Introduction

Life is a complicated thing. It's not simple. It's not easy. It is a never-ending roller coaster of emotions and physical trials. Especially in the world today where many breed hate and war is a commonly uttered word, light and love are a rarity. Each of us has the heavy burden of spreading happiness and optimism. This has been very heavy on my mind. I've been contemplating my happiness and what truly makes me happy. What makes me laugh and smile and feel at peace in my heart? My mind keeps coming to one of my favorite quotes by Katie Dean: "You are the piece to the puzzle of someone else's life. You may never know where you fit but others will fill holes in their lives with pieces of you."

We all have our obvious "puzzle pieces"-family, religion, friends-the list could go on and on. But what about all of our forgotten pieces? Pieces we don't often think about but ones that are crucial to the bigger picture that is our lives? For instance honesty, integrity, cleanliness, honor, freedom, creativity...again the list could continue on and on. Without these pieces our lives wouldn't be complete, just as a lost piece of a jigsaw puzzle leaves a hole in the final picture.

Think of your "puzzle pieces". Why are they important to you? Why do they make you happy? What makes you who you are and are you satisfied? Inventory your life and loves. What do you see? Good luck! I hope your journey is as promising as I hope mine to be. As Ghandi said: "My life is my message". Make your life your message. Be proud of who you are.

XOXO