Refrigerator Doors

Refrigerator doors have been telling stories about families for years.  So many times I have handed a student a paper, a picture, a test, something they did well on, and after praising them, I've looked into their pride-filled face and said, "Now take this home and put it on your refrigerator!" 

Our refrigerator has pictures of my best friend's kids as tiny little ones, my brother holding my nephew the day he was born, my kids at the zoo, my daughter graduating from kindergarten, and me graduating from college.  There are  pictures my niece has made me, magnets with funny sayings, my signature ladybug magnets, and my daughter's science test paper from her freshman year of high school.  Of course, we can't forget the appointment cards for doctor's appointments, along with various other pictures, wedding photo booth strips, and gift shop magnets.

Each item tells a story.  The stories are of happy times, days to remember.  They are reminders of zoo trips, wedding vows we witnessed loved ones making, families being started, future artists in the making, memories...

Maybe those memories don't need to be on the refrigerator doors.  Maybe they shouldn't be there, cluttering up the clean lines, the smooth metal, collecting dust, the edges curling as they age.  Maybe I'll take them down, see how I feel with a cleaner, more "minimalist" look.  

I think I hang onto those types of items, display them where I can look at them daily, reminisce, daydream of days gone by, because I'm feeling that old adage "the days are long, but the years are short" more than ever lately.  My heart aches for those days displayed on my fridge, to relive those times, to do things different, better...