HALIFAX -- Twin sisters, Nicole Osmond and Natalie Ducey, have combined their talents to create inspirational jigsaw puzzles that they hope will bring peace to those who work on them.

Osmond, of Lr. Sackville, N.S., does a jigsaw puzzle every year at Christmas.

In, 2016 she was working on a particularly challenging puzzle. There came a point when she wondered if she should continue or give up, despite finding it to be a relaxing and peaceful pastime.

Osmond shared those thoughts in a Facebook post and a friend, who was a retired member of the Canadian Armed Forces, responded to the post.

“He has PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), he commented and said, ‘Any time your mind can be at rest, it is never a waste of time,’” says Osmond.

“It was a profound realization that you can give this gift to yourself, a mental break. The message just really stuck with me.”

Osmond reached out to her sister in Petawawa, Ont. and told her about the exchange.

“My sister has been writing these beautiful messages of love, support, togetherness, and comfort,” says Osmond.

“I thought, ‘What if we took her messages, overlaid them on an image, and then converted them into a jigsaw puzzle?’”

Ducey, who is also a former counsellor, was on board immediately.

“She had this idea and brought it to me, we said ‘OK, we need to do this, let’s figure out how we can make this happen,’” says Ducey.

The twins combined Osmond’s background in business and entrepreneurship with Ducey’s background in writing and design and set about to have the puzzles produced.

“It just really sparked something for me, realizing if that’s something we can do, combine our talents, and come up with something that we can put out into the world and offer that bit of piece of mind, we had to act. Once we realized it, we had to do it,” says Osmond.

The pair launched their website, Peace by Piece Puzzles, during Mental Health Awareness Week in May 2017.

“It’s amazing, as a writer, that I can share this with the world. To be able to put it on a jigsaw puzzle, that’s known to have healing benefits, takes it to a place of gratitude for me. To be able to do it with my sister it is just a complete gift,” says Ducey.

The twins say they are touched by the positive feedback they’ve received.

“In particular, I’ve had military members who say they have bought every single puzzle we had, that maybe their therapist had suggested they do puzzles to help with their PTSD,” says Osmond.

“They do it (the puzzle) and come back and buy puzzles for their friends and comrades.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the popularity of jigsaw puzzles soared as people remained isolated in their homes.

“You can do it alone, or with family, so it connects people that way, but it also gives your mind a chance to relax for a bit. Your focus shifts elsewhere and we need that more than ever right now,” says Ducey.

Osmond and Ducey’s mission statement - encouraging togetherness and promoting mental wellness while creating memorable moments shared through an experience that is as unique as every individual – is more valid than ever.

“The togetherness aspect of it is the thing that is really standing out to us now. Taking the time to enjoy those moments, where as before in the business of everyday life you didn’t have the time to just pause and find ways to be together,” says Osmond.

“If we can bring a piece of peace to someone, it’s just a small act that can have a lasting impact for people.”

The twins wanted to find a way to give back during the COVID-19 pandemic and decided to markdown the puzzles on their website.

“We call it the ‘We are in this together, store-wide puzzle sale,’” says Ducey.

“We hope people really connect with the words on our puzzles and hopefully it is a healing experience.”