Puzzles

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement

Puzzles

The puzzle was large, challenging, and interesting because of the variety of animals and people depicted on it. Putting it together was the perfect activity for a snow storm that closed us in our house for days. Exalted exclamations rang out when a piece fit and groans when nothing seemed to belong after long periods of trying. We passed the picture of the completed puzzle on the box back and forth to help us in our search. My method of approaching a puzzle is to look for the piece that carries the right color or the missing section of a face, flower or whatever the picture depicts. My husband’s method is to find the piece shaped like the space or the arrangements of nibs that will fit in the empty place. Between us, we make a good puzzle team. A puzzle is a lot more fun when more than one person work together on it. We finish faster and enjoy the process more. The sense of accomplishment makes the project fun.

 

Life carries some parallels to putting a puzzle together. To facilitate solving life’s puzzles, it’s nice to have people in our lives who approach problems differently. We benefit from people with a different point of view than ours. Listening politely might allow us to put another piece of understanding into our thinking. Working puzzles not only develops our space alertness, the process works patience in us when the long, seemingly fruitless search comes before the right piece finally fits. An element of cooperation helps a puzzle go faster. Sticking to the a challenging project without throwing our hands up and quitting, is a good approach to life problems as well. Life’s puzzles yield to the same process a puzzle requires, persistence, try, try again, and searching for the right shape and patterns that fit the situation. Our master puzzle solver holds the picture on the box to guide us. Let’s be sure to consult Him whenever we are puzzled.