My Family { Portraits Preserved for Future Generations }

I was thinking today about why it is that I enjoy working in my studio.  As many of you know, my studio is in the lower level of my home so as is the case many days, I went upstairs to get some laundry and as I walked down the hall, I glanced over at the family portraits on the wall.  I had one of those moments…no, not a senior moment, but the kind of moment when something of the past collides with the present and you realize why what you do is so important to you.  You see, the walls of my hall upstairs are adorned with “My Family”.  Not my children or my parents but my heritage, my family of the past.  I have portraits of my grandparents, great aunts & uncles, my husband’s grandparents and more.  They are in all different ages of life and I often stand in front of them and ponder what was going on in their lives at the time those images were captured?  What hardships had they endured?  What traits and characteristics have they passed down to me and my children? 

Portraits from the past help to anchor us to our present and to the future.  They give validity to where we have come from and why we are who we are…good or bad.  I know for me personally, I am truly thankful for the spiritual heritage of my family…their faith, their prayers for the generations to come.  It is humbling to think that some of those prayers are now coming to fruition.  I am blessed…truly.

 So, I thought I would “introduce” you to some of “My Family”…