Every Christmas my father does a jigsaw. Sometimes hes bought them as presents and other times he buys them for himself. This has become a family tradition. Hell sit there happily for a few hours over a number of days, and sometimes weeks, allowing the picture to materialise in front of him piece by piece. Sometimes I might help, although that normally lasts for about five minutes before I get bored! This year because he loves icebergs I ordered him an iceberg scene including penguins. Upon receipt I realised how many penguins there were. The picture consists of just sky, snow and penguins. I started to question my present. Perhaps it would be too hard.

Last year I bought him the DVD of the film March of the Penguins. The film showed the determination of the penguins in rearing and caring for their young. Both parents suffer great hardships at temperatures as low as 128 degrees below freezing whilst under taking the responsibility for which they have been born.

Im not sure of the significance of penguins but both gifts seemed a good idea at the time. He certainly enjoyedwatching the DVD and Ill find out on Christmas day if he likes the jigsaw. Of course both these presents reflect what many cultures believe happen when were born. Or should that be happen before were born.

In the millisecond before our birth theres a moment of clarity. A moment when we each receive our own gift for our life. Our own gift for the world. A gift that has been so carefully wrapped that no amount of prodding and shaking can help us determine the contents. On birth this gift, hidden deep in side, is forgotten. We get on with what life throws at us unfortunately sometimes literally. We grow from an innocent child into not so innocent children, teenagers and finally into adults and then slowly, if were lucky, move into old age. We each under take this journey differently. Just like the penguins sometimes we have difficult challenges to over come. People come into our lives to help, to hinder, to support and to love us. We dont always recognise the gifts they bring. This is especially the case when they push our buttons or hurt us. Sometimes we accept them with open arms and sometimes we push them away and sometimes we push their buttons too. Other times we blame them or they blame us for the nice mess youve got me into. How many arguments, fights or even wars start this way with lack of understanding of the gifts we have to share with each other?

In life gifts appear at specific times in our lives: to celebrate the day of our birth, for religious festivals, to give thanks or celebrate great achievements. Just like these gifts, the gift we were given just before birth has a perfect time for opening. For some this may be in their childhood, for others it may take many years for the time to be right. What is true for all such gifts, just like on Christmas day, you cant open them early. You just have to be patient and allow the gift to come from its hiding place deep inside when its time.

Of course when the gift appears not everyone is happy with what they have to offer to the world. They may be angry, they may be confused and some are even scared. Im not really being asked to do this am I?,

Its impossible cant someone else do it? Others cant believe their luck and run around like excited children sharing the joy they feel. What is true for everyone is that the gift is perfect for them, and perfect for those in their life and for the world at large. Sometimes it might be difficult to understand how the gift fits into the bigger picture or how this gift can really make a difference?

You are asked to remember one thing. When my dad starts his jigsaw he may have the picture on the box to guide him on where hes headed. However when he picks up the first piece he really has no idea where it fits in until he considers it more fully and until he starts to pick up other pieces. What he does do however is trust that the piece fits perfectly in with all the other pieces. He trusts that piece by piece the picture will emerge until finally it is complete in all its splendour. And every time the picture is always the better for the work it has taken to bring all the pieces together and so much richer than the picture on the box.