Dear Family,

We often obsess over milestones: when we graduate, when we get promoted, when we retire. But what if those moments aren’t the point? What if the real meaning is found in the quiet, consistent ways we show up between the big events?

A poem that captures this idea beautifully is The Dash by Linda Ellis. It’s about the dash that sits between the day we’re born and the day we pass—the entire story of our lives. The choices we made, the impact we had, the relationships we built, and the legacy we leave behind.

Maybe you’ve heard it before. Maybe not. Either way, give it a read blow and let me know what you think. I hope it hits you the same way it hit me the first time I read it. It's a good reminder of what important.

The Dash

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 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 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 still can 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 this special dash

Might only last a little while.

-Linda Eliss

From LUX, With Love

Matt