If a person’s house catches fire, what are the things people will risk their lives to save? Aside from the obvious answers of people and pets, the most coveted item to be saved from the house burning down are family portraits and photo albums.

Family photo albums and family portraits on the wall are some of the most important objects to us, and yet lots of us take them for granted.

Why do we present to you such a personal message? Because we want people to stop and think about the importance of family photos and family history… how we can share memories from one generation to the next.

Something happens to us when we see pictures of our families. We well up with pride and want to show people; we travel back in time and can see and feel details long forgotten; we’re reminded of what matters and how time moves too quickly, and to treasure the moments we have today.

Photos, like memories and stories, are part of our legacy. We hold them close, we pass them down. It’s a gift to be able to share a visual of moments, details, people, places and things to those we love, so that they, too, can feel even a glimmer of the joy we feel when we reflect on those times.

Family photos connect us to those who came before. By letting your kids see your photos from the past and the present, they become connected to their own story. They know the family members and ancestors who came before them and helped shape the world and person they see today.

Because as time moves on, it is the memories of loved ones we will cherish documenting the most. Family photos can manifest emotions that words cannot.