Bringing the Pieces Together
A Self-Care Opportunity
Self-Care and Puzzles
Healing comes in many different forms. One of the last things you would think is that it would come as a jigsaw puzzle. Yet, it does. Puzzles have unexpected benefits for women healing from sexual betrayal and infidelity.
That’s why we are excited to share puzzles created for and by a betrayed partner, artist Madeline K. Barry. Her expressionist artwork comes from her heart of betrayal – a heart thankful to know we are not alone, that there is hope in our pain, and that we need to give ourselves space and time to heal. Each puzzle reflects a different part of the healing journey, so you are sure to find one that speaks to you. .
About the Artist
Madeline K. Barry
Madeline is a muralist, live event painter, and commission artist based in Atlanta, GA. She has been creating mixed-media abstract portraiture since 2016, working primarily with
acrylic and charcoal on canvas. Her works explore the complex nature of women and their evolution resulting from both negative and positive experiences.
Madeline studied at the Academie Mechelen in Belgium. As a part of the O.M. Art Collective, she
expanded her career through live painting performances at conferences and events before moving to solo and group exhibitions in Belgium, Germany, and later, the U.S. Collaborating with artists locally and internationally, Madeline finds much of her inspiration from stories of women around the world.
"The Breaking" Series
Madeline’s artwork captures the raw emotions and pain that words often fail to express when walking the road of sexual betrayal. Each puzzle description shares Madeline’s heart in creating the piece.
Details: 24”x18”, 300 pieces, Large Format Jigsaw
Description: This piece expresses the journey of many women facing betrayal. The feeling of being simultaneously too much – too emotional, too independent, too wild, too chaotic, too up-and-down, and not enough – not poised enough, not a good enough mother, not making enough money, not forgiving enough. This piece is an invitation to accept where we are in the current moment. To breathe deeply, regardless of whether we feel we are “too much” or “not enough.” We have access to peace amid our insecurities. Peace is our birthright. We can rest knowing we are right where we need to be, as we need to be, with just the right amount of “us” to offer the world.
Cost: 17.99 + shipping
Details: 24”x18”, 300 pieces, Large Format Jigsaw
Description: This piece is a physical representation of feeling alone and quiet after being completely overwhelmed by the chaos of life. As I navigated through my healing after betrayal, everything felt like too much. The dishes in the sink would send me into a tailspin. My toddler knocking something over would cause me to want to run away and give up. And then there were moments like this- when I would step out onto my back porch, breathe in the cold air, and have a moment of silence amid chaos. These moments of space carry us through
Cost: 17.99 + shipping
Details: 24”x18”, 300 pieces, Large Format Jigsaw
Description: This piece was created in a moment of weakness. On the journey through recovery after betrayal, there are so many days where the heaviness of it all feels like too much to bear. It feels like you’ll never be able to get through an afternoon without weeping.
This piece portrays how pain makes us feel lost, how it wears on us and our identities (who we’ve always known ourselves to be). We feel like we may never be our full selves again. And yet there is rest as we confess our weariness. As we surrender to our exhaustion and stop trying to hold it together, there is an invitation to rest. We allow the pain to exist. As we do, we realize it isn’t as scary as it once felt. It is a part of our journey that we can accept.
Cost: 17.99 + shipping
Details: 24”x18”, 300 pieces, Large Format Jigsaw
Description: This piece is about the sacred moment when overwhelm begins to set in. When it seems things are spiraling out of our control, there is a split second of choice. We don’t always realize we have this choice, but when we do, breath can be powerful. It can ward off a panic attack. It can allow us a moment of calm before the chaos overwhelms us. This piece invites you to prioritize breathing amid pain and allow your body to fill with the air and hope around you.
Cost: 17.99 + shipping
Details: 18”x 24”, 300 pieces, Large Format Jigsaw
Description: This is a piece about sisterhood – the friends that are there in the pain and the dark moments and are also there when it’s time to let loose. There’s a certain grit when we ban together, a certain optimism that floods us just by being in the presence of other women. Our outlook changes by knowing they, too, understand pain, heartache, and grief. There is a beautiful comfort that comes from knowing that “our women” are glad to be with us- regardless of how well we are doing or whether our life looks nice and tidy. And we laugh. We can’t help but laugh as we comfort one another. We let loose, we comfort, we hold each other’s shoulders over a drink and we dream of what good might be to come.
Cost: 17.99 + shipping
Details: 18”x 24”, 300 pieces, Large Format Jigsaw
Description: This piece was created amid extreme emotional pain – the type of pain that makes your knees buckle and hard to eat for days on end. It didn’t happen immediately, but as I sifted through my pain for months, I began to discover that there were moments of peace during my pain. These moments of peace became my “rest stops” on the journey of healing: a flower blooming next to my front step, watching a stranger hug someone they love as I sip my latte at the local coffee shop, or the sound of my daughter’s feet running towards me as I walk in the door. Even in the deepest pain, peace is still available to us all.
Cost: 17.99 + shipping
A Note About Ordering
When you order, you will be sent to an outside website. Puzzles are made available through Puzzle Warehouse, and Hope Redefined is not responsible for undelivered items, product issues, or other issues that may arise when ordering from the company. Hope Redefined does not receive any commission on the purchase of puzzles. We simply wanted to share this resource to help in your healing journey.