J is for JIGSAW

Some of my fondest memories of the Christmas and Winter time of the year are doing JIGSAWS with my mom.  We would clear one end of you huge dining room table and pull out a puzzle of at least 1,000 pieces, usually more.  My older brother and I would play a game with the pieces as the JIGSAW got closer to being finished.  We would take one piece and put it in our pocket so that when my mom would be ready to put that last piece in she would be frantic looking for it, and even go so far as to blame the cat for eating it.  We would then casually walk up and place the last piece in.

It became a tradition to work the JIGSAWS on cold days with a cup of hot cocoa for the kids and coffee for the adults.  My mom didn't know that these would be some of my fondest memories or that she was helping me to learn problem solving skills, fine motor skills, and logic.  Skills that would help me be able to connect to my children in a way that teaches them the same skills that I find enjoyable.  Too many toys today or even ways to learn, involve game systems or solidarity.  Working a JIGSAW is a way to interact with children and talk with them giving them the added socialization that many Aspergian and other Gifted Minds so desperately need and lack.  I thank my mom today and everyday for this wonderful gift she has given me.  I will be able to pass this tradition on to my children with joy and an added memory of their grandmother.  We lost my mom earlier this year to Lung Cancer so we treasure all our memories of her. Below is a picture of my mom about 4 months after she was diagnosed.