The Dash (by Linda Ellis)

I read of a man 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 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.
or 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?

---

This e-mail and any attachments are intended only for the use of the addressee(s) and may contain information that is privileged, confidential and protected under the Education Act and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. If you are not the intended recipient, or the person responsible for delivering the information to the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, printing or copying of this e-mail and any attachments is strictly prohibited. If this e-mail and any attachments were received in error, please notify the sender by reply e-mail and delete the original message.

Please consider the environment before printing this email or attachments.

Posted via email from Trayling,'s posterous