Photos: An Amazing Gift for Your Family

Photos: An Amazing Gift for Your Family

When I was a child I don’t remember asking for a whole lot.  Even for Christmas. There was this one year I wanted a record player, that’s the only gift I can remember ever wanting.

Looking back, I had the type of childhood where I was grateful for simple things like a bed, food and for the blue dress I got when I was 8 that had flowers and a lace collar.  I was mostly grateful for school and for my grandma.  That is all I remember being grateful for.

I would love to say that I was happy when I was home, but I wasn’t.  Nobody in my home was.  There was fighting, hitting, things breaking and yelling - a lot of yelling.  And then one day I had to call the police and my dad left.  The next week a new man moved in and the cycle began again, until I was able to leave for good.

Capturing My Own Story in Photos

As an adult, you realize you have control.  Control over how you will live each day and what you will offer up to the world.

Me?  I chose to offer the world a new, beautiful story, a story through photographs for my children and their children to remember.  A love story about a girl who met a boy and fell in love and had 4 amazing children they built a life with.  I wanted that love documented.  I wanted to savor it all.

I have always loved photos.  The quality of the photos didn’t matter to me, it was the MOMENT that mattered.

You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?  Those times when the people you love the most are by your side and you just want them to stay there forever!  Of course they will grow, they will move away, and sometimes they will pass on.  But the photo in your hand is proof they were there - that your memory isn’t fooling you.

Are Photos the Perfect Gift?

I don’t remember much from my childhood.  But when my grandmother passed away, she left me a photo album.  I didn’t remember ever seeing the album before or the photos contained in it, but it was now mine.

The album contained photos of me at Christmas time, standing in front of the fireplace at her house proudly holding my stocking.  There were photos of my grandma holding me in the chair I remember sitting in when I would visit her house.  There are photos of my ancestors whom I never met, but they are part of my history.

What I have come to realize recently is that one of the greatest gifts I can give my children is the gift of photos.

A lot of times we talk about taking better photos, but this post isn’t about taking better photos.  This post is about the joy and importance of TAKING PHOTOS.

• Take photos because you don’t know what tomorrow holds.

• Take them because the most important people in your life are all around you - and you need to capture them in a way that you will always remember and celebrate. 

• Take pictures for the now and for the future. 

• Take photos because it’s the best way to tell your story. 

Capture your loved ones as they really are.  Smiles don’t have to be perfect, clothes don’t have to match, bodies don’t have to be posed and hair doesn’t have to all be in place.

My favorite photos are those simple moments with my family.  Not the ones that we all dressed up for in front of a professional photographer.  My favorite moments are the ones I look at and am instantly transported back to that moment.

So get out your camera and take photos.  Take a lot of photos!  Because that is truly one of the best gifts you can give to your children.

How do YOU feel about giving photos as a gift?  Leave us a comment below - we would LOVE to hear from you!  And PLEASE SHARE this post using the social sharing buttons (we really appreciate it)!