I stumbled across this page in an old Magnolia Journal issue and it had me thinking of the importance of a photograph and I thought I would share my two cents with you:
Planting a Legacy
“It’s a catch-your-breath experience. Traveling down a tree-lined drive under a canopy of blooming branches focuses your attention on where you’re going. The feeling turns to comfort when you know your arrival and others had been planned years earlier – that there’s purpose in the design. At the end of a shady route might rest a homestead or simply an outdoor dinner table with a view. And while someone may be waiting there for you, another someone, perhaps a decade or century before, thought to leave this legacy of trees, knowing that he or she might never sit beneath their shade.
Maybe that person envisioned great-grandchildren climbing the twisting branches or believed that no matter who ended up on their doorstep in the generations ahead, an allée of trees would be a gift – an artifact of hospitality.
As you consider how you will leave your mark on all the tomorrows ahead, your legacy could look like a single oak tree, a road flanked but tall cypress trees, a row of blossoming dogwoods, an avenue lined with elms, or a driveway bordered by flowering cherry trees, right. Some will write books. Some will bear children. Some will plant trees.”
The Importance of a Photograph
There can be such a comfort in old photographs. Selfishly, we take photos just trying hard to cling to a moment and capture it before it fades away, like sand slipping through our fingers.
But we often don’t think of the gift it is to others and the importance of a photograph. we forget the comfort and joy it can offer someone.
I think back to my grandparent’s old photo albums. What a gift it is to have their life story captured in old photographs.
It brings comfort to me to see the wonderful moments they’ve walked through as well as being able to see some of the dark valleys they’ve stumbled through. It brings hope, encouragement. It’s a joy to be able to see my family roots captured and preserved.
I love looking back at my parent’s old photo albums, it is a gift to be able to see them when they were just married, what their home looked like when they first moved in together, the trips they took before they had any children.
And then to see my mom at her sickest with four children running around. To be able to peek into what life looked like when it wasn’t easy and yet it was somehow still good.
The original motive for the photos was just the hope of never forgetting this moment. But over time, the photos become more and more treasured and cherished. The photos become a wonderful gift that can be passed down for generations to come.
It’s the gift of showing God’s goodness and faithfulness throughout your life, to your children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. It gives them comfort to know that He is good in every season of life. That’s the importance of a photograph.
How to ‘Plant’ Your Legacy Through Photos
The simplest way to ‘plant’ your legacy through photos is to have professional photos taken every year. Our time on earth is short and taking photos of every season in life matters. Start simply with your yearly professional photos and then have an album created from your session.
Friend, if that’s all you do to preserve your legacy, that’s enough.
(To all my past BG Clients, if you would like an album from your session, feel to reach out to me and I would love to design one of your session for you!)
Then tackle your personal phone photos:
If you think about it, taking photos is fairly new in our world. And boy did it pick up speed over the last few years. With 10,000 + photos on your iPhone, it can be hard to see how your photos can leave a legacy. It’s too overwhelming.
We treasure our grandparents’ photos so much because there are so few of them. Not to say we should clear out our camera rolls, but we should learn how to pull out the photos that tell the story of our life.
If you want to see more of the practical ways to preserve your family legacy, you can read this blog HERE that is packed with ideas.
And if you want a step-by-step checklist on how to roll up your sleeves and start simply taking control of your photos. You can grab this free BGP Guide below: Checklist for *Actually* Printing and Enjoying Your Photos.
So often, we are so busy snapping photos, that we forget the impact it has. The importance of a photograph and how it truly is a gift for generations to come. You can’t do too much or too little. There is no one right or wrong way to leave your legacy…
Some will write books. Some will bear children. Some will plant trees. And… some will take photographs.
