ARE WE HAVING FUN YET?

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THIS IS SUPPOSE TO BE FUN!

THIS IS SUPPOSE TO BE FUN!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

1953-20?? Happy Birthday To Me

Nothing makes you more aware of your mortality then celebrating a birthday. As those years click by you wonder more and more about the life you are living. The life (your life) is immortalized by a dash separating the year you were born and the year you died.

THE DASH
(Author Unknown)
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 her 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 she spent alive on earth...
And now only those who loved her,
Know what that little line is worth.

For now, 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's read

With your life's actions to rehash...
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

On your birthday I hope all of you have a long "dash" filled with all the dreams you've made come true for yourselves as well as others. How is your dash looking right now? How do you most want your life to be remembered?





24 comments:

  1. Fine poem. I have often looked at tombstones of people I never knew and wonder what kinds of lives they lived. It's what's in the middle that counts most.

    Happy Birthday!


    Lee
    An A to Z Co-Host
    Tossing It Out
    Twitter: @AprilA2Z
    #atozchallenge

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  2. Thanks Lee I hope my word verification has been removed.

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  3. Belated Birthday Wishes!
    This poem is one of my all-time favourites - what a treat to see it used here!

    Cheers, Jenny @ Pearson Report
    Co-Host of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

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    1. Thanks Jenny. I always re visit this poem on my B.D. just to see if I'm measuring up. It's an eye opener.

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  4. Happy belated birthday! I look forward to following your blog, Debra.

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    1. You are always welcome here Emily, and I will be visiting you as well.

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  5. Happy birthday to you! I have one this week too.

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    1. Oh Stephen, I just knew there was a reason why we jelled so nicely. We are March people! Yea!!!! and Happy BD to you.

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  6. Happy Birthday! I've never heard that poem before, but I enjoyed it. Funny, how all of our lives can be boiled down into one dash. (And also quite scary).

    Shannon at The Warrior Muse, co-host of the 2012 #atozchallenge! Twitter: @AprilA2Z

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  7. Yes Shannon it is a scary gut check but no worries your das will be so long it will go forever!

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  8. Interesting thought! It really puts things in place doesn't it? I'm glad I believe in eternal life, so there's another dash that goes on forever.

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  9. I'm with you Karen. Our spirit live on forever, maybe not in bodily form, maybe not on earth, but certainly on another level.
    Thanks for visiting.

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  10. Thanks for deciding to follow my blog, I'm now following yours as well. I hope I can do some justice to the "Old Country" come April. As I have just recovered from a horrible virus and I'm 71, the poem you shared really has a lot of meaning for me. Thank you.

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  11. Inger you look great! And I mean it. Age is a number...forget about it. And you will do well on the challenge. Breathe.

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  12. My headstone lines:
    Well, I lived this long.
    Loved my life.
    God loves me more.
    Gotta go. See ya' soon!

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  13. Oh HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Oh wow!! I'm so fahionably late! :-)

    I am so sorry! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

    Take care
    x

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  14. Thanks Miss. Kitty and you are NEVER late!

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  15. I hope you had a wonderful birthday!

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  16. Great poem! Loved it! Keep enjoying life and good luck with your A-Z!

    This is me, Duncan D. Horne, visiting you from the A-Z challenge, wishing you all the best throughout April and beyond.

    Duncan In Kuantan

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