Live. Love. Loss.
Jul 18, 2024
by Pastor Jean Kingery
“What matters is how we lived and loved and how we spend our dash.”
~Linda Ellis
The well-known poem “The Dash” was written in 1996 by Linda Ellis. In her poem, Ellis reflects on the small dash that connects the year of the persons’ birth and the year of the person’s death on a tombstone or obituary page. Read her poem here.
Five years ago when my husband died and a year ago when my precious mother passed away, I was faced with how I would continue on with my life. When I faced those difficult days, months and even years of suffering, I remembered that my life matters. I remembered that I am not alone.
Grief journeys are different for each of us. I have learned that the process of ‘letting go’ takes time and is incomplete because of deeply etched memories of my loved ones.
Choosing to fill up my “dash” with love in the midst of loss helps me be grateful for the gift of each day.
In the midst of my brokenness, I can ask God for comfort and for the courage to continue living and loving.
What losses are you currently facing?
