I read of a man who stood to speak At the funeral of a friend He referred to the dates on his coffin From the beginning ......to the end. He noted that first came his 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 he spent alive on earth ...... And now only those who loved him 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.