When I read the headline to the column, “The missing puzzle piece” (Opinion, March 10), I thought it was a metaphor on politics so I reluctantly clicked it. To my delight it was about puzzles. Heather Hopp-Bruce’s love of puzzles came through as I read about the size, price, and search for puzzles at discount prices. To me, it read like a kid’s visit to a candy store. Her comments on missing puzzle pieces were particularly relevant to my puzzling. Regarding the warm feeling communicated from the store clerk, Hopp-Bruce definitely “paid it forward” to me with her column.
As a member of the USA Jigsaw Puzzle Association, I have finally joined a large community of JSP enthusiasts, if not fanatics. I recently started a JSP-lending program at the Fowler Public Library and it has expanded many folds, allowing a large variety of available puzzles at a great price — free. I always leave a note if a puzzle has a missing piece, but I recently redecorated my puzzle room and what did I find, four puzzle pieces. As guilt rushed over me, I decided to request that the library introduce a jigsaw puzzle-repair service to accept all individual pieces that people find in their homes to restore them to their original box to “perform a specific and unique function … that unites a group of strangers.”
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Thanks, stranger, for a wonderful experience as I drank my second cup of coffee.
Ed LeClair
Concord
