Living Your Dash

Last Sunday afternoon on a Ranger ride, Jan and I stopped at a cemetery north of Fremont. Most all the grave stones had a birth date, a dash, and a death date. The dash represents an ongoing journey of living. It won't be perfect. However those of us visiting this morning still have the opportunity to intentionally live our dash so it positively impacts our families, friends, and community.

We found Jan's great-great-grandfather. Margaret, his first wife's dash was only 40 yrs. Rebecca, his second wife, died at 36 years old. His 3rd wife Amanda, outlived John by 11 years. Jan's great-grandfather Elijah, died at 69 years old. Jan's grandfather Carl had a twin brother Curt. Our twin sons Karl and Kurt were born 100 years later, and are named after them. 

In 1964 my dash was 8 yrs long. I was in 3rd grade at Osky Christian. Our family moved to Pella in late November. So on December 15, 1964 Miss Tobac had my 19 remaining classmates write me letters. They meant a lot to me then. I still enjoy them today after again finding them while cleaning my office drawers.

We moved and I changed schools 4 more times in 8 years. In the fall of 1972 my parents enrolled me in the 11th grade at Pella Christian High School. My 11th and 12th grade report cards showed Bs and Cs, teacher notes that indicated a capability to do better, and days absent that showed farming was probably more important to me than school back then.

Mowing CRP acres isn't for the faint of heart. Jim did a great job of putting things back together with John and Kurt's help. Thanks for the picture John.

Last Wednesday evening the gals fed a shop full of customers, landlords, crop input suppliers, family, and friends at our annual appreciation supper held every August.

Our goal at this event is not to sell seed or promote custom work possibilities. It's a thank-you, it's great home grown food, and it's good fellowship. A definition of friendships could be described as folk's dashes intersecting.

Over the past two Sundays we have attended the profession of faith of 4 grandchildren. In both services family and friends were asked to come up and pray over the young people joining church.

We started a bit ago about our dashes having a positive impact on others. That includes writing a classmate a letter when in 3rd grade. It includes trying harder in school. It includes fellowship. It includes being an active member of a church. And more personally, hopefully it includes working with and befriending grandkids till they are wore out.

                                   

In 1996 a gal named Linda wrote a poem called The Dash. I'd like to borrow her last sentence. "So when your eulogy is being read, with your life's actions to rehash, would you be proud of the things they say about how you lived your dash?"