My children are 4 and 7, well, almost 8. Usually over the winter we will complete at least 1 large jigsaw puzzle. Every year I get to hear pure joy as they “found a match!” But there is one point in the jigsaw puzzle journey that I always look forward to with a little bit of trepidation. Putting in the last piece. You see, this should be the best part, you get to stand back and look at your finished puzzle, know that you did it, every piece is in the right place, the picture looks perfect. But we have 2 kids. There is always a fight over who gets to put the last piece in. So, what should be just pure joy, becomes a little frustrating. If only there was a way to have two last puzzle pieces, one for each of them.
It amazes me how much people are like puzzles, every experience, every friend, every belief is a new piece. When you put them all down and add them all together you can get a good picture of what a person is like. Who they really are.
When we are young, much like my children, the picture is all jumbled, and sometimes we are missing pieces. Important life experiences and relationships that just aren’t there yet. But, when you look at all the pieces strewn about on the table, it looks like they’re all there. It’s incredibly awesome to put together a puzzle with your family, sometimes I can’t find a piece and my husband or one of the girls will find it right away, because we all have a slightly different perspective, some things are just clearer from the other side of the table.
When Ben and Carrie were telling us about their engagement, they mentioned that they knew pretty early on they were going to get married. They each could see the pieces a little more clearly when they were together. Even more exciting, was the realization that they were one of those missing puzzle pieces in each other’s lives.
Ben proposed by having a puzzle made for Carrie out of pictures of their relationship. He hid the last piece until she was ready for it, all the other pieces in their proper place. When he handed her the last piece it had a simple question on it, one to which she responded yes.
Carrie may have gotten to put the last piece in their engagement puzzle, but unlike with our family winter puzzle, there were two real puzzles here, Ben and Carrie. Each of them gets to put that last piece into their puzzles. Ben and Carrie, congratulations! Those puzzles are just about complete. But believe me, the “Mr. and Mrs. Hagan” puzzle is going to be much bigger and better, with so many surprising pieces to add.
Speaking from personal experience, sometimes it may seem like the pieces won’t quite fit right (the toilet paper goes in this way… no this way) but no matter the size of the piece, a slight change in perspective will make even the craziest pieces fit perfectly. So just remember, whatever piece you’re working on in the present, if it’s awesome or frustrating, put it down for a second, take a step back, and look at the amazing picture you guys are making… appreciate it from a new perspective.
Speaking of perspective, in a more literal sense, Ben and Carrie chose the beautiful Wildflower Lookout in Ronks, PA for the location of their session, and it sits up high enough that you can see miles and miles of southern Lancaster County. This was actually the first session I’ve done at this location, but it is simply stunning, especially if you like wildflowers and an amazing view, I highly recommend it. It was hard to pick favorites from their session to blog, but here are some of the ones I’m loving so far :)
Congrats again on your engagement, Ben and Carrie, and I can’t wait to help you celebrate your big day in a few months!!
