There is one simple activity that has brought me to a place of true gratitude for my family more than almost anything else:

Looking through pictures.

I find this to be especially true after a family trip, a big birthday party, or even a field trip with the kiddos. These kind of activities, while fun, often leave me feeling drained. But that weariness seems to diminish when I look at images I have captured of our family in action!

Whether I’m browsing through them myself or with The Hubby or kids, I am flooded with gratitude at the images on my screen and here’s why…

1. Pictures allow me step back and really see my children outside of my daily mothering duties.

In a picture, I catch personality glimpses I may have missed while trying to keep an eye all three kiddos. I notice little things that are hard to catch in the day-to-day, like the way the older two stick out their tongue when working hard on something or the expressions on their faces as they discuss something out of my earshot.

2. Pictures emphasize the positive in my children.

Like how stinking cute they are. How can I not smile when I look at those faces and the precious – or precarious – things they are doing?!

3. Pictures serve as “stones.”

Just as God commanded Joshua and the Israelites to set up stones to remember what He had done for them {Joshua 4}, pictures are “stones” or milestone-markers for me. I can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of thanksgiving as I look through photos of birthdays and gatherings and “firsts” and backyard fun and so on. Memories pour back into my mind when I flip through pictures, both old and new, and my internal “blessings meter” goes through the roof!

Photography leads me to a place where I am more grateful for my husband, children, and family as a whole.

And for that form of strengthening of my family, I am even more thankful.

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Family Tie #25: Take lots of pictures and look at them more often! You don’t need a fancy camera – use whatever you have and snap away! And as you look back through them, thank God for each blessing in those moments frozen in time!

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This post is also a part of 31 Days of Thanks, a wonderful month-long blogger celebration of gratitude organized by Meg from Homeschoolin Mama! So blessed to be included in this fun!

As part of the festivities, there are a TON of prizes being given away! Here’s a look at this week’s prize package:

Amazing, right?! And there are new prizes every week – a $1450 value total! Talk about celebrating Thanksgiving the right way!

Just use Rafflecopter below to enter and make sure to follow this great series all the way through for new prizes every week!

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