I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of his friend,

He referred to the date on his tombstone from the beginning...to the end

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke of the 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 his friend was alive on earth

Now only those who loved him 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 loved and how we spent our dash.

Linda Ellis