PIECES OF THE PUZZEL....

As children we all played with those "connect the dots" puzzels. We would trace along the numbers from 1 to 2 to 3... until suddently a picture appeaered.

Life is alot like a "connect the dots" puzzel.  The direction of our life takes many turns, changing jobs, new friendships, lessons learned from bad choices and good guiding us toward inward reflection.  As we trace along more and more "dots" in our life, what appeared as random events fall together with meaning.  We begin to see our direction and what once was a puzzel to us is suddenly becoming clear

When most of us think of the word PUZZEL we usually think of crossword puzzel, word search puzzel, sudoko, or jigsaw puzzels.  The word puzzel means to baffle or confuse mentally by presenting or being a difficult problem or matter, or to clarify or solve.  As a noun it means a game, toy or problem that requires solving.

I love jigsaw puzzels....easy ones... and ones i can relate to, and that have meaning to me.  I'm definetely not a crossword puzzel person (i've tried) and so not a word search problem person unless its in a resturant with one of the little ones who needs help with the word search on the kids menu!  but give me a jigsaw puzzel of beach waves with sandles, or the amish country, or farmers market, i'm a happy girl!  and they really need to be under 500 pieces, other wise i get little frustrated!

The 1st jigsaw puzzle was produced in 1760 by a London engraver and mapmaker.  A map was put on a sheet of hardwood and cut around the borders of the countries using a fine bladed saw. The end prodcut was used as an educational past-time.  Eventually puzzels were made out of plywood, then in the late 1800's cardboard puzzels were introduced primary used for childrens puzzels.  A jigsaw puzzel is a tiling puzzel that requires the assembly of numerous small, often oddly shaped, inter-locking pieces.  Each piece usally has a small part of a picture on it.  When complete a jigsaw puzzel produces a complete picture.  Most come in 300, 500, 750, and 1,000 pieces.  The largest puzzel has 32,256 pieces, they come in 3 dimensional, styrofoam and puzzel globes

Life is a puzzel in more ways than one.  You know you can't quit something you have begun.  Each piece of the puzzel represents parts of you....your journey, your goals and all in your view.  The notches are bonds that will join you with your friends, who are also connected to you on their end.  You cant force yourself where you do not belong, if you do, your puzzel will turn out wrong.  Perhaps if you feel that you're missing a part, you will have to look deeply within your heart... each and every puzzel is a beatuiful design.

As i take the time, and put the puzzel pieces together, whether its a cardboard puzzel or forming the pictues of my life, some of them fit tighter it seems as I place them side by side. Sometimes i stare at the puzzel before me, trying to fit the pieces together, just like my life, trying to make things work, make them feel right. 

Different puzzels in my life.....

When mike and renee were born, the way they snuggled into me and fit right into me like a puzzel piece...as they have grown and made a life of their own... that puzzel is still in progress, one piece at a time.

When i went to Lousiana with the Red Cross after Hurricane Katrina , i was on the outskirts of the damage, where evacuees had to head to safer ground.... i was baffled by all the damage and things lost, so it took several trips more to re-visit the 9th ward and New Orleans to fit all the pieces of that puzzel together.

Family hertiage.... lots of missing pieces, family is everything to me, but i can only imagine and search for the pieces from generations back, it is an interesting puzzel for me...

My brother's life.... only 48 short years.... there was so much more to that puzzel, a puzzel of life... the beautiful image was broken into a million pieces and scattered all over, not able to be collected and put back together..... as hard as i try, as hard as i want to bring jeff back... this puzzle has to be a memory...

My recovery is a puzzel... a puzzel that as hard as i try will forever be ongoing... day to day, minute to minute, second to second... yet  there are a million pieces to my puzzel... pieces being people in my family, my support group, my meeting, my stepwork, my shairng my story, my passion in helping others, my dream of being a substnace abuse counslor.

Life is like a puzzel...everyday you add something to it...and sometimes you must take the pieces away for they do not fit.  Life is like a puzzel becuz it takes so long to put together, just like a lifetime of living.  Life is like a puzzel becuz each and every piece represents your past, your present and of coarse your future.....

My puzzel is a true blessing.....  because of Him and

HIS AMAZING GRACE.....