My Aunt Becky is the Master Puzzler,
picking out the most intricate, detailed pictures with the most and
often oddly shaped pieces, accumulating a great collection of her own
over the years. She has now begun to pass along the best of these to
the rest of us to enjoy. The most challenging one I recall was a
transparent lucite puzzle that included straight pieces in the
middle, not just on the edges. You didn't know if a piece was part of
the edge or the middle or even if it was upside down or right side
up.
This year my family received from Aunt
Becky a 1,000 piece puzzle with a picture of a giant, multi-layered
hamburger. It looked delicious, but we soon discovered its
particular challenges. Did that green piece belong to the lettuce on
the bottom layer or the third layer? Was that red one part of the
tomato on the second layer or the slice of bacon on the top? That
yellowish brown piece might be part of the bun but was it the top,
middle or bottom – or maybe a piece of cheese. It didn't help that
the missing piece often turned out to be two or three oddly shaped
pieces instead. It took about 4 days but we got it done.
It takes many pieces to make the
whole picture. And it wouldn't be complete if even a single one
was missing.
Whether you're talking about an
extended family or about the larger picture of your life, every piece
has it's place. The shadows help us appreciate the highlights.
Small things can make a big
difference.
Subtle color shadings or contours
determine whether a piece is the one you need or just another one on
the pile. Similarities in color or shape do not always guarantee a
good fit.
Get help when you need it.
In life, as in
jigsaw puzzles, we need each other. We can do more together than we
can separately. Even when the progress seems slow, the journey is
better because we're not alone.
Proximity can
lead to unexpected conversations.
Just by being
there, bending over the table, scrutinizing the pile of puzzle
pieces, we may find ourselves talking about things we might never
have brought up in the usual hustle and bustle of the holidays.
Family memories are shared, details filled in about stories we
thought we already knew, words of encouragement shared that we never
realized were needed. Relationships can be reinforced in these “Oh,
by the way...” moments, just because we were there.
Be patient.
Piece by piece,
the picture becomes clear. Don't give up or you might miss it. When
the picture begins to appear we can become too eager. But if we rush to
fill in all the blanks too quickly something vital may be overlooked.
Last, but by no
means least....
You know the missing piece is right
in front of you. It just doesn't look the way you expected.
Let's hope we keep
our minds and hearts open so we may find our missing pieces this new
year, even when they come in unexpected ways.
