Life can be a Puzzle

My family visited Hawaii over the Christmas break and while there, a few friends came to visit us for dinner.

"Look what we found!" one visitor said holding up a strange box.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"A puzzle, someone was throwing it away."

Memories of our grandmothers, crocheted quilts and rocking chairs filled most of our minds as we thought about the last time we'd encountered puzzles in our own lives. Nonetheless, we dug in, pouring the pieces onto the table and putting the edges together. We worked for the remainder of the evening over dinner and dessert, weaving in conversation and laughter.

Needless to say, the puzzle became the centerpiece of our vacation. Everyday, we'd gather around the table, sometimes two or three of us and other times all six of us. In conversation and silent. In the mornings, I was the first one at the table with a cup of coffee in hand. A few minutes here, a little longer there. Before we left for the beach and after we returned from dinner. At the end of our trip we took a picture with the finished puzzle! We broke it apart, placed it back in the box and wrote a note for the next family that happened to find it. Enjoy!

After the vacation was over, when I returned to my own classroom, I placed a puzzle on a table in the front of my classroom and allowed it to work it's magic. Again, one by one students gathered and started working silently on the search. We are now on our third puzzle at school and loving it. So I encourage you to purchase a puzzle and place it on the table and watch it work its magic!