It was a Harry Potter puzzle. Put together and glued onto cardboard.
A few short years ago, my family was blessed with four new children. No, they were not infants. No, they were not strangers. Yes, they had a rough early life. Yes, it has been a challenge and will continue to be a challenge for their respective parents. But more importantly, no, they do not regret the decision that changed our family forever.
I don't get to spend much time with my cousins. I will admit that it is one of my only regrets in choosing to go to school so far away from home. I have missed out on the simple moments in my extended family's life and I sometimes wondered how that would affect our relationships later. But that all changed this Christmas.
Call me cheesy if you want to, but as I held that puzzle, I realized two things.
The first is that my cousin knew that I loved Harry Potter. I'm not even sure how he knew, perhaps someone told him, or the fact that I do nothing to hide my love could also be a factor. Regardless, the simple act of picking a theme for me that I love showed me that maybe I hadn't missed out on that much. That picture told me that he loved me, and despite our distance in age and miles, we would always share the bond of cousins who support each other.
The second thing I realized was the symbolism of the puzzle itself. Most of the puzzle was put together, but a couple of pieces weren't quite glued enough. As I put the puzzle back together the best that I could, it made me think of my entire family. We are all in our own different parts of the state and world, but as I looked at the individual pieces on the board it hit me. Puzzle pieces rely on each other to form the end product. The puzzle pieces are all individuals forming a larger part. No matter where my family ends up, no matter where we fall off to, we will always come back together like the puzzle. We will always be family, and we will always find a way back to one another.
Much like people, puzzle pieces are nothing when they stand alone. Each has its own pattern and shape, and it is impossible to know where the piece fits until you find the right spot. Sometimes, you try to force certain pieces to fit together, but ultimately, they belong in one place. The best part of putting together a puzzle is the very end. As you start to finish and you have only a few pieces left to go, you start to see what the creator of the puzzle intended. But it is only when you place the final piece in its perfect spot and you take a step back do you discover the truly amazing part.
All those little pieces came together to form a beautiful picture.
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