Dont cry over spilt milk...... That saying came to me as I was cleaning up milk (as usual) at lunch today. While I cannot say that I have actually cried over spilt milk, I will confess to yelling over it often when I was in my twenties, with two small children. Isn't it interesting that these days the only emotions spilt milk elicit from me are compassion and (maybe) sadness.

When I was in my twenties, I still had much to prove, so I tended to take everything personally. While I was still trying to figure out my role in the world, I was also dealing with the HUGE responsibility of getting my children ready to become productive members of society. Looking back on the things that were so important then, I can only feel sorry for that scared kid bound and determined not to let anyone see that she didn't have all the answers.

In my world today, the hands that spill the milk are not chubby toddler hands, but rather hands riddled with arthritis, or directed by cataract filled eyes and/or memory deficient minds. When a toddler spills his/her milk, it is cause for laughter, and discovery (watching the milk spread out and disappear over the table edge, at the same time mommy shreaks and "flys" towards the paper towels is a great way to see ones effect on the world around them). When a senior looses contol of their glass, it is just one more loss of contol over a world that they used to be on top of. As we age, there are so many losses we must endure, being treated with dignity and respect from those around us should never ever have to be counted among our personal loss.

Every human being deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, but it is especially important to do so with people that are in need of assistance (whatever that level of assistance may be). This might be a good time to recall the Golden Rule, as it is a fact that if time continues to march on, one day each of us may find ourself crying over milk spilt by our hand, while relying on the kindness of another to dry our tears with grace,while wiping up the milk with a compassionate heart.