The puzzle

I have had some sort of flu or virus or something for about a week.  It is probably good that it is Christmas time because I could do a little less work and a little more sitting around.

I even hosted a party without leaving the couch.  We put all of the food on the coffee table, my neighbor gave me hot, spiced wine (medicinal) our kids played, husbands drank and we had a really nice party.

Finally, a few days after Christmas, I woke up and I was well.  For the first time in over a week, I didn't feel like crawling right back in bed.  I could have scurried up to my office and worked all day.  Perhaps I should have.  But, I didn't.  I decided to make meaningful memories with my children on that snowy, after-Christmas day.

I cracked open a brand new puzzle, asked the kids to turn off the wii and to put it together with me.

You would have thought that I had killed Santa Claus.  The lip, the 'tude, the fits, it was unbelievable!  I told them that if we could put the edge together, they could go back to their electronics.  That worked out pretty well.  It was a little mermaid puzzle (don't let that fool you, it was a hard puzzle) so they sang the songs and we worked happily for a little while.

Ah, parental success!

Soon enough, we finished the edge and they were off like a shot.

Very quickly, that puzzle became, for me, much more than a puzzle.  It was an opportunity to take control of my life.  It was a chance to work hard and finish a project and with each piece, I found an answer to different questions about the big puzzle - my life.

Why do some family members insist on fighting during the holidays?  I don't know, but I can finish Ariel's darn, flipping tail.  Click.

Will everything be ok with my job?  Probably, but right now, I don't have to worry about it, I can make this fish.  Click.

I spent several nights alone with a glass of wine and that puzzle.  I spent several mornings alone with a cup of coffee and that puzzle.

I thought about Obamacare.  Nothing I can do about that.  Oh!  There is a piece of the castle.  Click.

And free speech, the war on Christmas and Christians, click, click. I thought about the pervasiveness of liberalism and how it is taking over our country.  Click.

As Ariel and her prince took shape before my eyes,the picture came clearly into focus.

There is nothing that I can do about any of these things, except fight.  And, I will continue to fight.  You should, too.

Call your local church and thank them for proudly displaying a nativity.  Write a letter to Mattel and ask them to call "holiday" Barbie "Christmas" Barbie next year.  Don't give any interviews to GQ, no matter how many times they call.

Go to Chik-fil-a, be nice to people.  Give someone your seat, let someone go in front of you in line.  Talk about freedom, talk about lower taxes.  Mention how inefficient the government is when you are at the post office.

:)

And, get boots on the ground - yours.  We absolutely have to get limited government, free market republicans into office. We have to.

So, what is your puzzle?  What is your life going to look like in 2014?

I can't wait to find out.  Can you?

Happy New Year!