Headwaters Homestead

One picture is worth a thousand words.

Fred R. Barnard

I have a confession.

Some days I have no idea what to write about.

This is especially true this time of year. We’ve got so much going on around the homestead that oftentimes I realize it is Tuesday and I haven’t even given a thought as to what to blog about for the week.

At times like this, I’m thankful that I often stop to take pictures. Because, just as advertising executive Fred. R Barnard once observed, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

Of course, he was focused on advertising. But I find that just as a well crafted visual can tell the story a merchandizer wants to sell, a decent photo can be a reminder of all the little stories we may have forgotten about as we rushed through our busy week.

Yes, the car broke down. Yes, the washing machine quit. Yes, there was a rush to get the lawn mowed before the rains came. And yes, the rains made it too wet to get the fields plowed in. Those are all the rusihng thoughts that stick in the front of our brain as we find ourselves looking back over the past week.

But with a quick glance back at the pictures we’ve taken, there is a reminder of all the good as well. The good little stories that might go missed. The good little stories, captured in a thousand plus words, by simple photos.

Like how well the new rescue, Ellie, is adapting to life on our little farm.

The week’s great thrifting find.

How fast the new chicks are growing.

The rooster who once again found his place at the head of his flock

Or even the simple beauty of a raindrop heart captured in the new herb garden after a spring rain.

These moments, not the woes of the work week, are what are worth remembering. These photos hold the seeds of our stories worth telling.

Taking photos allows us to document our journey, yes. But they also remind us of all the good to be found in the thousand words worth of stories in each image.

So grab a camera. Grab your phone. Heck even sketch or paint if you can. But capture the good moments. Memories may fade. But each picture holds its own beautiful story. A story retold each time you look back upon the image.