There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle. — Deepak Chopra

IN TODAY'S SESSION . . . the theme was "There are many different kinds of families, and we all are part of our church [congregational] family." We drew pictures of our families on pieces of a special jigsaw puzzle.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Invite your children to show you the picture of your family on our special puzzle.

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Read one of the books suggested for this session:

• The Family Book by Todd Parr, 2010. The Family Bookcelebrates the love we feel for our families and all the different varieties they come in. Whether you have two moms or two dads, a big family or a small family, a clean family or a messy one, Todd Parr assures readers that every family is special in its own unique way.
• Who's In My Family? by Robie Harris 2012. This colorful, large-format picture book looks at all kinds of diverse families. Families live in different places, eat different foods, and enjoy doing different things together. They have different numbers of children, who might be adopted, and different combinations of mothers and fathers, who might get divorced and possibly remarry. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, foster parents, and pets are family, too.
• Grandfather Counts by Andrea Cheng, 2003. When Helen's grandfather comes from China to live with her family, he's shocked to find that none of his grandchildren speak Chinese. How will he communicate with them?
• And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnall, 2005. In the zoo, there are all kinds of animal families—but Tango's family is not like any of the others. A true story about two male penguins who raised a baby penguin.

A Family Adventure. Invite another family for lunch, or a picnic, or an ice cream together after church.

A Family Discovery. Make your own family puzzle using a blank, pre-cut cardboard puzzle, or send a family photo to a commercial company such as Shutterfly.

A Family Game. Pull out your favorite family puzzles to play with.