Photo Challenge: BELOVED
“Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.” ― Toni Morrison, Beloved

Photo Challenge: BELOVED
And O my people they do not love your hands. Those they only use, tie, bind, chop off and leave empty. Love your hands! Love them. Raise them up and kiss them. Touch others with them, pat them together, stroke them on your face ’cause they don’t love that either. You got to love it, you! ― Toni Morrison, Beloved
This week’s photo challenge topic – BELOVED – had me thinking of how our perceptions of the beloved can be expressed in so many forms; from the very specific to the evocative and even the higher expressions of ourselves. Our natural inclination on the subject is to look to our loved ones and that is fine. They are our first experience of the term… then it spreads out beyond that.
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“Something that is loved is never lost.” Toni Morrison, Beloved

Photo Challenge: BELOVED

Photo Challenge: BELOVED
More than eyes or feet. More than lungs that have yet to draw free air. More than your life-holding womb and your life-giving private parts, hear me now, love your heart. For this is the prize.” ― Toni Morrison, Beloved
While my photos are not based fully on the popular book, the photo challenge theme for this week reminded me of Toni Morrison’s powerful book and the concept of a beloved; both the sacred and profane versions.
This post was inspired by a prompt from WP Daily Post: – BELOVED – This week, This week, share a photo of something that is dearly loved.In this week’s challenge, share with us something that is beloved. As always, we’re looking forward to seeing what you share.
Positive Motivation Tip: We are drawn to what reminds us of beauty and grace.. explore yours
PHOTO CREDITS/ATTRIBUTIONS: All Photos from my personal collection.
Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet
your photo collages are always the best! I love anything Toni Morrison so I really loved this post!
I’m not sure if I agree with that quote, something that is loved is never lost. I actually kind of think the opposite. If you love something too much, you’ll loose it. So it’s best to appreciate it, but not give it more attention than you’d give God. I loved a house once…too much. I lost it.
Beautiful pictures!! I need to go through and do the same. I think it will help me refocus on what’s important. What I love.
When I think of Beloved I think of my love ones, children, grandchildren, siblings but also of being loved what can I do to show love to myself and others.
I have to agree on this quote – “something that is loved is never lost.” I think it sticks in your heart and mind. It is vital so you won’t forget about it. It becomes a part of your self,
I have to agree on this quote – “something that is loved is never lost.” I think it sticks in your heart and mind. It is vital so you won’t forget about it. It becomes a part of your self,
I enjoyed this post a lot.
Hi Jo! Must visit you too. <3
This is a great post to ponder. I love that quote. It shows how we are being formed in our daily living.
Word ‘beloved’ is such a divine feel which could be expressed in different ways and in different forms of relationships. Your posts brings new dimensions to life. I love reading lot and excitedly wait for your next post.
I love that quote! I have always found statues to be a little creepy, but you got some great shots.
I think that you have expressed the concept of beloved very well in your photo. Holding hands, preparing dinner for our loved one to surprise them after a long day, family, sunsets, they all inspire love.
This is great! I love seeing your challenges every week – I think it also helps to train the curatorial eye 🙂
I love this post! I remember reading Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” in my first year of university, and instantly loved it. I started reading over short stories and novels by her; she’s such a talented writer.
I love the multiple ways you took this challenge and ran with it. you looked at different ways a person could interpret “beloved” – not just romance, but children, family, nurturing, etc.
The perfect topic for approaching Valentine’s Day! 🙂 The colourful interpretation of the famous sailor kissing photo is beautiful.
I love the quotes you mentioned, great photos and explanation, ‘Something that is loved is never lost’ this is so true, the memories always stay in the heart and so that is why the heart is the most precious one.
I LOVE the picture of the silver hands reaching out for each other. I think this pic illustrates the concept of “beloved” the best. I also like the sculptures of the children sitting together.
This post is so inspirational. It really made me think of what is beloved to me. Thank you for the motivation today 🙂
I love the messages you see in these photos. Thanks for sharing and the motivation
I believe if love is lost, it remains there at its rightful place. But certain conditions can transform it into something else instead. I believe the proper way to say it that the emotions are always there and never lost.
Yes – my first thought when I hear “beloved” is actually my husband. My sister calls her husband “beloved.” It’s a beautiful term of endearment that goes so much deeper than “honey” or “sweetie” and underscores what he means to her. I tend to be sentimental and cherish many memories and consider the people that helped make them my beloveds.
Something dearly beloved to me is family, I love staying close to mine as there is nothing better than having a loving supportive family around you
Great images and words for this challenge.
Ω
I love that first quote, definitions belong to the definers / not the defined. So true.
Of all the photos, the hands touching tenderly resonates most from the inspiration fo the word “beloved.” It is tender, sweet and gentle – all those words are reflective of beloved to me. xo Evelyn
I’m very fond of the quote you picked, something that is loved is never lost. Perfect for your photo challenge this week. I enjoyed seeing the photos that you picked for the challenge, it has me pondering the photos that I would have picked had I did the challenge. Thanks for sharing this!
Sounds like a fun photo challenge!
I love the statue with the two hands touching and I am always a sucker for a beautiful sunset!
It’s always fun to see what you’re reflecting on in these lists.
So true! We usually think of beloved as our close ones but the meaning could go beyond! I love how you incorporated these pictures to display the concept!
“Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.” Love this quote! So thought provoking. I’ve never read this book, but I’ll look out for it.
Love the pictures.
Especially the hands.
Oh many thank yous! 🙂
With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, thinking about what means the most to us seems appropriate. Those beloved people in my life, namely my husband and children, are always dear to me.
When I think of my beloved, my heart opens wide with embrace. It is from this place that I choose and remember to greet everyone I meet.
What a wonderful theme for anytime but especially near Valentines Day. The eclectic combination of art forms showcased by such beautiful photography is a pleasure to view and your blog made it even more interesting 🌹😊. Susan Jones @susakajo
I love this quote, “Something that is loved is never lost.” Toni Morrison
We’re going through a rough time at home right now, and this was just what I needed.
I love the sculpture of those fingers touching so gently. Thank you for pairing it with such gentle words.
You are so right something that is loved is never lost. Love provides comfort and inner strength and confidence that is very powerful x
I think that is true, our loved ones are certainly the first interaction we’ll ever love with the term beloved! Also the statue you’ve featured again does tie along beautifully with the term beloved I think!
Beautiful photos! 🙂 I love that you took Beloved and spread the meaning further than just your immediate loved ones.
Beautiful photos. I liked your take on the Beloved theme.
I love the positivity in the quote “something that is loved is never lost”. It reminds me that even if we lost a loved one that they are not completely forgotten as they’ve left something of them behind to always remind us.
I love the positivity in the Toni Morrison quote “Something that is loved is never lost”. It reminds me that even in the death of a loved one they are not completely forgotten as they leave something behind that reminds us of them.
This is so fun! I’ve never done a photo challenge but I think I would have a lot of fun with it.
I always loved the Jewish expression: I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. It’s said in weddings as an expression of becoming one in life with a partner, and it’s quite a lovely way to express devoted love between two people.
I think when you think of the word “beloved” our instinct is to think about the closed person to us but love isn’t restricted to one person, it could be many, a place or a thing too! Love how you’ve associated the word to different pictures 🙂
Great choice of photos and words. The photo at the top left speaks to me as I love my family so deeply at this reminds me of the closeness of family.
These are awesome! And also somewhat relevant for Valentine’s Day coming up. 🙂
We all have relationships, items, and memories that are beloved to us. I love these quotes
I love that photo of the children statue! Thank you for the positive motivation tip as well.
Your posts are always thought provoking. Obviously, my husband is my beloved, but animals are too. They are such a gift to me.
We should always share our love for someone everyday and not just one I share my love or tell my loved one how I feel everyday.
“Something that is loved is never lost”. I love that.
I’m so attracted to this family sculpture, it looks very sweet. family is a key to great living, thank you for that reminder!
What a sweet post. Family and friends are all my beloved. Now with meaningful online relationships some online friends are also in that category 🙂
I had never heard of the book -beloved, but the quote “something that is loved is never lost” resonates with me. I have lost so many dear people, but never felt I couldn’t keep going on because I still feel they’re with me. They are beloved.
This is such a beautiful post and I love all of those photos!
There’s always something to learn from every situation. Gratitude is vital while love is the essence of life.
Great photos on beloved… something loved is never lost as it stays in our heart forever?
I’ve thought about changing my too-common first name to something more unique…but my given name, Amy, means Beloved… which is the reason I’ve chosen to keep it. It reminds me that I’m dearly loved 🙂
This is a great challenge – and I love the things you chose to highlight! I need to start doing these challenges – I think I would really enjoy it.
The first sentence striked me “Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.” ― Toni Morrison, Beloved. I like it how Toni expresses this one. Beloved has a lot ways to be defined. I love your photo challenge collection, it’s brilliant!
A really lovely collection, with each photo depicting intimacy, love and closeness in different forms. Great work!
The pictures you chose perfectly represent the theme. Such powerful words and definition and what defines us and what we define things.
I love the statues, it tells us a lot from there. Another photo challenge I love is the food!! How was it??
I am absolutely loving that quote so much!!! It holds such truth…. It reminds me to treasure those I’ve lost because they are always with me in my heart….
On I like the two hands touching the best. They could belong to anyone young, or old, male, or female. Our beloved could be anyone or anything (pets). What a great theme and it would be neat to see others perspective of this theme.
What an interesting topic for a photo challenge and such beautiful imagery. You are right, the term beloved can be expressed in a variety of ways and it can mean drastically different things to different people.
I think the photos that you chose for this challenge captures a lot of different forms of love.Along with the ways in which a person shows love to another.
Always a great photo collage that you put together. This one reminds me of those lasting friendships.
Interesting photos you chose to take and enjoy
A good portrayal of love, in your words, in the quotes and the images. A phenomenon that will never be comprehended to its fullest and therefore, the reflections on it are never ending.
Great photos! I love that you show the different expressions and directions of love. When we think about how many people, places, and things actually evoke the feeling of love within us, we truly see what’s important in our lives.
These are great interpretations of what beloved means. I’m not sure what I would choose for this challenge, but I’d probably go with something similar.
Hmmm…makes me think of what I would take pictures of? Definitely family, our dogs, old Hawaii, and food!
Right? hahaha 🙂
I loved the quote of Toni Morrison! And this is such an interesting photo challenge! I liked the first picture of children sitting on the bench. Where is that place?
Hahaha! The sculpture is in a high end mall in my area. 🙂
This photo challenged is very inspiring to me. I love the delicacy and movement in the sculptures and the whole meaning behind each photo.
Thank you love.. it was a joy to do.
Hello, I like your selection of photos to this topic, “BELOVED”. Very cute would be also for example animals like birds which fly together through a beautiful landscape.
<3
“Something that is loved is never lost” That quote speaks so many volumes in different ways!
Something that is loved is never lost is such an interesting statement. I can honestly say that I have not thought about it like that. The pictures are all so different and unique. I enjoy looking at each and every one of them.
Thats literally my favorite quote from Toni Morrison. I find this post very inspiring and eye catching. Keep doing what you doing!
Many thanks! 🙂
Oh! I love these photos! And I honestly love the word beloved – it is so deep and beautiful and endearing!
I love Toni Morrison. These photos are so great. I especially like the little girl statues
I love them too.:)
I love that you used Toni Morrison’s book as the basis for many of the quotes used. I also love the photo of the installation featuring all the little kids. So nice.
Nicole Vick
Ohh thank you! 🙂
Some love are hard to express in words, they do it in visual art. Some who are not good in creating art, can express love by buying it. Everything for our beloved.
Yes, the path is not always easy.
This is a great post to ponder. I love that quote. It shows how we are being formed in our daily living.
Well said…
I LOVE TONI MORRISON. THIS PHOTO CHALLENGE DEFINITELY CAPTURES THE SPIRIT OF HER WORK AND BELIEFS.
I ESPECIALLY AGREE WITH HER QUOTE: “SOMETHING THAT IS LOVED IS NEVER LOST.”
Yes… beautiful
Toni Morrison is hands down one of my favorite authors. Her writing is pure art and so inspirational. Glad you found her to be inspiring for your photo challenge as well.
Yes, almost by accident… but her writings are powerful. 🙂
I love food photos so in my books, that one is definitely the winner! LOL.
I really love that Toni Morrison quote. So real and so true. I think that self-love is important. If you do not love yourself, it would be hard for someone else to.
Glad you like it. 🙂
These days, loving others and feeling beloved might be one of those few things that keep us going amid the horrors that happen worldwide. I think it’s important that we take the time to appreciate the blessing of having our beloveds.
We must for our survival…
I love the pictures. They are so amazing. Theme is quite interesting
Yes, the themes are always so interesting.
What a lovely challenge! I’d never heard that quote by Toni Morrison before, and I love it, so simple and beautiful!
TY! Join in the challenge
I love the quote that you used here, by Toni Morrison because I feel like it can be applied to so many important things in our life! Like especially when you are away from someone you love, and you feel restless…
Indeed… Ms. Morrison is amazing
I love the choices of the photos. They are so touching. It’s a very simple way of expressing love.
Thank you. I agree