What are you doing with your dash?

Remember this post? Well, it got me thinking about a poem my mom had sent me a little bit ago; I found it kind of ironic that I ended up being a dash and then she sent me this.

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 the date of her birth

and spoke of the following date with tears,

but said that what mattered most of all

was the dash between the years.

For that dash represents all the time

that she spent alive on the earth

and now only those who loved her

knew what that little line was 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?

Acts 24:16: "So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man."

Philippians 2:3-4: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Galatians 6:9-10: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of God."