Chiquita banana stickers

When people come into my home, they see a LONG line of Chiquita banana stickers lining the inside of my children's bedroom doors.  They are usually perplexed by the meaning of this.  I also have some on my closet door. 

When my late brother, David, was serving his mission in Guatemala, he would always put a banana sticker on the inside of his letters home.  My parents and the rest of the Mortenson children were curious about this as well.  My parents asked him, "David, what do the banana stickers mean?"  He informed them that it was telling them and his siblings that he loves them.  Although he still said it, it was a visual reminder and we children began putting them on our doors.  And it reminded us every time we walked into our rooms that our big brother loved us, even though he was 1000s of miles away.  No distance could change that. 

When I think of the specific meaning of placing banana stickers in doorways, I think of my big brother David.  David passed away on Christmas day in 1999.  His heart went into an arrhythmic pattern that could not correct itself.  Years later we have discovered that two of my sisters also have this heart disease.  If my brother had not given up his life, we never would've known until it was too late.  (We have ALL had to go through extensive heart tests).  I often feel that David gave up his life to save ours.  My big brother loves us enough to give up his life for us.  Just like the Savior did.  Our big brother. 

I don't usually take the time to explain the deeper meaning of banana stickers to the people that come into my home.  I just inform them that it is my way of telling my children that I love them.  And their response is, "how cute".

So yes, I put little Chiquita banana stickers on my children's doors, and they put them on mine.  It is not only a reminder that I love them, and that their uncle gave up his life for the family, but that our Savior did too.