A Dash of Life

A little dash of this and a little dash of that! Usually we use this phrase in referring to salt and the other ingredients in the recipes of life. However have you ever thought about the dash that will be on your tombstone? You know the one between the year you were born and the year you die?


There is an excellent poem written by Linda Ellis call the The Dash Poem. It describes the dash --
"For that dash represents all the time
That she (you) spent alive on earth
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth."

I have been thinking quite a bit lately about my dash, what my life represents. Recently I had two younger lady friends, one from work and one from church, lose their husbands to death within the same week. I attended the "wake" of one and the memorial service of the other. It's interesting to hear what people say about the deceased. What would they say about me?


There is an old saying, "Death comes in threes." With the these two men dying, I wondered aloud what the third death would be? Paul's car died (dead battery) that week and I jokingly thought "that must be the third death." Regretfully, another person I know died that week and I just read her obituary today. She was a lady younger than me that died of cancer. She and her young daughter were a couple of the constant participants in the weekly fund-raising meat raffle that hubby and I worked at in Wisconsin for over two years. In her obituary, it referred to her pranks and antics at Tom's Bar. Yes, I remember well.... when we would announce the winning number, Sissy would shout, "I won, I won!" It didn't take long to realize that she was joking. But her attitude on life was that she truly did win!


I have been feeling out-of-sorts lately, even before these deaths, wondering what my purpose is? Wondering what my "dash" will mean? Wondering about a lot of things. I feel like I should be doing more than working 40 + hours a week, coming home to read and watch TV. But I don't seem to have the energy to do much more. I know they say if do something, it spends energy, but it also creates more energy. Right now, I am quite stagnant.