Lately I’ve spent many afternoons and evenings going through piles of old family photographs. Some make me laugh, others bring tears to my eyes, but all are precious to me.
I can look at pictures of my grandpa when he was a young man and see that my son looks just like him in profile. It’s a precious link between generations. I love the photos of my parents—their dating years, my daddy’s time in the navy (looking handsome in his uniform!), their huge church wedding and moments from my childhood.
Photographs give us the opportunity to share stories about those loved ones with our children and grandchildren, to help them learn about the grandparents and previous generations who are no longer here.
Read More: How a Family Photo Inspires Prayer
Photos remind us of our blessings—memories of meals we’ve shared and trips where we’ve laughed together and done silly things. Photographs capture the milestone moments of our lives—the births, birthdays, graduations and weddings. They’re proof that we have lived, laughed and loved.
So how can you capture the moments with your loved ones?
1. Take photos of you individually with your children. It’s great to have group pictures, but someday they will want a photo of just the two of you.
2. Get in the pictures with your family. They won’t care that you didn’t look perfect or weren’t having a good hair day as long as they see the love in your face.
3. Take photos of the big moments like trips to Disney World, but don’t forget the little moments (that aren’t really little) that will mean the world to us someday when our loved one is gone.
4. For your next family get-together or vacation, make a list of the shots you want to capture. Give everyone a disposable camera and have a photo contest. That way everyone gets in the pictures and everybody works to capture great photos.
5. Don’t forget to write names and details on the back of photos. Make copies of these treasures and keep them in your bank deposit box or at someone else’s house. Or store them on an online backup system.
Enjoy your photos and the memories attached to them. And then thank God for the gift of the loved ones and moments with which He’s blessed you.
