Puzzled- The Missing Piece

(This story began on 1/25/21.)

  The one thing different about this box was the name.  This box had Jim's name on it.  "Jim, this is for you!"

  "I don't remember ordering anything."  Once inside Jim opened the box to discover lots of puzzle pieces.  "Well it looks like I have my own secret message puzzle.  Are you ready to do this all over again?"

  "You bet!" answered Lizzy.

  Jim was intrigued at what his own puzzle might reveal.  He wasted no time getting started and invited the kids and grandchildren to help.  There was definitely a lot of excitement around the table again as the weeks went past.  Jim's puzzle was very different from Lizzy's, but there were definitely some common themes. Jim's puzzle had lots of bible verses connecting the faces and symbols together.  Jim spent a lot of time meditating on the passages and then sharing their significance with everyone.  

  Lizzy loved watching Jim open up the Bible with the grandchildren and then asking them what they thought the significance could be.  Lizzy was surprised how good Jim was at sharing his faith with the grandkids. In the past, Jim had generally allowed Lizzy to answer all the faith questions with their own children. Lizzy causally brought up the topic one night when they were doing the puzzle together.  "Jim you did such a nice job sharing your faith tonight with the grandkids.  How come you never did that with Renee and Nolan while they were growing up?"

  "Well I guess I never felt that comfortable with it.  It was easier to let you do it because you were always so good at it.  I was watching and listening though.  I guess you could say that you were a very good teacher to me as well.  After all these years, I finally got brave enough to give it a try.  I thought it would be a lot harder, but it's really not."  Jim leaned over and kissed Lizzy on the cheek and said, "The kids and I have been very blessed that you always had the courage to share your faith."  Lizzy smiled.  It was one of the sweetest compliments Jim had given her.

  One evening Nolan and his children were helping with the puzzle.  His youngest Tyler was very excited to say, "Dad look I found the missing piece to the top of the puzzle!'

  "That's not the right piece," said his older brother Nick.  "Look it's not a straight border piece. It has an "outie" projection coming off the top.  That means it has to connect to another piece."

  Nolan looked empathetically at his younger son and hoping his feelings weren't hurt too bad.  "Let me take a look, Tyler."  Nolan looked at the puzzle piece. It did fit perfectly.  "I think Tyler is right!  It doesn't make sense but that is the right piece."

  "Let me see," said Jim.  Jim stared at the piece, and then grabbed his bible. The piece filled in the chapter of a bible verse, and the verse was very relevant.  "I would have never tried that piece there.  It doesn't make sense, but yet it works with the puzzle.  Why would there be a connecting piece coming from the top of the puzzle?"

  Lizzy leaned over to get a closer look.  "Oh my gosh!" Lizzy gasped. I have looked for that exact shape for years!  Lizzy turned around and grabbed her framed puzzle from the wall.  She carefully removed the glass and slid "her puzzle" adjacent to Jim's.  The awkward puzzle piece sticking up from Jim's puzzle fit exactly in one of Lizzy's "missing" border pieces! "I thought that piece was lost all these years! I guess it just hadn't been discovered yet!  Great job,Tyler!  You solved one of the mysteries!"

  "I did!"  Tyler smiled wide with pride.

  "Well I guess it makes a lot of sense that the plans God has for Mom's life would  connect in some way with the plans God has for your life Dad!" said Nolan.

  "So Grandma do you think your other missing pieces will connect to someone else?" asked Nick.

(To be continued...)