Recently I’ve been holed up. It was not unlike working in a salt mine. The reason was not the cold and miserable weather, as you may think. The reason was that I have been working on an early set goal to get my second book, of The Best of Bits and Pieces series, to the printers by Ground Hog Day. Why that deadline was picked I haven’t got a clue. Perhaps it was the thought of, Wiarton Willie, the groundhog, making his appearance and having been holed up, as he; and both being mammals, I felt I had the qualifications to demand equal rights. Nevertheless I made it, though I must admit I was one day late, but leap year coming once in four, this particular month has one day more; so my guilty conscience should be forgiven, don’t you think? My new book went to the press the first of this just past week.
In the meantime, not being out and about as much as I could have been, and should have been, I find the deadline for this particular article running a little close, so I’ve stirred, once again through my chuckle bucket, and have come up with something that, in turn, stirred both my heart and my soul. It was forwarded to me recently, by email, from my Belwood bilingual friend, and was authored by Linda Ellis. Here so it goes:
The Dash
I read of a man who stood to speak,
at a funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone,
from beginning to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth,
and spoke of 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 she has spent alive on this earth.
And now only the ones who loved her,
know what that line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own,
the cars, the house, the cash.
What matters is how we lived and loved,
and how we spent our dash.
So think about this long and hard,
are there things you’d like be changed.
For you never know how much time is left,
that can still be arranged.
If we could just slow down enough,
and 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,
and your life’s action to be rehashed.
Would you be proud of the things they’d say
about how you spent your dash?
* * *
So there you have it folks. Hook, Line, and sinker. Rather well put, wise words, don’t you think?
Seeing as I have a little space left, let me take this opportunity to thank the hundreds who bought the first book of The Best of Bits and Pieces. Let me assure all those who suffer the deprivation of not yet getting your copy, there is another bunch of the first book coming off of the presses shortly. And let me also assure you, I’ll be back into the salt mine soon, again and again, as the third, forth, fifth, and sixth will be coming down the spell-check chute, one after the other, shortly, just as rapidly as I possibly can.
Take care, ’cause we care.
