By Kate Bradley 26 November 2013, 8:36 AM

Yesterday I dropped off a portrait at the home of my client. You can read more about the inspiration behind this portrait here. She is hosting Thanksgiving at her house this year and the portrait will hang in the dining room for everyone to see as they fellowship together. When she told me this, I thought, Wow! This is so in line with the mission of my business- to help people honor and celebrate their family relationships through my artistic talent. As her family gathers together to celebrate and enjoy each other, here is a physical representation of that gift!

It also occurred to me that in seeking to celebrate family, I am affirming my belief in the importance and sanctity of family. Family is a blessing from God. I heard someone say once, it's a shelter and a haven from a cold world.

You see, family is very precious to me. I myself came from a broken family, and I see clearly the lasting effect it's had on my. Thankfully, God has been able to heal and redeem those wounds in major ways, but I still fight some of those demons. You're not beyond God's help if you come from a broken family, but it can be an uphill battle. There are no shortage of examples of the damage poor family life can cause. Family is our start in life- from it we get our sense of value, our sense of belonging, our perceptions, and our place in the world. And if I have my own family one day, I hope to cherish it above all and create the kind of environment that is a safe haven from the world. And it's my privilege to honor that through my art. What I do is not really about me, it's about honoring God and the families I paint.

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for the gift of family.