Our lives are all a tiny dash

Have you ever wandered through the headstones, and read the written lines, have you looked at the words, the phrases, and photos all neatly standing in line?

All of the headstones have one thing in common, though for some it’s hard to see.
But if you look more closely, it is very clear to me.

11/09/1951 – 10/11/2014

All have birth dates, and end date all of these are different, of course.
First is date when we are born, for it is a time of great joy,
for a new family member, whether girl or boy.

The last date, when we die, is a time of great sadness, of grief, and loss that we all share.
But for some, it is a blessing, to finally stop a great pain, and get there.

But you have missed the most important piece, the thing that they all share.
It is the dash in the middle, that is where you should stare.

The dash is the time between the other two; it is who we are,
it is what we’ve done and what we have become.
It is who we loved, who loved us back, and those we have helped, along life’s track.

The dash doesn’t care, for the amount of money or material things that you have.
The dash cares more for what you have done for others, what you have shared,
whether you cared, and what joy you have given to others, before your dash gets there.

The dash may be short; the dash may be long,
we do not known when our dash will come along.

So, if your dash appeared tomorrow, and your time was through.
What would your dash really say, about you?