One of my favorite holidays memories now is working on the annual puzzle whenever we head to Chicagoland to visit my family there. Once a year at Christmas time, my sister and my dad each set up card tables in their homes to work on a puzzle, usually a new one received as a gift. They become a family affair and an addiction. This year my sister had the 2,000 piece (ack!) Fazzino Chicago Windy City puzzle. If it weren’t so cute with its cartoony depictions of restaurants and landmarks I would never have touched that daunting thing. It was half done when we left for home. Daddy was down with a cold so he wasn’t up to opening the antiqued mini suitcase containing an equally charming puzzle of London (Luggage Edition) from the Puzzle Warehouse, a shop full of puzzle eye candy and Hello Kitty Yahtzee. Too bad because I wanted to fit Mary Poppins into her spot in the sky.
Our lives are puzzles, too, with pieces of childhood experiences fitting together with our personalities to become the picture of who we are as adults. What makes us tick? Usually those old memories and their effects on us. If you ever want to know why someone is the way they are, start asking questions about their early life. You may discover the piece that makes your understanding of them more complete.
Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu! (Happy New Year) May your new memories be sweet.
moonbridgebooks 
I finally finished that 2000 piece puzzle and discovered that it was missing 3 edge pieces all in a row! Oh no!! Life is like this big puzzle. Piece by piece it's constructed, a little abstract at first and then the picture slowly comes into view. Sometimes, we are missing pieces of our puzzle. Trusting in God for the final compelted piece of art, His design, knowing that the enjoyment is in fitting the pieces together.