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 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. (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'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 spend your dash?? |
Poem by Linda Ellis
Yesterday, as I remembered 7 years back to the day when my mom died, I thought of this poem. For the life she lived in between her dashes was lived to the fullest. Born in Wills Point, Texas in 1936 my mother was a change of life baby. Her sister Ola was quite a bit older and her brother Otis was older as well. She said that she always felt like an only child because of the age gap. Her playmates were the animals on the farm. She would often talk about paper dolls and the hours she spent playing with them. I have fond memories of playing paper dolls with my mom when I was a little girl. When she graduated High School she moved to Dallas with her girlfriends and attended Tarrant County Jr. College. At a nightclub, she met and fell in love with a handsome young Air Force soldier. They married in 1952. We had a 50th anniversary party for them in 2002 and it was truly one of the most memorable events of my life. She loved my dad so much. She stood by him through years of alcohol abuse and when he became a Christian in 1983 I believe it was an answered prayer. She never gave up on him. More importantly, she never gave up on anyone. It was impossible to meet her and not to love her. Her smile lit up the room and the joy and love she felt shined in her eyes. Even as she was dying of cancer she never lost her faith. She would say “ tomorrow I’ll be better”. Those words spoken on December 11th turned out to be true because when she died on December 12th she was better. She was pain free. She had lived a life that most of us only dream of in terms of the people she touched and the love returned to her in heaps and bounds. All 5 of her children Garry, Jimmy, me, Robert and Connie have nothing but good memories of her for she was the best mother anyone could have asked for. She was gracious and kind, loving and joyful, optimistic and determined. She loved her family more than anything but God was first in her life as He should be. To her grandkids Jesse, Jenna, Christopher, Andy, Jordan, Eric, Anna and Jackson she was Mema, or Meme and they meant the world to her. It was knowing that she would not be around to see them marry and have children of her own that was deepest regret. To her friends, she was the best friend you could ask for. To my dad his partner of almost 53 years.
Today my words of wisdom for the day calendar was a quote by George Eliot
It is never too late to be what you might have been.
Sort of goes along with the dash poem. You have one life to live. None of us have a guarantee of another day, or even another breath. Live life to the fullest, doing your best to do it in a way that you have no regrets when you do come to the end of your life.
Forgive those who have hurt you, ask forgiveness from those you have hurt. Live for the moment.
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