Happy National Puzzle Day my friends and fellow P.A.D.S. sufferers! Today is the day to enjoy whatever kind of puzzle that makes you happy; crosswords, sudoku, word searches, jigsaw puzzles, etc. Of course you know which is my favorite – my beloved jigsaw puzzles. 💜

National Puzzle day is also the day I talk about those I love who made me the Puzzle Goddess that I am today. I’ve talked about Mom and Grama in past years, and this year I’m going to tell you about some others who have been there for me – especially during the dark time in the past year and a half that I left my puzzles for a while.

My daughter doesn’t do many puzzles, but she is always on the lookout for ones I’d like and loves to surprise me with a great puzzle for no reason other than she loves me. She listens to me talk about them even though she isn’t nearly as interested in them as I am, and reads my blog every day. If there’s a fun puzzle on the board when she comes to visit she’ll sit down and work on it with me for a little while – it makes me happier than I can express, though I wish she had more time for visits and puzzling. She’s been a wonderful friend to me since we both lost my mom, and we’ve both leaned on each other whenever we need to. I love her to puzzle pieces and I’m so proud to be her mom! 💗

My friend and fellow puzzle blogger Penny is another who has helped me tremendously, especially when I wasn’t blogging or even touching puzzles. She was always nudging me back towards my puzzles and the blog, even when I wanted nothing to do with them at all; she knew exactly how much to push and when to back off. If it weren’t for her I’m not sure if I would have come back to the blog and my jigsaw puzzles when I did (or perhaps at all). She’s been a true, dear friend to me even though we’ve never met in person, and she is the one to thank for helping me come back to the hobby I love so much – even though “thank you” doesn’t quite cover it. She’s a fellow P.A.D.S. sufferer, a member of the puzzle posse, and a true blue friend. 💙

So whether you have a posse of your own, or prefer to puzzle by yourself I hope you spend at least a little time today with whatever type of puzzle makes you happy. I think I’ll work on a jigsaw puzzle for at least a little while today, as I’m reflecting on those who have loved and supported me and helped me become the proud puzzle geek I am today.

Love, hugs, and peaceful puzzling my friends!