I'm Glad You're In My Dash

Something well worth passing on…food for thought.

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,

But he said what mattered most of all

Was the dash between those years.

           (1934 - 1998)

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?

(I found out that this wonderful poem was written by a lady named Linda Ellis in 1996.)

Comments

[Jen]

Beautiful Joy and soooo true. It's so easy to get caught up in the day to day and not sit back and reflect about stuff like this.

[genevieve]

This is a good reflection - I have to send you some hugs, Joy, going through the tough times you have hit here, all of a sudden. As I told Jory, I had a friend whose mother went quickly like this - it's very hard to count the profit and the loss at such a time. On the one hand, less suffering perhaps - on the other, less opportunity to let others share the load. I wish you every strength in the coming weeks and months.

[tim]

Yes, it's a nice poem, but we're being sued by Linda since we published her poem....... Is that the way to live *her* dash??

[Aleisha Bell]

This poem was a part of my Nana's funeral program. It was so beautiful and represented what my Nana stood for as person. She has done many things within that dash...it was a perfect poem for her. i admire the lady who wrote this poem!

[Linda G.]

I love to find and ponder over poems like this but then feel sad that people in the real world dont seem to have the time to do the same. . .

[CHRISTINA]

LOVE THE POEM.IT WILL GO ON BEING SHARED BY SO MANY.I WAS SAD TO HEAR THAT LINDA WAS SUEING. CHRISTINA

[rndunn]

This poem expresses my Love for a certain W.Max Dr..ry --a truly beautiful woman in my Dash.