It was a few months ago when the term "Puzzle Pieces" popped in my head. I was sitting in my bed, trying to pray, but for some reason, thoughts of the puzzle I worked over Christmas break kept sneaking to the front of my mind. That puzzle had been a nightmare. It was supposedly 3-D, but really, all the pieces were rough and blurry, and when I looked at them from different angles they appeared different. Lighting had a bizarre effect on the pieces too. To complicate things, Bekah, my daughter, had just gotten a kitten: Kate. She was, and still is, about the cutest thing God ever made. She loved to play puzzle. She'd attack my hand and the pieces on the table, and when she was done playing and making a complete mess of things, Kate would curl up in the box and fall sound asleep. A cute distraction and a complicated project do not go well together. Nevertheless, I did complete the puzzle. And about a month later, try as I might to have something spiritually significant to say to God, all I could think about was this silly puzzle. And that's when it hit me! Life is like working a puzzle. Bit by bit, piece by piece, it all fits together to make something grand, a picture that makes sense and makes you smile. But while we hold individual pieces in our hands, it's easy to get confused, frustrated and lose sight of the big picture. Ah, I wasn't wasting time with the Lord. He was giving me a name for a ministry. He was saying, "Puzzle Pieces."

It took a few days before I told Stephan any of this, but once I did, I could see the idea of a blog taking shape. I got up my nerve to ask Bekah to get me started. I didn't have a clue about how a blog works; I still don't. Then I let it sit. Blank. Many times in the morning I would be inspired and hope to remember my thoughts until a less busy time of the day, but I never did. Then a friend told me I better hurry up and obey the Lord. So here I am.

My hope is that this blog will reach people, especially women, and encourage them. I want us to relate. Women have a lot in common, but busy-ness and insecurities, among other things, keep us from reaching out or sharing our lives. We can become lonely, discouraged and frustrated. I'd rather laugh and learn together. I'd like to inspire and encourage readers to live life and love life. I also hope this blog points people to Jesus. He's the reason I'm doing this. He's the brains behind the operation. If any good comes of this at all, even if it's just me organizing my own thoughts and no one else ever reads Puzzle Pieces, Jesus gets the credit. He started this, and He has purposes for it. I hope those will be accomplished.

May the Lord richly bless you as you walk the journey of life. May you find love and joy in Him.