The Holy Grail

I have three boys - aged 14 (almost 15, I think he would tell you), 12, and 9.  They ingest a lot.

I'm not sure how many gallons of orange juice and milk we go through a week, but it's a lot.  And then there are the numerous cups of yogurt consumed, packages of roast beef and cheese, and vats of ketchup.  And, I would be remiss in not mentioning the vital role our fridge plays in keeping my Diet Mountain Dew at the perfect temperature.

It's the Holy Grail of of delicacies, an ark of Goodness.  A sacred object.

Many of you who know me, may now be thinking that I've started worshipping Mountain Dew or something.  Not the case.  The reason our fridge is 'sacred' has nothing to do with what is contained on the inside.

The things which actually nourish me are on the outside.

I know this about my fridge... that I post things all over it.  But the other morning, as a friend stood in my kitchen looking at all the things pasted all over my fridge, I couldn't help but think, "That's my life... right there on the fridge."

Everything that I hold sacred is there - displayed for my family to look at each day.  Laid out for everyone who enters into my life to observe, take in.  My fridge says much about who I am.

If you send me a Christmas card with a photo on it... I'll trim the photo out of the card and long after the holidays have past, you'll be on my fridge someplace, as a reminder of the endurance of friendships.   Friends I've known for 20 years are up there.
Friends I've known for 5 months are up there.

My niece and nephews are there... with their silly forced smiles, reminding me of the capacity to love.

There are magnets from family vacations....vacations that I loved.  And even times that I desperately miss - times I wish I still had.  But there they are - reminding me of places I've been.

Of course there are the practical pieces:
The cork screw to aid in sharing a nice glass of wine with a friend.
The orthodontist appointment reminders and health insurance information.
The church phone directory.
The landscaper's phone number.

There's my youngest son's 'contract' to help him reach behavior goals.  Every night we put a sticker up (or not...) as a tactile reminder of the day's accomplishments.

On my fridge is something from every church I've belonged to in the last 14 years.

And then there's the art work.
The stick figures throwing bombs and guns (UGH - but yes, they are boys).
The hand-made magnet that says:
Butterfly go hover; near my mother; and tell her that; I dearly love her.
Sometimes, all I need to do is glance at that... and know that at the end of the day, at least, I am loved by a child.

And then there are the cards and notes...
There's a "Parking Violation" from a friend - telling me that I work too much (which I need to be reminded of often) and that she's in my corner.
There's the card from another friend - telling me that together, we can make it through anything (and God knows, we sure have).
There's a card I got with flowers from my ex-husband on the anniversary of my first ordination (it's been up there for a few years now...) - reminding me of grace.
There's an invitation to a birthday party for a dear family friend's daughter from when she turned one (she's 2 1/2 now, but I love the photo so much...) - reminding me how vast my family really is.
There's even a card up there which says, "YOU DON'T SUCK," and heck, sometimes... that's all I really need to know.

The point is...
This large, seemingly mundane, white, rectangular prism stands in the midst of my kitchen being the Holy Grail of my life.
It speaks of everything that God has ever placed into my life.
It's not neat and proper.
It's not Holy Water or Consecrated Wine and Bread.
But it is indeed sacred.

Bespeaking of God to all who enter my home of the goodness which dwells in life.

And so I wonder today, for you, where's your Holy Grail?