I read of a man who stood to speak At the funeral of a friend He referred to the dates on his tombstone From the beginning to the end He noted that first came the date of his birth And spoke the following date with tears, But he said what mattered the most of all Was the dash between those years For the dash represents all the time That he spent alive on earth. And 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 love And how we spent our dash. 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 while. So, when your eulogy is being read With your life’s actions to rehash Would you be proud of the things they say About how you spent your dash?