A Puzzle!

The frame is finished or so I thought, it's not!

The pieces are spread all over the dining room table and have been for the past two weeks. This is my third puzzle of the winter season, a hobby I enjoy as I hunt for the special pieces to make a beautiful scene and can feel the pride in accomplishment when I am all finished. The puzzle I have on the table now is of three Pheasants, colorful birds with tails the length of the puzzle and feet that seem endless. Logs that are all over a huge field filled with tall grasses with pinkish red rods that must be a weed of some kind. When finished it will be a very beautiful picture but the secret of success is getting the puzzle finished and right now I have my doubts. For the person or persons who drummed up this particular scene, decided to make all the pieces alike in shape and the colors blend so that it is like a camouflage thus a piece fits . . . or does it? I can tell you now daughter Pat comes in and I hear "this piece doesn't fit there." and out comes a half dozen pieces that looked good for the moment but now the hunt goes on.

I had no idea that a puzzle is a form of exercise, not only of the brain, but of the body as you stoop and bend and try very hard to get down and pick up a couple of pieces that found their way to the carpet. The trouble with that they blend in. With extra lamps to add light so you can see the differences of color you climb over the cords or walk around the dining area through the kitchen and back again so not to disturb the pieces any more than you have to. I find the only time and the best time to do this puzzle is when the sun is out and is slowly sinking in the West and the light shines on the table . . . but, it doesn't last long enough and the squinting goes on. Why do I punish myself? Because I love the challenge of doing a jig saw puzzle almost as much as I love to write , do crossword puzzles or solve a word puzzles . . . just a puzzle person with a penchant to try and solve a myriad of broken pieces and make it whole again. It is almost like our lives when we find ourselves in a dilemma trying to solve the issues that becloud our days and nights. We don't have all the answers at once and have to stop and think and then take on step at a time to right any wrongs, or reach out for the illusive facts that need to be placed into the promise of peaceful co-existence and celebrate the finished outcome. We do it all the time.

So today, it is Friday, October 22nd the birth date of one of my very special children who was called long before her time, and Pa, the only father I knew who loved me enough to teach me discipline and pride in completing a job of any kind. Maybe I can 'blame' him for being a 'solver of puzzles'. The candle is lit for them . . . and for each and every one, family, friends, and a world of strangers who cry out for a want and need to be loved. Don't be afraid to offer up a prayer or two, it does nothing but envelop you in a cloud of trust and love . . . and some one said "the act of laughing releases some nice chemical into your brain and you feel good, and it is free." You have your 'marching orders of the day', get out there and offer a prayer for those who have gone before us and reward yourself with a smiling face for the rest of the day. Hugs to all.