The Dash – Linda M Ellis (From Healing Grief by James van Praagh

“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 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 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 ou 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 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 actions to rehash . . .                                                                                                        Would you be proud of the things they say                                                                                           About how you spent your dash?”

Published in: on February 22, 2008 at 1:38 pm Leave a Comment

The URI to TrackBack this entry is: http://tapthemasters.wordpress.com/2008/02/22/the-dash-linda-m-ellis-from-healing-grief-by-james-van-praagh/trackback/

RSS feed for comments on this post.

Leave a Comment