JIGSAW PUZZLES - FUN AND HEALTHFUL

My wife and have a jigsaw puzzle constantly in the works. We bought a special table large enough for 1,000 piece puzzles, and each week we start a new one. We have about fifty of them and assemble them over and over. When we buy a new one, we get rid of an older one, but some are too enjoyable to give away.

Are jigsaw puzzles good for the brain? “Yes, jigsaw puzzles are generally considered good for your brain. They provide a workout for both sides of the brain, improving cognitive functions like memory, problem-solving, and visual-spatial reasoning. Additionally, they can be a relaxing and stress-relieving activity, promoting mental well-being.” This is according to Google AI, and is repeated on many online sites.

Being retired and less active than in my younger years, I am forced to spend more time in my house. I have many choices of what I can do, such as enjoy my computer, watch good television, take naps, have meals with my wife, sit on our porch, relax and recline, which is one of my favorites. But the most rewarding one to me is working on a jigsaw puzzle.

Now some may call this cheating, but it’s simple a way to help us get a repeat puzzle started more quickly. When the puzzle is done I put the edge pieces in a sandwich bag so I don’t need to separate them out each time. Then I glue the 4x4 corner pieces with white school glue on the back, and I may glue other pieces that are either harder to put together or not cut through at the factory. Why not make life more simple and easy?

The most amazing evidence of the mental value of jigsaw puzzling is when I’m searching and searching for a piece, and suddenly it appears. That is evidence that my brain is working on the puzzle and helping me assemble it. God created us with such a marvelous brain that it can assist us in every activity – not just puzzling.

THANK GOD FOR MODERN MEDICINE

The enormous advancements in medicine over the past century are miraculous. From surgeries to pharmaceuticals to therapies to diet to psychology; it would take more space than I have to list them all. Here are ten (there are many more) of the most important advances:

Antibiotics     Vaccines       Anesthesia

X-rays and imaging    Germ Theory 

Organ transplantation         Genetic engineering

Heart Surgery           Antiseptics    Insulin

However, my favorite medical procedure is dialysis, for which I am preparing as I write this. In 1943, Willem Kolff, a Dutch Doctor, invented the dialyzer using sausage casing and a wooden drum and a washing machine motor. He brought two of his machines to Boston in 1947, where they were further perfected and called the Kolff-Brigham Artificial Kidney. In 1955 he became the founder and director of Cleveland Clinic’s first hospital based kidney dialysis program.

Originally the patient was poked for dialysis wherever a good vein could be found, resulting in many scars in the arms and legs. Then in 1960, Belding Scribner invented the “Scribner Shunt” whereby a Teflon tube was attached to an artery and to a vein and directed to a plate on the arm. This allowed for easy vascular access. Soon after, the tubing was used without the external plate, and connected inside the arm as the access point.

The current and most effective access method is the AV Fistula, perfected in 1966. An artery in the arm is connected to a nearby vein near the inner elbow, and after three months the vein has enlarged enough to be used for dialysis. This allows for less infection and can be effective for many years.

Concerning all medical advances in the past century and all centuries, they have come to fruition because God created man with the brainpower to see a need and to devise a way to come up with the solution. God created man to heal.

Sources: Wikipedia, Fresenius Medical Care, DaVita Kidney Care

THE OLDEST SEGMENT OF SOCIETY

 

The previous generation is all gone – no parents or aunts or uncles are still alive. I’m part of the oldest living segment of society – a rather sobering thought. In addition to losing family members in both my generation and the prior generation, also a son and a step-son, I’ve lost 20 friends over the years. Some I knew were sick and dying, but others were a complete surprise. Those are the saddest losses.

It doesn’t seem to me that I’m all that old; I’m not even 80 yet. I had an aunt that lived to be 96 or 97, and my Mother’s dad died at 86. So there must be a few long-term genes in the family. Interestingly, my Grandfather was on dialysis when he passed, which looks to be my own future.

Of course the number of years here on earth is miniscule compared to the eternal, endless life after death. God has given us a lifetime, no matter how long or short, to prepare for the afterlife. He has offered an invitation to everyone to receive His free gift of Eternal Life. Romans 6:23 says, “The gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.”

This is a gift, it can’t be bought or earned or bartered or stolen or inherited – it can only be accepted by each one of us – separately and individually. If someone hasn’t received the invitation yet, they can search for it and seek it and hunt for it – until it is found.

Where to look? The first place to look is in God’s Word, the Holy Bible. Then find a church that preaches and teaches the Bible. Then read Christian writers who help with understanding the Bible. Then listen to Christian music that praises and worships our Savior. Then meet with other believers for encouragement and fellowship.

Once you have received this wonderful, eternal Gift, tell others about it. Tell other family members, tell your children, and tell your friends before you lose them.

COPYRIGHT 2025 BY CARL E GUSTAFSON

EASTER AND SPRING QUOTES - FROM "GOOD HOUSEKEEPING"

 

Chuang Tzu        Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.

John 20:29        Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

Helen Keller        Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.

Martin Luther King Jr.         Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.

N. T. Wright        Easter was when Hope, in person, surprised the whole world by coming forward from the future into the present.

Victor Kraft        Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.

Roma Downey        People celebrate Easter with their near and dear ones. Nothing can be a better holiday to spend with your family than to celebrate the journey of the life of Jesus.

Robert H. Schuller    Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come.

Billy Graham        The entire plan for the future has its key in the resurrection.

William P. Young    I really do believe that God is love, one of deep affection and grace and forgiveness and inspiration.

Martin Luther        Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.

Reba McEntire        Easter is very important to me. It's a second chance.

Janine Di Giovanni     Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal and new life.

Saint Augustine        God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.

Pope John Paul II    Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and Hallelujah is our song.

Kate McGahan        The very first Easter taught us this: that life never ends and love never dies.

C.S. Lewis        I believe in Christ, like I believe in the sun — not because I can see it, but by it I can see everything else.

Pope Francis        We proclaim the resurrection of Christ when his light illuminates the dark moments of our existence.

Jeffrey R. Holland    He knows the way because He is the way.

Pope Francis        God is love and He has defeated evil.

Evan Esar        Easter is the only time when it's perfectly safe to put all of your eggs in one basket.

Matthew 28:6        He has risen.

Dwight L. Moody    Faith makes all things possible ... Love makes all things easy.

AAADD: Author Unknown - OLD AGE AADD

I was recently diagnosed with AAADD: Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder and this is how it manifests.

I decided to wash my car, but as I started toward the garage I spotted the mail. I thought I’d better go through the mail first. I laid the car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the trash, and noticed that the can was full. So I put the bills on the table and got the trash to take out, but since I was going to pass by the mailbox I decided to pay the bills and mail them first.

I found my checkbook, but there was only one check left. I went to my desk in the study to get more checks, where I found a bottle of juice I’d been drinking. The juice was getting warm so I needed to put it in the fridge to keep it cold. On my way to the kitchen I saw a vase of flowers that needed to be watered. I set the juice down on the counter and saw my reading glasses that I’d been searching for.

Before taking them back to my desk I filled a container with water for the flowers, and I suddenly spotted the TV remote which I needed to take back to the family room. I accidently spilled some of the water on the floor so I walked to the hallway closet to get a towel to wipe it up. On the way, I tried to recall what I was planning to do next. I stood there trying to remember my next move and my mind went blank.

At the end of the day, the car wasn’t washed, the bills weren’t paid, there was a warm bottle of juice on the counter, and the flowers weren’t watered. Plus, there was still only on check in the checkbook, I couldn't find the remote or my glasses, and my car keys were still missing.

I tried to figure out why nothing got done. It’s quite baffling because I was very busy all day and I got very tired. I know it’s a big problem and I need help. But first I’ll check my email, or maybe go watch some TV, or just take a nap.

MY MANY BOOKS

 

When I was starting out in my career, it was customary to have an extensive library. In addition to novels and histories, one needed dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, thesauruses, and other reference volumes in which one could find exactly what was needed for study or writing. It was an honor to have as many books as one could afford and use. When I was studying theology I needed an exhaustive concordance, several commentaries, a few Bible versions, devotionals, topical studies, and others.

One problem, however, was if you needed a fact about a certain topic you would look it up, write it down, and place the volume back on the shelf. Then it would stay there until you needed another piece of information from it, if ever. So some collected more dust than others, but you had to keep them just in case.

I once had a few hundred books, but I’ve given many away – to the library, to Goodwill, to thrift shops, to friends – and I’m down to around 100 now. There are more I can eliminate, but some are hard to part with. For example, I still have my “Handbook of Chemistry and Physics” – a 2,054 page tome that weighs five pounds. I’ll never need it again, but it brings back a lot of good memories. In fact, most of the books I still own have more sentimental value than any intrinsic or actual value.

Now, of course, everything I need is on my computer. I have more books available online than I could have ever owned. I don’t need to walk to a bookshelf, I simply search for what I want, and it’s on my screen before I blink. To me, this seems unfortunate for the younger generations. There’s something cold and impersonal about reading electronically. They’ll never experience the feel and fragrance of an old familiar title.

That’s what I mostly miss about my many books. Alas, my sentimentality has been revealed again.

Copyright 2024 by Carl E Gustafson

OLD FRIENDS

 

Old friends can mean two things: either they’ve been friends for a long time, or they’re simply old. Sometimes it’s both. I’m blessed with many old friends. Some I’ve worked with, some from church, from school, from golf, from neighborhoods, and from other places. But they’ve been a wonderful part of my life.

My hope is that I’m as much a blessing to them as they are to me. I try to be. I keep in touch with phone calls, texts, and emails. Thankfully with old friends you don’t have to text before calling. And they often contact me as well. It’s especially nice now, since I can’t travel as far due to health limitations.

I do miss having lunch with my old friends as often as I used to. In fact, in a previous post I listed the many restaurants at which I’ve dined with my lunch buddies. There have been many, many good meals. And I can’t golf as much as I’d like. Over the years I’ve golfed at well over 200 courses around the country. (And my game improved about zero.) But the fun is in the fellowship and being able to see their birdies and eagles once in a while.

There’s a song by the Gaither’s entitled “Old Friends.” A few of the phrases are: “What a find, what a priceless treasure.” “Like a rare piece of gold; my friends make it great to grow old.” “I’m a rich millionaire in old friends.” That describes friendship very, very well.

Besides friends here on earth, God can also be our friend. Recall the great old hymn: “What a friend we have in Jesus.” And the Bible speaks of God’s friendship in the following verses.

James 2:23 (NKJV) "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God.

Exodus 33:11 (NKJV) So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. 

John 15:15 (NKJV) Jesus said to the apostles: No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends.

The most magnificent thing about friendship is that it will continue into Heaven. We can spend eternity with our friends.

TODAY I AM "NORMAL" By Charles Richards, Licensed Counselor

 

Charlie and I met in Boy Scouts over 60 years ago. He’s been a friend, a brother in Christ, and a counselor to me as well. He’s always been perfectly normal in my opinion, but his writing reveals more.

This post has been a long time in coming. 

As long as I can remember, I have been overweight.  When I graduated from High School, I weighed 245 pounds; college 265.  Being the overachiever that I am, throughout my life, I gained another 100 pounds, reaching 365 pounds.

In the early 1990's I had weight loss surgery.  I got down to 214 pounds, but gained some weight back, stablelising at 245 pounds for a number of years.

Shortly before the pandemic, I was teaching a graduate counseling class in addictions.  One night, I was lecturing on Harm Reduction, which is where we teach those with an alcohol addiction to drink responsibly, i.e., you can have a beer at a party, but you don't need to get drunk.  As I was talking, I realized I have always rationalized my addiction to food...it goes like this:  "As a person addicted to food, I still have to participate in my addiction."  Driving home from that class, I decided to stop rationalizing and take control of my addiction.

Since that time, I have lost and maintained in the 170-180 RANGE.  Recently, I was looking up the ranges for classifying weight.  I was pleased that I have gone from MORBIDLY OBESE, to OBESE, to OVERWEIGHT.  I then saw that if I lost an additional 5 pounds (from the 170) I could be in the NORMAL range for my age, gender, height.

Today, I weigh 164 pounds.  I tell you that, not to gloat, not to say "look at me", but to say if I can do it, so can you!!

Addictions are hard, but through support and those in our tribe that cheer for our successes, we can do it!

I hope this is an encouragement to you.

See more at cdrtherapy.com. Or search for CDR COUNSELING.