Pieces of My Puzzle: a personal journey through the '50s, '60s, '70s and beyond

Writing became a way for Karen Wielinski to process a devastating tragedy. Her first book, One on the Ground, told compelling story of how her world was changed forever when Continental Flight 3407 crashed into her home taking 51 souls with it. Pieces of My Puzzle, flows naturally from One on the Ground. It explores Karen's life journey through the '50s, '60s, 70s and beyond. The Wielinskis were a family of puzzlers. Her husband, Doug, was probably working on a puzzle in another room when a commercial airliner crashed into their house and exploded into flame. Doug died in that crash. Miraculousy, Karen and her youngest daughter who were home that night managed to escape. Pieces of My Puzzle gives insight into Buffalo and Western New York history through are stories of a small child growing up on the Buffalo, New York's East Side, where Karen was surrounded by a large extended family and a community around St. Mary of Sorrows Parish. We experience life during the '50s and '60s through the eyes of eyes a little girl and a young student.Those early pieces of her puzzle included the heavy influence of religion and the bonds of family. We feel the impact of world events on her life, especially the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. We revisit a bustling neighborhood around the popular Broadway/Fillmore strip filled with such legendary shopping meccas as Sattler's, Kobackers, and the Broadway Market. We meet a colorful cast of characters: a grandfather who immigrated to the United States at the age of fifteen; an artist uncle whose paintings depicted the harsh life of Native Americans and created the logo for Buffalo's iconic Iroquois brewery; and a cousin who gave true meaning to the word "special." The turbulent '60s brought transitions: changes to German and Polish neighborhoods, a new home farther away from downtown, and becoming a teen-ager. Karen attended Bishop McMahon High School, an all-girls school located in an old mansion, once part of Buffalo's Millionaire Row. She broadened her cultural horizons and planted the seeds that would nurture her long into the future. She also encountered the anxiety and excitement of boys, dances, and the Beatles. Karen shares the early adulthood adventures of entering the work force and, as she puts it, experiencing the "real world," after twelve years of Catholic education. She started her career in the steno pool at National Gypsum where she eventually worked in the the credit the advertising departments. She was introduced to country music by Buffalo's legendary Ramblin' Lou Schriver when she got a part time job at WXRL. A civil service job at a local high school gave her the opportunity to explore the interesting artifacts in the school basement. Additional pieces were fitting into the frame of her life. The best pieces fell into place when she met her husband, Doug, in 1977. He brought excitement, adventure and love to her life for more than thirty years, especially the gift of their four daughters. Karen believes that these essays, photos, poems, and recipes demonstrate the way she has discovered, cultivated, lost, and rearranged her puzzle pieces throughout the years. They are held together by faith, trust, wonder, and, most of all, love. She takes comfort from her experiences, and looks forward to adding to her life puzzle.