When I was a kid we had a non-negotiable Christmas tradition. After the gifts, after the food, after all the people in and out of the house, we would put together a puzzle. I really loved that tradition. To this day I love to go down the puzzle isle at the store and pick a new challenge. I would love to have a count of how many we put together. It was a sweet and simple time.  I still enjoy putting together puzzles. When my husband and I first got married we spent lots of time putting together puzzles. There were also seasons when our kids got involved too. There is just something so pure about a puzzle. It has a simple yet rewarding purpose. And, though simple, plenty of strategy can be applied to the process. 

     I am sure, if you know me, you aren’t shocked to find out that I have an extremely systematic approach to puzzle putting. I can highly regulate even the simplest tasks. A lot of efficiency goes a long way, you know? LOL!  I, like most people, put the border together first. Then I separate pieces according to color pattern.  Then, within the groups of patterned pieces, I separate the pieces according to type. Some pieces are plugs on all sides, some are receptacles on all sides, and some are a mix of both. There are also those odd heart shaped ones. When I start trying to put the pieces together, I can just hunt for the shape I need in the appropriate pile.

     I shared in a recent post about tangled connections. I have been thinking for a while about all the different connections in my tangled mess of relationships. How, when, and why connections happen has always been an interesting thing to me.

     For some reason I believed that having a good amount of chronological wisdom would cut down on the nagging weaknesses in my personality and general ability to live life. It turns out that many of the holes in my abilities from my younger days remain holes today. Recently I was faced with a problem that fell right across a void spot in my persona. I became extremely frustrated because I simply didn’t have the skills or experience to know how to proceed. I had a sweet friend step up to help me out. She did have the right experience to be able to understand and speak into the circumstance. That was the first time that I recognized the puzzle pattern that exists in humanity. I had a carved out place and my friend had just the right giftedness to fill it. Where once I would have just beaten myself up and felt inadequate, I recognized the give and take that happens in relationships. Where I am weak, others are strong. Where I am strong, others are weak. Sometimes I need help and other times I can give it. It’s beautiful, really. People are multidimensional. Whether or not we are well-rounded; we are well-purposed. What feels like weakness to me is merely opportunity for someone else to fulfill his or her purpose. Oh how I wish I could see the whole puzzle!

     I wish I could have bird’s eye view of what all of the living everywhere looks like. I wish I could see and enjoy all the different connections. If I could see it, I can imagine it looks like a photo mosaic. Do you know the ones I’m talking about… a photo made up of tiny pictures of people’s faces? We are all different and unique, yet valuable to the whole. It isn’t my job to control the whole picture. It is my job to be willingly used. It is my job to find places where I can contribute. What makes me really happy is that, even if I stink at finding places to fit, I still fit just by being alive. We all fit. The undercurrent of life often drags us into our useful places without us being aware or us feeling particularly useful. I brush elbows regularly with the sweetest lady. Her life has certainly spoken to mine. If I told her that she would likely express doubt that it’s true. She hasn’t after all done anything in particular to help me out. Her impact on me stems simply from who she is, her character, and her personality. I can name many people in my life that is true of… they just are… they meet a need without even being aware. That has been a rich and fulfilling realization. In a world where so much stress exists from trying to fit, we already do by virtue of who we are.