Letter: Sometimes what’s missing helps us find what we need
We recently bought a 1000-piece puzzle of a Susan Winget painting from a local Goodwill store. We like challenging puzzles at Christmas time, especially ones with many pieces. Unfortunately, this Winget puzzle fell short — it was missing 18 pieces!
Feeling in a Grinchy mood, I thought, “Who donates a puzzle missing 18 pieces?” I puzzled on this question for some time, till my puzzler was sore. Then I thought of something I hadn’t before: Maybe the Christmas spirit is within each of us and will emerge if we let it.
With a subtle shift in perception, I felt the spirit return. Finishing a 1000-piece puzzle is indeed challenging, but finishing a 1000-piece puzzle missing 18 pieces is even more challenging. To the anonymous donor, thank you for a gift greater than we expected.
Mike Fayer, Richland
This story was originally published December 13, 2017 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Letter: Sometimes what’s missing helps us find what we need."