Dash !

Hello

It has been  an unexpected day

Not in the way that it is wednesday and I was waking up believing it was tuesday

But in the way that you wake up

Have plans

And the day or event is entirely different to how you imagined it was going to be

Today we said goodbye to my uncle Dave

Married to my mum's sister, and, dad to my most favourite cousin ( I know you shouldn't have favourites but Phil is, and will always be, my favourite cousin - for pasts shared and an unspoken knowledge that we will always be there for each other - no matter what !)

I made this card for Phil and his family

I kept the card simple, a masculine shade of deep charcoal against white pearlescent

The unexpected part of the day was the funeral

All went according to plan, Phil's partner recited a thought provoking poem and one of Uncle Dave's friends and associates in his masonic lodge got up to say a few words

And there was the unexpected

The words uttered by Uncle Dave's friends and associates

Tales of humour, loyalty, dedication, respect and of a life I never even glimpsed

I sat thinking

Of the mosaic each of us creates with our lives, our friends, our hopes and our dreams

We build relationships and share a part of ourselves with each of the people we welcome into our lives

Each of those people have a totally exclusive view of us and each relationship is as individual as a handmade tile

Our mosaics are created by the characters we choose to invite into our existence

And they are cemented into place by a common love, ideal, dream or connection

A diversely rich and utterly unique creation, our life as seen by all those who know us

RIP Uncle Dave, God bless you

I will leave you with the words spoken by Phil's partner Caz

 A very well known poem, and, in my humble opinion a very poignant reminder to us all

​The Dash
by Linda Ellis copyright 1996

​I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone
from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the 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 they spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved them
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?

Love and Dashes

Tracey 

xxx