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Posted on by Debbie

A Flourishing Season – a family photo challenge

Images in the time of Coronavirus v.6

Welcome to A Season of Change, our latest family photo challenge including members throughout Australia and the UK.

Previous challenges

Since March this year we, as a family, have participated in photography challenges:

Iso photo challenge magazines
Iso photo challenge magazines

What was this Seasons challenge all about?

We were invited to take photos of various ‘seasons’ – it could be weather related, it could be COVID related, it could be anything we chose to think about in terms of ‘seasons’.

As it was winter moving into spring here, I went with the classic weather related meaning. But then my sister suggested we write some words to describe our choices and I turned mine into the Flourishing Season.

Why the Flourishing Season?

I had recently read Leanne’s post about the 5 stages of life over at her blog Cresting the Hill, and loved the term Flourishing Season which she used to describe Stage 3 from 40-60 years of age.

For a lot of people, this is the beginning of the empty nest years. It can also mark the onset of a midlife crisis or feeling like the invisible woman. This is the time when we start to get a sense of ourselves back again, the kids are less dependent on us, we have more time to think about what we want….and we start to make choices that bring about change. Those changes are as individual as the people making them, but ultimately they lead to re-inventing ourselves and discovering what we want on our own terms.

Leanne Le Cras – Cresting the Hill

As I fit into this age bracket, ( just), I felt it described my time of life perfectly and also suited my photos I’d taken for this photo challenge.

The Wet Season

wet leaves
raindrop
magnolia and raindrop
view of sunroom
daffodil in the rain

How it worked

Again my sister set up the group, invited us to join and sent some examples of what ‘seasons’ could encompass. The proposed time line was a month.

Over the next few Sunday nights, we got together on Zoom and shared our thoughts from the week. We discussed our photos and got some ideas from the group. It was a great way to stay connected with family especially as some of us were more locked in than others with COVID restrictions.

The Snow Season

daffodil in the rain
wattle meets snow
magnolia in snow

Family Fun

A range of family members were involved again and covered a wide range of ages!

We helped each other out with ideas, encouragement and support – but I guess that’s what families do! We had regular reminders and advice from my sister and her husband, which was always well received.

The best bit for many of us was seeing each other on the screen, chat about life inside the pandemic and offer support for those struggling.

As with the past challenges, my sister is now compiling the photos into a magazine, so we all have something to look back on from this tumultuous time.

The Spring Season

Orange flower 2
Orange flower
pink blossom
Magnolia bud unfurling

My words for the magazine

If we had no winter the spring would not be so pleasant.  Anne Bradstreet

Turn! Turn! Turn! (The Byrds 1965)

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, a time to reap that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain that which is to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time of love, and a time of hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Although I’m not generally someone who quotes the Bible, and these words are apparently from Ecclesiastes, I do like the song and the sentiment.  At the moment they seem very apt to me in lots of ways.

My photos represent the winter, with grey wet days and snow, moving slowly into spring with new life and colour. 

A Flourishing Season.

Watching the unfurling of flowers is always a high point in my life and I too in some ways, start to unfurl.

This year, so far, has been full of worry, heartache, restrictions and changes to life as we know it.

I’ve tried to capture the essence of the mix of seasons, as we moved from winter to spring.  In many ways, I too am flourishing.

I’m sharing this for this week’s Sunday Stills with Hugh as the host. The prompt is Inside and although these photos may not seem to fit the theme precisely, to my way of thinking they do, as they are taken from the perspective of being inside the pandemic.

So what’s next?

Well the sad news is there is no next project, we’ve all worked hard and enjoyed this run of projects but all good things must come to an end.

My sister has worked really hard at motivating us, generously giving us her time and advice along the way. The magazines she has produced from all of our projects, have been a great memento, showcasing our thoughts, surroundings and creativity from these times. I can’t thank her enough!

Which photo appealed to you the most and do you get my use of the term ‘flourishing season’?

Hope all is going well with you during these tough times. I always enjoy hearing from you so leave a comment below and join in the conversation.

Stay well and keep flourishing.

Deb 🙂

All my Sunday Stills posts can be found here

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26 Replies to “A Flourishing Season – a family photo challenge”

  1. All of these are beautiful photos Deb and epitomise the essence of our changing seasons. Love your words too. You’re very lucky to have family members who are so into blogging. Stay well and keep smiling. xx

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  4. The term flourishing season seems to perfectly describe those years Deb. It’s tough for all parents when the children start to grow, spread their wings, and eventually leave. You have to discover yourself again and rediscover your relationship. Love the wintery photos best. All seasons are great as far as I am concerned as they are part of the ebb and flow of life and the passing years.

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  5. Another fabulous family challenge post Deb. How do I choose a favourite photo? I love them all. But if I have to choose, it would be the magnolia with its bud promising that spring is on the way. I’ve always loved Turn turn turn.

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  6. You can always join Tim in the Selfie challenge Deb! He was going to do one called Sunday Selfie, but then got so inspired he thought he’d do one every day.
    I have to say, that I was very sad on Sunday night when we didn’t get together, so maybe I’ll think of something else for us to do!

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    1. I don’t think so!! I notice he’s managed to keep going with his selfie shots :). I was sad on Sunday night too, we can always just have a get together on a Sunday night for no particular reason! Thanks again for all your efforts!

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  7. I think we all flourish from the time we’re conceived to the time we leave this world. Like some plants, we flourish in the same ways at specific points of the year. I seem to flourish more during autumn and winter than I do in the summer. Not sure why that is, but I find my positive vibes are always higher at those times of the year.

    All the photos are lovely, Debbie. It’s sad to hear that the family has decided to finish the challenge, but I get why it has happened. Fortunately, there are lots of other photography challenges you can continue to participate in, so we’ll continue to enjoy seeing your photography.

    Thanks so much for joining me and participating in Sunday Stills.

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    1. Thanks Hugh, it’s been a great way of extending ourselves during these months. I get what you mean about flourishing at different times of the year. I always enjoy Sunday Stills, thanks again for your efforts in hosting while Terri has been away.

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  8. I think we should vote to see if you guys continue!! Have enjoyed these posts so much. What a precious family yours must be to participate in such fun activities. My family is just getting starting with our annual fantasy football league. That always makes me happy as I am the commissioner.

    My favorite photos this go-round are those of the sunflower and the green leaves with frosting. Well done, one and all.

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  9. Hi Deb – thanks so much for sharing a quote from my post and I’m so glad it inspired you for part of your challenge. I also enjoyed the Ecclesiastes quote (the bible holds a lot of wisdom) and I think when we realize that life is a series of seasons (in the short and long term) it helps us handle the “Winters” knowing that Spring will eventually arrive.
    My favourite life quote is “In the midst of Winter I found there was within me an invincible Summer – and that makes me happy” Albert Camus….. and I think that sums up life for me. I’ve loved all your challenges and these nature pics were beautiful.

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    1. My pleasure Leanne. I really enjoyed your post and it was a perfect quote to use for my photo challenge. That’s a great quote, it certainly does sum up life doesn’t it? Thanks for your kind words 🙂

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  10. Hi, Deb – This has been such a wonderful series to follow. I’m sad that it’s coming to an end. I’ll miss your sharing of these family challenges.
    All of your photos here are stunning. My favourite is the first flower in your Spring Collection. It reminds me of you!
    And I agree about the fittingness of the flourishing season.
    See you soon as we talk about first dates and other fun things!

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