How do you live your dash?
January 2005
A thought provoking look at the way we live our lives
The following was sent to me by a colleague who lost his wife earlier this year. I thought Pump readers might wish to see it. Ed
This evening, along with other members of my family and friends, I attended
The Tree of Light, lighting ceremony at Florence Nightingale House, the
hospice in which Pat spent her last weeks. The ceremony is a short service
of Christmas carols, a reading from the Bible and a reading by the Rev.
David Nash, who used to be our local Vicar but is now Chaplain to all the
Aylesbury hospitals. There was a huge crowd present, easily twice as many as
last year. I thought you might be interested in the reading by David Nash.
How do you live your Dash?
I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her casket
From the beginning....to the end.
He noted that first came her date of birth
And spoke 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,
that still can be re-arranged.
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?
Ray Thompson