Happy Birthday Babe!

  It's as if there's a puzzle called "Life & Love" and the two pieces missing were you and me. Somewhere out in the world some old grandmother loved to work jigsaw puzzles and  she kept you & me in a jar with the other leftover pieces. Sometimes she would finish her puzzle using all the pieces in the box only to notice a few open spots. She would shuffle over to the shelf where we sat in that jar. A couple of times over the years, she thought she found a puzzle we fit in. She would turn one of this way and that, even forcing us into a few spots that almost seemed like a fit. When she stood back and looked at the waterfall or covered wagon or whatever picture was in her puzzle, it was easy to see that we didn't belong. So it was back to the jar we'd go, to spend our time chatting, wondering if we'd ever find the place where we fit. Neither one of us ever imagining the turn our fate would take one day. Then one day last winter, she came up short on a candy heart puzzle. You know the one that is made up of dozens of those Valentine's Day candy hearts with sayings like "Too Hot" or "Woo Me.". They taste like chalk but somehow they have made it into candy dishes everywhere for years and years. Over to the shelf she went and took you out of that jar. This time when her wrinkled fingers slid you into the empty spot, your sides aligned and clicked snugly into place. A bright smile flashed across your face when you realized you had found your home. From my place in the jar, I rejoiced at the sight of my friend finally finding where she belonged only to realize that you had found your home and not me. All that time we spent together as friends talking in that jar was over now that you were gone. I saw the old woman reach back toward the jar and couldn't  bear to watch. I looked the other way and waited for the all too familiar sound of metal clanking against glass as she tightened the lid, sealing our fate apart from each other forever. Instead, I felt the old woman's bony fingers clasp ahold of me and pull me from the jar. In my confusion I looked down on the puzzle and saw another open spot right next to my friend. Could it be true? Could this be MY puzzle as well! I held my breath as she spun me this way and that, hoping against hope that this was my destiny. After one final turn, the old woman pressed down on me and I felt a warm embrace on all of my edges as I snapped into place. When I opened my eyes, your beautiful face was smiling back at me, our shared edges interlocked tightly together. All that time together in that jar and we never knew we fit together so perfectly. All that time wondering who our perfect fit was in the world and we were right there next to each other the whole time. The old woman stood up and looked down on the now completed puzzle of candy hearts. "Perfect," she replied as she ran her open hand over the smooth, interlocked pieces. We were just two of a thousand pieces, but without us the puzzle would be incomplete. She turned to walk away and we were silenced by our joy, to go through forever our parts melding into one. Just me and my friend, who was there all along.

I feel like I've known you my whole life, like we grew up next door to each other. I love how when we're together or we talk on the phone all my worries disappear. I hope we're locked in tight next to each other until one of us dies. If that's me, don't be sad. I'm having the time of my life right now and I won't go into the great beyond still looking for my puzzle mate I'll just be waiting for my friend and lover to join me for all of eternity. I think we both finally got it right this time around.