The
Dash
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?
© 1996 All
Rights Reserved, Linda Ellis
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