Friday, November 10, 2006

The Dash

Food for thought:

THE DASH
by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end.

He noted that first came her date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very important life lessons. Too bad people forget this especially in the hectic lives we all seem to lead. That is one thing our kids do for us, they remind us to live in the dash.

Anonymous said...

I am sure you are not surprised to hear that I loved that. Things are going pretty good here, just getting packed up. I have been having lots of Aaron moments this week and I am not falling to peices so I know that must be a good sign. I think having the lifts installed is a great thing, anything to make life easier is a good thing.
Big Hugs!
K

Anonymous said...

What a lovely poem. Something we all need to hear.
Love,
Tess

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing the dash. I sent it to my husband. We all need to be reminded to take things slower and enjoy our lives. I hope Jack is doing well today and smiling his cute little smile!