My mother's magnet collection . . . .

You can tell a lot about people by the kinds of magnets they put on their refrigerators.  Just before the holidays, sometime in mid-November, my sisters and I gathered to do the pre-holiday cleaning at my parents home.  Dad is pretty much a minimalist and can get by with very little.  Mom on the other hand loved stuff!  Each time we do a deep cleaning, Dad has us get rid of a few more things.

My responsibility this go around was the kitchen.  I started at one end with my cleaning supplies and followed the perimeter of the kitchen.  When I got to the refrigerator, I took all of the magnets off so I could wipe it down. It was easy to see that each one represented something important to my mother. Rather then toss them away, I decided to reorganize and this is the result.

You can see for yourself the variety of magnets and that really do tell an interesting story of mom's interests and loves - from Disneyland to the University of Utah, the Pledge of Allegiance to pandas and hummingbirds.  She visited many of the places represented by the magnets vicariously - Washington DC, France, Russia, Switzerland and West Virginia.  Mom loved music and if you mentioned a random word, she had a song to go with it.  I think Christmas was her favorite holiday and Yellowstone was a favorite place to go for a long drive.  She was proud to be an American and was pretty much addicted to Diet Coke.  All of these things are represented on the fridge.

On the side of the fridge were some of her "hand-made" magnets with messages that she probably got from a Relief Society lesson or something at church.  These magnets were not to be cluttered among the others because they represented her faith and love and commitment to family.  

What's on your fridge?