HOW DO YOU LIVE YOUR DASH ?

I knew a man who rose to speak
at the funeral of a friend
he referred to the dates on the headstone
from the begining, to the end

He noted that first came the birth date
then he recited the second date with tears
then he said what mattered most of all
was that little dash, between those years

For that dash represents, all the time
that his friend had lived here on earth
and now only those that loved his friend
know how much that dash was worth

For it matters not how much we own
the cars, the house, the cash.....
what matters most is how we live and love
and how we spend 'our' dash

If we think about this long and hard
are there things we would like to rehash?
For you never know how much time is left
It can run out in a flash

If we could only slow down enough
to consider what's true and real
and always try to understand
the way, that other people feel

Be less quick to turn to anger
show your appreciation a little more
mostly to 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 our eulogy is being read
and our life's actions they rehash
would we be proud of the things they'll say
about how we spent our dash?

Author anonymous and Bob Dever, (with a little unsolicted editing by Jeff)