June 7, 2020 • 68

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #100: The Long and Winding Road

This week, Tina has invited us to share our images and thoughts about “The Long and Winding Road,” which brought to mind the hauntingly beautiful song by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

The long and winding road
That leads to your door
Will never disappear
I’ve seen that road before

It always leads me here
Lead me to your door

The wild and windy night
That the rain washed away
Has left a pool of tears
Crying for the day
Why leave me standing here?
Let me know the way

Many times I’ve been alone
And many times I’ve cried
Anyway you’ll never know
The many ways I’ve tried

And still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago
Don’t leave me waiting here
Lead me to your door
           

Country Lane Bridge, Pine Island, NJ

 

These lyrics have lingered in my mind throughout this week of pain and national reckoning as we in America confront another crisis.   All three upheavals (political, economic, and racial) have exposed deep flaws in our economic system, health system, and now our society itself which claims to give equal opportunity and treatment to all.  The way to true equality has been a long and winding road, full of dark nights of pain, injustice, and violence.  But stubbornly, and maybe even irrationally, I am hopeful that we will find our way home, to a just and equitable society, where discriminatory practices are dismantled and outlawed at long last, where wrongs are righted, and we recognize the value and humanity in all our fellow citizens.

As a counterbalance to the despair and anger and violence in the world right now, I hope you continue to search for beauty and share your truth!  Your voice and images matter to all of us.  That’s why I hope you join us this week for Tina’s the “Long and Winding Road” challenge.  Please take a look at Tina’s challenge post.  Her wise and heartfelt words are powerful, and her photos, as always, are beautiful.

Finally, we are excited to announce that next week the Lens-Artists team will be bringing you a very special event. Cee of Ceenphotography has graciously agreed to lead us on our next challenge. All four members of the Lens-Artists team will join Cee next Saturday at noon EST in response to her challenge subject. We look forward to seeing where she leads us, and hope you’ll join the fun as well.

A look ahead:

 

Categories: Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Photography

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68 replies »

    • Thank you, Margaret. 😊😊 I’m glad the photos and lyrics worked well. That’s great news! That bridge is a beautiful spot near my family’s house in NJ. Take care and stay well!

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  3. A beautiful, thoughtful post as always Patti. It was indeed the song that brought me to this week’s challenge. I love the way you’ve woven it into your images, and you as-always eloquent closing thoughts.

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  7. Beautiful photo selections for this timeless song. Incredible…!

    I am touched by your eloquent words about the current chaos. Yes, we must recognize the value and humanity in all our fellow citizens. I, too, am hopeful.

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    • Why thank you, Amy! You made me smile. 😊😊😊 I appreciate that after a long week in the USA. Thanks, too, for your kind words about my thoughts on ending racism. It’s a long road ahead, but we can do it. Take care, too, and stay well.

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  12. That song is what first came to mind when I read Tina’s choice of prompt. You did a wonderful job using it with the attractive photos. The shot with the river is so peaceful, just what we need during these difficult times. I too think we can move past this and then the difficult part: how do we start solving the problems and to some extent, what really are the problems? To me, one of the best ways to overcome racism is for people to get to know one another in small groups where they have something in common. Then color becomes just another descriptive feature in the way of hair color, height, and other such characteristics, not something that defines everything about a person. We’ll always see color; we just have to have it be nothing special.

    janet

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    • Hi, Janet. Thank you! We were thinking along the same lines. The river is the Arno, in Florence. It’s one of my favorite spots in the city. It’s hard to believe you’re on the edge of the historic district with all that green space. I agree with your thoughts on overcoming racism. It’s only through getting to know others that the stereotypes are dispelled. Stereotypes are ugly and expedient ways of characterizing people. They’re generalizations that don’t endure when we really get to know people. Take care and stay well.

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  17. I sort of fell in love with covered bridges on my holiday to New England so the last photo is the star for me. This is a lovely song and well illustrated. I am always very wary of using song lyrics on my blogs though in case of copyright issues.

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  20. I loved how you used your own photos to interpret the lyrics. And more then that, your tie in to where we are and where we are going as a country was perfect. It HAS been a long and winding road, and I also hope we find our way home. Best…Donna

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    • Hi, Donna. Thank you!😊😊. I appreciate your kind words and the smile they gave me! It has been a long road and I fear the end isn’t in sight yet. But we’ll trudge along together. Take care and stay well.

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    • Hi, Abrie. Thank you! The woman on the grass was shot on the banks of the Arno River in Florence. I’d love to be sitting there right now! I’m so glad my words resonate, too. I keep reminding myself that these crises can potentially make a dramatic and positive difference in our culture, society….if we address them. Stay well, Abrie. I always appreciate hearing from you.

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  28. Your lovely images are so well woven with these lyrics (which came to mind immediately when I saw what the challenge topic was). I enjoyed the way you set this up. That door…wow. It does end up being more topical than we ever would have thought. I am also trying to think positive and hope we all hang in there for the long term. So much needs to be done.

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