to my dad. we'll always remember...

"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."

excerpt from "The Dash Poem" by Linda Ellis