The Missing Pieces

A small pair of binoculars sits in my desk drawer.The dark green color on the binoculars has faded over the years to a greenish brown tone. I take them out of the drawer from time to time and look for wildlife. Eagles, hawks, egrets, herons and of course, hummingbirds. A thick black strap is attached to each side, making ease of wearing them around my neck.

The strap shows signs of age as frayed pieces of fabric escape to the floor when I touch the binoculars. Tiny strands that were once strong now are soft and fall apart easily. As the torn pieces escape in the air, they remind me of dust floating aimlessly.
I wonder if now is the time to replace the binoculars with a new pair.

Deciding to hold on to them for a while longer, I attempt once more to place the worn holder around my neck. OOPS! The string releases from the side. I quickly grasp the binoculars preventing a crash on the hardwood floor.
The once strong holder is now at the weakest point and cannot bear the load any longer.

Perhaps there can be a repair. Surely, that would cost less than a brand new pair of binoculars. I begin to closely study the place where the tear happened. Pieces are missing. Little pieces that will need a magnifying glass to find. On hands and knees, I search the floor. A flashlight, a magnifying glass, and determination to find the three tiny missing links.

Frustration sets in. Nothing is found. Well...only a piece of cracker that somehow made it's way to the floor. Wait, when did I eat a cracker? Moving on.

Alan searches for the missing pieces, too. Nothing else is found. We give up.

No repair. We'll have to buy a new pair online.

Time comes to vacuum. If those pieces are on the floor, the vacuum will find them. No. Nothing is recovered. The missing links have completely disappeared.

We say we'll never know what happened and why we can't find three little items on the floor.

Life goes on. We walk on the floor every day.

Then...it happened. Grandson Rowan visits. He walks across the carpet and says, "Mimi, what's on my foot?"

Yes, there on the bottom of his foot are the missing pieces. How did this happen? We are thankful there were no sharp pieces and no injury. They stuck to his foot like stickers.

Three little pieces to a binocular strap and they were found by a three year old boy.

We laugh. We thank Rowan. Alan finds his special tools for small things and begins a repair process. All is well.

I look for God's message in this situation. I remember God wants us to go to Him for all things. Big pieces and little pieces of our lives. Did I remember to pray and ask for help in finding the missing pieces? No. I tried to solve the problem on my own and it didn't work. God allowed Rowan to find the lost items. An innocent child to remind me of what is important in life.

Don't worry. Take our "missing pieces" and worries to God. He will guide us through every moment. Something like a small pair of binoculars and their torn strap can bring a lesson of faith and patience and joy.

Thank You God, for bringing joy to life.

Do you have any "missing pieces" in your life? Have you taken your worries to Him?

Have a blessed day,
Mimi aka Melissa

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