Were You Here?

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama!

I must start this Happy Friday by wishing my Beautiful Bride, my greatest earthly calling and highest purpose, a Happy Anniversary! Today we celebrate 33 years! I am truly blessed beyond measure and honored to be her husband! I love, value, cherish, and adore you, Sweet Girl! 😊

Earlier this week I was listening to the radio and the announcer stated, “The most used graffiti phrase is, ‘[name] was here!’” She then went on to ask the question, “What do your actions do to prove you were here?” Got me thinkin’….

First, I couldn’t help but think I haven’t seen that phrase in a long time. When I was a kid it seemed like I saw it everywhere but today, hardly at all. And then it hit me, the “[name] was here!” has been replaced by the selfie posted on someone’s social media of choice. I digress… 😊

The point that the announcer was trying to make is that we all want to matter, we want to be known, to be recognized. But what if you couldn’t spray paint, write, or cut into a piece of wood, “[your name] was here”? Or what if you couldn’t take a picture of yourself – or your food, dog, etc.! – and post it on twitter, Facebook, and/or Instagram?! What if all you had to prove that you lived, and hopefully well, are the things you do every day? Got you thinkin’ now too, don’t I? 😊

This all reminded me of a quote I once heard about your dash…the dash between your birthdate and the date you die. I couldn’t find the quote I was looking for however I did find The Dash poem by Linda Ellis. It captures it all beautifully…

The Dash

I read of a man who stood to speak at a 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 of 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 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 still can be rearranged.

To 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 lived your dash?

I would now like to share some quotes…😊

“If your life were a sermon, what would it say?” – Margie Warrell

“Your life is your message to the world. Make sure it’s inspiring.” – Anonymous

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jake Goodall

“Act as if what you do makes a difference, it does.” – William James

“Never underestimate the valuable and important difference you make in every life you touch for the impact you make today has a powerful rippling effect on every tomorrow.” – Leon Brown

“If your presence doesn’t make an impact, your absence won’t make a difference.” – Trey Smith

“Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” – Unknown

Well Friends, I have tried my best to beat you into submission with this one! 😊 You matter and your life matters! The things you do matter! What we all must determine is how we are going to live our dash. Will it have made a difference in anyone’s life besides our own? Was it used for good or bad? Did we make others' lives better or worse? Did we live intentionally every day? Did we do the best we could do to become the best we were capable of becoming? Did we use our time, talent, and treasures to love, care for, and serve others, or only ourselves? We all choose…one way or the other! There is not a between. And how we answer these questions – not with our words but by our actions! – will be our mark on this world. Will it fade over time as all paint and selfies do or will it endure for generations in the hearts of those whose lives we have impacted for good? Will anyone know, or care, that we were here?

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well! 😊

Kev