The Face on the Milkman

I remember that smile on the face of our milkman.         I remember his eyes.  They spoke.  They told me he loved his work.  He loved the people he served.  He felt good providing for others.  I felt happy when I saw his smile.

I remember a similar look was on the face of a the Wonder bread baker.  As a kindergarten class we excitedly boarded a small bus which took us to the Wonder bread factory! At the end of the tour that filled our minds with wonder over all that we had seen, a very kind man handed each of us, personally, a small miniature loaf of bread.  I was so excited because it was even in a little Wonder bread wrapper!  He didn't just tell us to take one, but he placed one in each of our hands.  Such a little thing, but it made it feel like a gift, which it was, and his smile and eyes told us that he loved his work.  He loved us children who came to visit and he loved providing for others.  I took my treasure home and wanted to eat it but wanted to save it forever.

Today I walked into an old country store (Lehman's Market) and there I saw it!!  Up high on the wall was an old poster of a milkman!  The face of that milkman smiled down at me from that old vintage poster, transporting me to a day and age I had nearly forgotten.

So where are we now?  Those faces, those eyes, those smiles from the past - when work was done out of love and with a feeling of service.  Men, women, moms, dads...the things they did made that piece of their world a better place for all.