A Puzzle For Gran

My younger son has loved to do puzzles since he was a very small boy.  It was an activity that he often did with his Grandmother.  The two of them would sit quietly, working for hours, passing pieces back and forth until the picture emerged.  

The last puzzle Gran bought sat unopened in her room for three years.  Her dementia had reached a point where she was no longer able to focus on the task at hand, and T didn't want to do it without her.  

Sadly, my mother-in-law passed away in February.  As we were packing up her home, my boys were very stoic, helping where they could, but not saying much.  When T discovered the unopened puzzle, the tears finally came, and he asked if he could take it home.

I had completely forgotten about that puzzle until T brought it with us on vacation this year.  He asked if we could put it together as a family, as a special tribute to Gran.  We spread the pieces out on the coffee table, and throughout the week everyone spent time making the picture come alive.  

If you are a puzzle person, you will know that the prize at the end is putting the final piece into the picture.  As it was nearing completion, we realized that we were missing two pieces.  We searched but could not find them.  Finally, my niece pulled one of them from her sleeve, telling us that she had hidden it there so she could finish the puzzle.  My husband replied that he liked her thought process, but he was way ahead of her.  He then pulled the final piece from his pocket and handed it to T.  It seemed only fitting that he should complete this puzzle.

I like to think that she was watching over us as we put together the puzzle, pleased that she had passed her love on to T.  This one was for you, Gran.