How THICK is YOUR dash?

If there is a phrase I hear most often in my chosen vocation, as a funeral director, it is, “he/she was much too young,” or something similar. Funny, as I get older, that ‘age’ that is much too young keeps getting higher. Now 45, 55, even 65 is young (and my Dad will be 69 this year and he’s still young). Another phrase that seems to come into vogue, at least at funerals, in particular, is, “it’s what you do with the dash between the dates that matters.” For those of you unfamiliar with this it is a play on the notion that on your grave marker or monument will be your birthdate and death date and a dash between, either literally or understood to be there. The dash represents your life, as the saying implies, so the dash is your life in a symbol; “-“!

Sadly, some dashes are shorter than others, so to speak. I had the privilege of having a great grandfather live to 107, born in the late 1800’s. His experiences included; no airplanes, no cars, no TV from his birth and seeing space flight, passenger trains, and Ted Turner’s Superstation (he loved watching the Atlanta Braves play). Obviously, in 107 years you experience more of life, at least in years, than most do. And, his experiences were rich, varied, and memorable, but are years the true measure of a life? No denying that 107 years builds a great data base of experiences that are truly unique.

Many great and influential people lived ‘short’ lives that had great impact. Alexander the Great created one of the first worldwide empires at only 30 years of age, and was gone before his 33rd birthday. Jesus, most estimate to be about 33 when He died, did much in His mere 33 years, accomplishing great deeds and miracles, salvation for mankind, and oh yeah, establishing a kingdom that has no end! Their dashes were short but no one could say they were not full.

“She was just 22,” no one would say that 22 years was a long life. At 22, I was just beginning my career in the funeral business, and at that point not sure it was the direction I wanted to go. It would seem to be safe to say that 22 years is not enough time to judge a life, surely mine was just beginning. Yet, I recently saw the impact a dash of ‘only’ 22 years can have. In 22 years, this young person had not had a long ‘dash’ but it was THICK. As a testimony to this person’s impact, countless individuals recounted a life full of Christ, in action, words, and deeds.

If we mirror Christ in our walk, that reflection can span a lifetime in others. Your ‘dash’ must be full, not far or long, to be impactful, no, a life lived for Christ-in all its implications-can be a ‘dash’ worth remembering. As I walk through cemeteries, I often imagine what the ‘dash’, of those whose remains are buried under the sod or in a crypt, had to say. One such stone, I vividly remember, displayed a lottery ticket, billiard balls, and whiskey bottles engraved around the person’s name and their ‘dash’. Needless to say, their ‘dash’ may not have been as impactful for Christ.

From this day forward, I will speak of the THICKNESS of one’s ‘dash’ and not its length. Years measure not one’s impact on others, your influence, testimony, and actions are much more impactful. These can be brief, as measured by time, but life changing, as measured by impact. “God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.”― Voltaire’s words challenge me today, as I ponder the THICKNESS of my ‘dash’.

#death #life #dash