The Dash
By Linda Ellis
I read of a reverend who stood to speak
At the funeral of his friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone,
From the beginning to the end
He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke of the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years
For the dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved her
Know what that 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
You could be at “dash mid-range”
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 while
So, when your eulogy’s being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you rather be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?
