Poems and Prayers

The Dash...by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
from the beginning…to the end.

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He noted that first came the date of birth
and spoke the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

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For that dash represents all the time
that they spent alive on earth.

And now only those who loved them
know what that little line is worth.

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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 spend our dash.

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So, think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.

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If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real
and always try to understand?

the way other people feel.

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And be less quick to anger
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.

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If we treat each other with respect
and more often wear a smile,
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while?

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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?

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep

Mary Elizabeth Frye

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow;
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;
I am the gentle autumn’s rain.

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Do not stand at my grave and mourn.
I am the dew-flecked grass at dawn.
Where tranquil oceans meet the land
I am the footprints in the sand
To guide you through the weary day.
I am still here; I’ll always stay.

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When you wake up to morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there; I did not die.