THE DASH by Linda Ellis

I seen a link on Facebook for a website, (I forget the site now) and I think this is something to live by. I DID NOT WRITE THIS. It was written by Linda Ellis.

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 beginning...to the end.

He noted the first came the date of her birth,
then 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 that love her
know what 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 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 is read
with your life's actions to rehash
would you be proud of the things they say
about how you spent your dash?