The Dash, My Dash

During Camp Cam, Grandma Annette shared this poem with us entitled-The Dash. The dash is the dash between the day we were born and the day we die on our tombstone. It is not merely just a small horizontal line but it's the line that matters. It's not the date we were born that matters or the day we die but how we live that little dash in our lives.

The Dash – 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 birth
And spoke the following date with tears, 1964-1994
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’s being read
With your life’s actions to rehash..
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

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Today I went to help out some friends at Door of Hope where they give English classes to kids. Teaching them, I know this is one of the things I want to do while I still living my dash.