Do You Know What Tomorrow Is?

A dear sister asked me that one day. It was on a Sunday. It was the 21st of the month. The next day was the same date, a few months back, that my husband had died. I was kinda aggravated that she mentioned it and said "I do now. She said she would call me the next day and I told her that was fine, she could call me any day. True to her word, she called and started by apologizing. What I did was to tell her (as I have numbeous others who have lost ones they love) the story about the dash.

I told her that when someone dies, there is a born date and a death date. In the middle of those two dates is usually a dash. That dash, usually the smallest of all the works and letters, represents that person's entire life. I told her I would be dishonoring my husband's memory if I focused on his death date. We were friends for 48 years and married for 22 of them. Do you know how many memories we made over all those years? Do you know how many pictures we took over all those years? I have so many memories I can look back on or laugh about or smile about. So why would I want to focus on the day he stopped breathing. His life was full of so much love and laughter and service and kindness. I was there for a lot of it and I am so thankful for that. Focusing on one day instead of the 48 years I knew him would put me in a place of such sadness that I could not continue to do the things we loved and help others to remember too. Life is too short to focus on one sad day when there were so many filled with joy. So, when you may be saddened over a death date, remember the dash and be comforted with the beautiful memories you shared. That sister won't forget. I hope you don't either.