The Bloom That Endures
Day 13 – Made to Matter: 13 Soulful Stories from the Studio
The final day of this photo challenge brings me to something tender and deeply personal — the pressed hydrangea blooms. It feels only fitting to share this on the Autumnal Equinox, a turning of seasons, when summer gives way to fall — the season of release. Just as the equinox marks a balance of light and dark, these blooms remind me of the balance between holding on and letting go, between memory and the unfolding of what comes next.
These petals belonged to my mother, plants we had gifted her each year. It was she who first taught me how to notice beauty, how to gather it, and how to preserve it. She could spot a 4 leaf clover better than anyone I know! (still!) She showed me that even fleeting things — a flower, a season, a moment — could be held in memory, pressed between pages, kept as reminders of love and life.
When I pressed these hydrangeas, I wasn’t simply keeping flowers. I was keeping connection. My mother’s presence lives in them, in the colors that fade yet still glow softly, in the delicate textures that carry time but not loss. Every petal feels like a whisper: remember what we shared, carry it forward, and create from it.
The Autumnal Equinox reminds us that nature knows when to release — the trees surrender their leaves, the blooms let go, the light shortens, and we enter a time of rest. My mother taught me that same rhythm: to tend, to nurture, and to eventually release. Her lessons echo in my hands and heart even now, years after her passing.
These blooms remind me that memory is not static — it is alive. They hold the stories of gardens tended, laughter shared, lessons taught, and quiet afternoons where hands worked and hearts connected. Pressed between pages, the hydrangeas have become both a keepsake and a compass, pointing me back to the roots from which I’ve grown and forward into the work I now create.
In many ways, these photos are the perfect close to the challenge. From sunflowers to angels to hydrangeas, each image has been about seeing life through the lens of memory and meaning. Hydrangeas are fragile, but they endure. They are soft, but they are strong. And much like love, they do not end; they change shape, they carry forward, and they remind us that what is made with love truly does matter.
As I close this chapter of the photo challenge, I carry with me not only these blooms but also the stories behind every image. It has been a journey of remembrance, gratitude, and hope — and above all, a reminder that beauty does not fade when it is rooted in love.
Thought to Carry
What we preserve with love becomes a legacy. Even fragile petals can hold the weight of memory and the strength of connection.
“That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.” — Emily Dickinson
“Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come.” — Proverbs 31:25
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