As a child, I vividly remember wanting to fill my home with beautiful photos of all the places I've been to and of the people I love. I wanted my home to look pretty. So, when I bought a house, I recall purchasing a big carton of picture frames to get me started on that ambitious project. Obviously, hanging those photos kinda didn't happen - but that's a different story.
Anyway, now that I'm older, I've come to realise that having a wall, full of photos is not just about making a home nicer to look at or filling up space. It's actually all about celebrating your loved ones and remembering those who have gone before us.
me and my very first and most doting admirer, my dad
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me and my very first and most doting admirer, my dad
Above is an old photo of me and my beautiful papa. He's left the mortal world a few years back to watch Luciano Pavarotti sing arias in the afterlife. He didn't like having his photo taken so, now that he's gone, all my sister and I have left to remember him by are our memories and a few grainy photos (such as the one above) my mum managed to keep. It's not a great image but when I look at it, I remember papa - the way he laughed, the silly songs he used to sing, and the way he cared for us - his two precious princesses.
mr and mrs
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mr and mrs
Hanging in an alcove in the home I share with my amazing husband is a large canvas print of us during our wedding day (see wonky image on the left). Like my dad, hubs does not like having his photos taken but made an exception when we got married. And I'm glad he did because this is a beautiful image and it just captured how giddy happy we were on that occasion. Now, whenever we see it or look at it, all the memories of that wonderful, sunny day in January just floods back. We remember the preparations we made, he remembers his stag party antics, while I remember my friends and I sitting around a table working on the finishing touches of my wedding gown. That image just transports us back to one of the happiest days of our life and it never fails to make us feel happy.
So no, photographs are not just decorative accessories - photographs are tangible memories, they are powerful reminders of a special event or of people you love. Of all the accessories you have in your home, only portraits - heirloom pieces or otherwise - of your loved ones can open the floodgates of heart-warming thoughts, and make you feel happy.
If you don't think photos are important, wait until they are all you have left.
