The Dash by Linda Ellis

The Dash
by Linda Ellis copyright 1996

​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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 little 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?

Last week many of us lost a dear friend, Katlyn Marie. I hadn't had much contact with Katlyn in the past few months, but she made a huge impact on me during my freshman year. Outside of the people from my middle school, Katlyn was one of the first people that I met at AACT. One of my friends who chose to attend a different high school told me that she had a friend who would also be going to AACT, and that I should find her. Katlyn and I met on the tour around school on the first day and later realized that she was the person my friend was talking about. We quickly became friends. 

Katlyn made such a difference for me in the beginning of that year. I had just left some not-so-great friends, and was really nervous about making new ones. Katlyn made all of that anxiety go away instantly. She would text me first thing on the morning every day, asking where we should meet up when we both got to school. We talked and laughed at lunch. She showed me all of the drawings she had done the night before and I ranted about the books I was reading.

It was such a blessing to have known you, Katlyn Marie. Thank you for always being so kind, gentle, and appropriately sarcastic and jokey. Even though it was all too short, you lived your dash well.