While gathering
information about all the events that preceded my birth, and simultaneously
going back into the collection of memories I have stored away, entailing any
recollection of important events involving all my “loved ones”, I began to see
my family as a puzzle. My perspective of this puzzle however, is not one that
would be seen mounted neatly on a wall after each piece had found it’s perfect
place in the scattered array of carefully carved out cardboard. My family is
one that has in fact forced pieces together that maybe were not ever intended
to fit. Edges are found next to edges while holes sit beside holes, barely
holding them together by a corner. Some pieces were lost and later found while
others tried so hard to fit into just the right place. There have been spills,
scratches, markings and tears on every piece, some indeed more than others.
Taking a long look at this dreadful, yet beautiful masterpiece is an
astonishing sight. What I find most incredible is that through all the journeys
this puzzle has made, storms it has weathered, lives it has touched, or rather
lives that have touched it, each piece still remains intact, letting whatever
part of itself reach out and converge the piece closest, as if it is the most
natural thing to do. The concurrent fusion and separation cause the whole work
of art to combust into a glow. No, my family is not in flames, but within each
piece you can see a burning desire. Each desire is slightly different but it is
evident each believes in something stronger and more powerful than they can
fathom, and thankfully because of this, I have learned through much hardship
and much love, the power of a family. And with this flame I feel so fervently
burning within me, I plan to become more than just a spark, to eventually, as
Great Grandma Lu said it, "set the world on fire".
