Janet made everyone in the family one of these poems with mom's picture on it. It describes exactly how I feel and I love it. Mom loved playing poker and loved Elvis even more, so much so that she passed away on his birthday. Here is the poem...
The clock was ticking
we never knew,
Our time was short,
we had no clue.
Seems so unfair
We'd like to say,
For God to take
our Mom away.
She lived her life
so full each day,
Living every moment
of every day.
No regrets,
We're glad to say,
We wouldn't trade
A single day.
And while our loss
seems so unfair,
Blessed are we,
times we shared.
The cards were stacked
She had to go,
Who else up there
can run the show.
The biggest party
The King ever threw,
Was January 8th
Two thousand and two.
Author: Janet Pavia
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 her date of her 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 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 can still 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 that this special dash
Might only last a little while.
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 spent your dash?
©1996 Linda Ellis