My Refrigerator

I love my refrigerator -- and not for the obvious reason that it holds food (although, that's certainly a good enough reason for me). I love my refrigerator because it's where all the things that are important to me are "stuck". It's usually the home of homework lists, sports schedules, coupons, doctor's appointment cards, funny cartoons, coupons, quotes or Bible verses and MOST importantly, PHOTOS.

I have one photo that has been on my refrigerator and in the same place (top left hand corner) for 10 years. It has not been moved. I'm afraid if I move it, it will disintegrate. It's a photo of Josh very shortly after he was born. He is being held by one of my former co-workers. He is sleeping on her chest, so very peacefully. Granted, I didn't start out intending for it to stay there for 10 years, but it has gradually just seemed wrong to take it down. I have four years of wallet photos of Josh playing football. It's wonderful to see the progression from year to year. One one side is a cartoon my friend Betty sent me one year at Christmas because I have a Christmas birthday. It's a photo of a kid walking along with Jesus. The kid says, "When your birthday's on Christmas, people are too busy with toys, gifts and merrymaking to remember it." Jesus says, "Tell me about it." It's yellowed with age, but hasn't been taken down since I got it some 12 or 13 years ago.

And, tonight, as I do every now and then, I decided it was time to "clean up" the ole' refrigerator. The front was COVERED with all the recent Christmas photo cards, birth announcements and various and sundry other items. But as I looked at them, I couldn't bear to part with any of them, so I moved the majority of them to the side and left only photos of Josh and Ellie on the front.

As I looked at my handiwork on the side of the fridge, I noticed that I had the last four years of our Christmas cards hanging there. I thought back over what the past four years have brought and thought, like God said, "It was good." As I reviewed all the other photos, I realized how far God has brought us from where we once were -- we are now a "transracial" family (silly phrase if you ask me) with TONS of "transracial" friends. What it means to me is that my refrigerator is filled with people I love who happen to be from places like China, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and of a sweet little African American baby (Oh.My.Goodness -- she is SO cute!!!) and Caucasian babies. "Jesus loves the little children. All the little children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white. They are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world." And, they are ALL represented on my refrigerator. How very, very different from four years ago.

Ellie LOVES to look at all the photos on the refrigerator. We do it almost daily. She can also point out "mama" and "brother" most of the time. She gets "doggy" right about half the time.

My refrigerator is a place to remind my children how very important they are to me by displaying their photos and artwork. And while it's not some fancy, stainless steel, does everything but cook dinner model, but rather a 14 year old (new when we got married) brand that runs just fine, I think it's great. And, while it's not pristine, spotless and without anything on it, that's just how our lives are. There's a sticker that came off several years ago and I cannot get the stick part off the fridge. There are water stains in the icemaker section -- can't figure how to get those off either. The bottom plate part has a broken tab. But, even with all that, not only do I love our refrigerator, but I have a sneaky suspicion that everyone in my family does too.