Every Refrigerator tells a story....

I spoke a few days ago about cleaning the outside of my refrigerator. When we take on these challenges it isn't just the process of de-cluttering, it's the process of reliving the past. The linen closet held a lot of truths. The fact that the stocking stuffers I purchased for the girls several years ago, remained unopened...I guess they didn't care for that gift! The remnants of their youth, hair bows and barrettes. medicines from past illnesses and more :) So removing "life" from the refrigerator was a similar experience, but it recalled the past thru pictures. Lots of pictures. Graduation pictures of my children and friends children. The annual Christmas pictures of friends and relatives, that I love to receive. Vacation pictures, everyday pictures, pictures of life.... I also found coupons that expired in 2006, missed that opportunity for 25% off my food bill. Around to the side of the refrigerator I found the area where the pictures that no longer had front and center billing ended up. I found a family picture in front of Cinderella's castle in Disney World- I believe that was Spring Break 1998. The girls dressed in matching overalls...remembering when I had control over them! A New Years Eve photo of the family before Y2K. Wanted that last family picture in case the world came to an end at midnight! It has been stuck to my refrigerator for more than 10 years! 10 years.......the things that have happened in 10 years, makes you think. Wow, I was only 40 that night. It shows! That refrigerator holds a lot of memories. I slowly took down every picture and stacked them up and moved them into the computer room where I keep all the other photo's. One day when I became the ultimate scrapbooker I would be able to put together every moment of our life in a beautiful, creative book....NOT. I guess the only up side of that is I saved a lot of money. I would have had to had the cri cut machine for sure! Anyway the only thing that survived was my calendar! I need that or I wouldn't be able to function. It lists our life. Everything we have to do is on there. Command Central. It proved a life saver when the kids were younger. Each kid had a color and their activities were spelled out for our daily hectic life. Days are freer and we are down to 1 ink pen to mark it up with. I do have one last thing I have to deal with. I keep my old calendars! After watching Law and Order and police say....."What were you doing last Tuesday at 6pm" I thought oh, my goodness, I can't remember what I had for dinner last night, what if I ever have to remember what I was doing more than 12 hours ago, I am going to jail for sure. Thus started the saving of my yearly calendars. That middle kitchen drawer contains our past! Just for grins I reached in and pulled out an old one. 2007 it is! Looked back at this day - It was a Sunday and we left that day for 7 days in Florida, according to the calendar we came home on Saturday the 27th. Marcy worked that day from 1-6pm! Do you know what you did that day? Probably not, but I do!!! ha ha I think I need to throw them all away. Maybe next time! So if you think something as simple as cleaning off the refrigerator is just that a simple cleaning exercise you are wrong....It's a history lesson!