Jigsaw Puzzle Putaway Rule

Greencroft is the retirement complex in Goshen, Indiana, where my parents chose to live after retirement. Our family traveled from Florida to see them (and other Indiana relatives) every summer for many years. Mother made her transition to heaven in 1996, and Daddy continued to reside at Greencroft for fourteen more years. Greencroft rented guest rooms at a reasonable cost. One guest room was right off a common area, where many residents spent some time each evening. A piano and organ, used for the Sunday meeting held in the common area, were available for residents to play. I sometimes sat down at the piano to play a few songs. A resident once caught me and asked me to play the piano while she played the organ. Using hymnbooks, we played together for about thirty minutes.

Daddy loved to work crossword puzzles and did at least one every day. He also enjoyed jigsaw puzzles. A puzzle was always under way in the common area. Residents had it worked out. Cookie sheets held sorted pieces. Participants never knew how much work would be accomplished by the time they came back to the table. We worked at the puzzle table most evenings when we were there. Other residents came to the area to play games, most often Rummikub. My small children, who had learned the game from their paternal grandmother, often participated in the game with these elderly folks.

The campus had several residential wings, as well as a health and rehabilitation center. After my mother died, Daddy expanded his lifelong commitment to serving others by volunteering to feed a younger resident, a gentleman who had been in an accident and was unable to feed himself. The gentleman eventually became a Christ-follower, much to Daddy’s delight. Daddy walked across campus to feed him for two meals a day. Sometimes our visit included a walk through or past another wing or another common area on campus.

In one such area we found an amusing sign about putting the puzzles away.

So it’s: Okay, to the closet! No, to the chair. Closet? Chair? Closet? Chair?