Take five

Hi guys,

Just to share a thought, an old friend passed away on Wednesday. Markus Ng, born 1985 - only 23. The cause of death is unknown. Even after a post mortem, nothing was found to be wrong with him. He passed on in his sleep...

I went for the wake last night, and I know we Christians should be 'glad' for he is with the Lord, but it still makes the heart ache.
It also proves the uncertainty of life - not only what will happen in life, but how long we have here.

Many of my primary n secondary schoolmates were there and i think the one thing that struck me was the importance of having Relationships and Investing in other people. Not necessarily friends, but people - people in need and people you just meet along the way. Doesn't mean investing a lot - Even the smallest of things can have the largest impacts on some.

Markus, so young, yet was someone I can honestly say had run the race and fought the good fight all the way.

I hope the same for all of us, that we can
"Run Faster, Reach Higher, Change our World Together." NC 2005

I'm not sure if you have heard this poem before, but I re-read it and realizing how life is not in our control, how much more our 'DASH' matters.


The Dash
copyright 1996 Linda Ellis

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 the date of her 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
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 spend your dash?