Never Forget

Yesterday I went to a funeral of the brother of Covey's good friend.  The brother was a Marine who had been killed in Afghanistan by a land mine at the age of 21.  As I looked at the dates of his birthday, I realized that he was younger than my next youngest sister.  Sitting there listening to the memories of this Marine and looking around at the completely full chapel and cultural hall, I couldn't help but think about how much I hoped that I would have at least that many people come to my own funeral one day (hopefully far in the future).  I hope that I am able to touch enough lives that everyone there will be there because they knew me.  I don't want that to sound conceited.  I just really want to make a different in people's lives.  It got me thinking about a poem that I read called 'The Dash' that I saw at another funeral.

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 her tombstone
From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her 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 she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
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?

I really love the perspective that this poem provides.  I think that as humans we tend to get so caught up in other things that we forget about what's really important.  It's not the money, the nice clothes or fancy car--those aren't the things that people remember about us.  It's who we are as a person that matters most.  I have most often found that funerals, while sad, are such a wonderful reminder of how we need to be better and try harder to do and become the person we need to be in order to return back to Heavenly Father and Jesus and the others who have passed before us.  I never want to forget the things that are most important to me--my husband, my family, my friends, the Gospel, and my Savior.  I hope and pray that I will never forget.