The Thankful Project: Day 9 - A Photo

I love photography. I was gifted my new Canon Eos Rebel t3i for my birthday this past March and have been working hard to capture the memories that I want to remember forever.

Photography is such a powerful thing. It captures a moment in a time, but also takes you back to a particular time. You can easily recall the moment - the sights, the sounds, the smells, the feelings.

Today I'm thankful for two pictures, both taken on the same day. The two pictures below were taken when I graduated from college.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  The chilly, crisp, overcast December day. The overwhelming number of people. Trying to find your loved ones in the crowd. The feeling of finally finding them. The pictures and sense of pride that everyone had that day. The love of a family and those that care about me the most. The naive thoughts that each of my loves ones would be here with me forever. Never thinking that within such a short amount of time, I would be living a life with two less loved ones.

These pictures hold a special place in my heart.  They were the last pictures I have with my step-father, Harry and my grandmother. My grandmother passed away somewhat unexpectedly at the end of February. Harry passed away the day after my birthday in early March. They both died within a week of one another. Two months from the date that these pictures were taken, these important people in my life were gone.
Although, they may be gone, their memory lives on. I carry the memories and the lessons I learned from them with me always. They will always be a special part of my life.

Today, I'm thankful for the pictures that evoke the memories of those who I miss dearly. Today, I'm thankful that they were a part of my life. Today, I'm thankful for what a picture can do.

What photo are you thankful for?

I’m linking up with Kenzie over at Chasing Happy for the month of November.Be sure to stop by and check it out!