didn’t light, but no one was interersted in that mirror. It made no sense!

Oh well. After the garage sale, we rounded up all the items that did not sell and took them to the nearby Salvation Army Store. Once again, we were extremely careful putting that mirror in the back of Katie’s truck so as not to chip or scratch it. A nice man greeted us at the donation dock behind the store and helped us unload. As Katie and I gingerly removed that mirror one last time, he told us to hand it to him at the edge of the dock. At last we were free of that fragile item.

Without saying a word, he turned and tossed that mirror unceremoniously into the dumpster behind him. There was an enormous CRASH as the mirror we so painstakingly kept from breaking shattered into thousands of pieces. Katie and I stood there with our mouths hanging open in disbelief.

That’s when the man told us they didn’t take mirrors.

Once the initial shock wore off, we both burst into laughter.

As we chuckled once again about this incident, it occurred to me that it was kind of symbolic of our friendship. When things seem to shatter, we have always been there for each other to help pick up the pieces. And maybe even find a way to laugh about whatever just happened. Like a mosaic artist, a good friend can help us put the pieces back together and make something beautiful. I’m grateful to Katie for being that friend for me.

Are there pieces of your life that you would like to put back together in a new way to make something beautiful? That’s exactly what Family Constellations can do! Please visit the Constellations page for more information about this miraculous modality. Join me for an Upcoming Workshop to experience this magical living mosaic for yourself. You can also schedule a one-on-one session. I would be honored to help you create something beautiful.

Until next time, may you find ways to fit the pieces of your life together to create miracles.

...when any situation arises which tempts you to become disturbed...say:

"There is another way of looking at this."

A Course in Miracles - WB.33.3:2