What Will Your Dash Say?

During the recent 39th Annual Black History Month Observance Breakfast the committee recognized four individuals with their prestigious Legacy of Leadership Award. The criteria for this recognition is that the nominee must have shown a consistent and long-term dedication to leadership, public, or community service. The work they do or did will be evidenced by many and should represent a lasting impact.

This got me to thinking.

Looking at a gravestone doesn’t tell you much about a person.  But everything accomplished by a person can be found in that little “dash” nestled between the dates.

When your end date arrives, what will your dash mean? How did you live your life? What will be written in your obituary orsomeone say about you during your eulogy?

When you come to the end of your journey how will you be remembered?  What will people say about you? What will you provide them to fill in your dash?

None of us know when we will be called or how many days we have left on this earth. God gives us a birth date and date of death, the only thing that we have control over is the DASH in the middle.

If you passed away today what would people say about you? What impact are you having on your family, your friends and people that may only meet you once? Are you living your life with meaning and passion? Are you having a positive impact on the people you come in contact with?

Many people go through their whole life without ever thinking about the impact they are having on others. We should treat everyone the way that we would like to be treated. This should not be driven by the mood that we are in or the situation that we are involved with.

Now I understand that we are not perfect and there will be times when we may slip and say something we regret or do something that we regret. That is why the DASH is a summary of our entire life not a snapshot of one specific moment.

The best part of the DASH is that we can add to the story beginning today. We can change our outlook and our mindset. We can become a beacon, a light for that person who needs help. We can have an impact on our families, our city and our world.

When you wake up in the morning let your family know that you love them. Reach out to someone you haven’t spoken with in a while and let them know that you haven’t forgot about them. We all need to pay it forward as they say. Try to make a difference each and every day and see how your life is impacted. Instead of asking, start giving. Instead of being negative be positive. It is never too late to start. What will your “Dash” say?

I’m not sure who wrote this but think about it:

“…It was but a simple line; It was the dash between the dates, placed there it stood for time. All at once it dawned on me
how important that little line. The dates placed there belonged to God
but that line is yours and mine.

It’s God who gives this precious life
and God who takes away; but that line He gives to us
to do with what we may.

We know God’s written the first date down
of each and every one, 
and we know those hands will write again, For the last date has to come.

We know He’ll write the last date down, 
And soon, we know, for some, 
but upon the line between my dates
I hope He’ll write “Well done.”

……