The Dash
by Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to 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 the 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 thing 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?
“Faith is not a theological platitude. It is a fact of life. Faith can become the very wellspring of purposeful living. There is no more compelling motivation to worthwhile endeavor than the knowledge that we are children of God, the Creator of the universe, our all-wise Heavenly Father! God expects us to do something with our lives, and he will give us help when help is sought.” -Gordon B. Hinckley
"How I admire men, women, and children who know how to work! How the Lord loves the laborer! He said, 'In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread', and 'The laborer is worthy of his hire'. He also gave a promise: 'Thrust in your sickle with all your soul, and your sins are forgiven you.' Those who are unafraid to roll up their sleeves and lose themselves in the pursuit of worthwhile goals are a blessing to their families, communities, nations, and to the Church." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"...Love is the power that initiates friendship, tolerance, civility, and respect. It is the source that overcomes divisiveness and hate. Love is the fire that warms our lives with unparalleled joy and divine hope. Love should be our walk and our talk. Because love is the great commandment, it ought to be at the center of all and everything we do in our own family, in our Church callings, and in our livelihood. Love is the healing balm that repairs rifts in personal and family relationships. It is the bond that unites families, communities, and nations." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"It is far more difficult to be of one heart and mind than to be physically one. This unity of heart and mind is manifest in sincere expressions of 'I appreciate you' and 'I am proud of you.' Such domestic harmony results from forgiving and forgetting, essential elements of a maturing marriage relationship. Someone has said that we 'should keep our eyes wide open before marriage, and half shut afterward.' True charity ought to begin in marriage, for it is a relationship that must be rebuilt every day." -James E. Faust
"The temple recommend is a symbol of our faithfulness and determination to serve the Lord. It is a symbol of our love for the Lord, for as Jesus taught, 'He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him' (John 14:21)." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“To access information from heaven, one must first have a firm faith and a deep desire. One needs to ‘ask with a sincere heart and real intent, having faith in Jesus Christ’ (Moroni 10:4). ‘Real intent’ means that one really intends to follow the divine direction given.” -Russell M. Nelson
"You who pray sometimes, why not pray more regularly, more often, more devoutly? Is time so precious, life so short, or faith so scant? . . . Do you pray occasionally when you should be praying regularly, often, constantly? . . . Do you just speak, or do you also listen? . . . Do you give thanks or merely ask for favors?"

-Spencer W. Kimball
“Prayer is a supernal gift of our Father in Heaven to every soul. Think of it: the absolute Supreme Being, the most all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful personage, encourages you and me, as insignificant as we are, to converse with Him as our Father." Elder Richard G. Scott
“What may appear initially to be a daunting task will be much easier to manage over time as you consistently strive to recognize and follow feelings prompted by the Spirit. Your confidence in the direction you receive from the Holy Ghost will also become stronger. I witness that as you gain experience and success in being guided by the Spirit, your confidence in the impressions you feel can become more certain than your dependence on what you see or hear.” Elder Richard G. Scott
"When we remember that each of us is literally a spirit son or daughter of God, we will not find it difficult to approach our Heavenly Father in prayer. He appreciates the value of this raw material which we call life. 'Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God'. His pronouncement inspires purposye in our lives." -Thomas S. Monson
"I testify that one cannot come to full faith in this latter-day work—and thereby find the fullest measure of peace and comfort in these, our times—until he or she embraces the divinity of the Book of Mormon and the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies." -Jeffrey R. Holland
"If we are to fulfill our destiny and return to live with our Father in Heaven, we must keep His commandments and pattern our lives after the Savior. By so doing, we will not only achieve our goal of eternal life, but we will also leave the world richer and better than it would have been had we not lived and performed our duties" -Thomas S. Monson
"Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach you what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it." -Brigham Young
“A study of the scriptures will help our testimonies and the testimonies of our family members. Our children today are growing up surrounded by voices urging them to abandon that which is right and to pursue, instead, the pleasures of the world. Unless they have a firm foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ, a testimony of the truth, and a determination to live righteously, they are susceptible to these influences. It is our responsibility to fortify and protect them.” -Thomas S. Monson
"Because they expound the doctrine of Christ, the scriptures are accompanied by the Holy Spirit, whose role it is to bear witness of the Father and the Son (3 Nephi 11:32). Therefore, being in the scriptures is one way we receive the Holy Ghost. Of course, scripture is given through the Holy Ghost in the first place (2 Peter 1:21; D&C 20:26–27; 68:4), and that same Spirit can attest its truth to you and me. Study the scriptures carefully, deliberately. Ponder and pray over them. Scriptures are revelation, and they will bring added revelation." -D. Todd Christofferson
"The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"If we can look back through the generations, we see those who helped us to get where we are now—those who forged the way before us, whether they were members of the Church or not. And in the restored gospel we realize even more deeply our responsibility to link them to us through the ordinances of the temple. In a letter from the Prophet Joseph Smith to the members of the Church, we read: 'These are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over. . . . For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, . . . they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect'
- Neil L. Andersen
"Sisters, we love you. We pray for you. Be strong and of good courage. You are truly royal spirit daughters of Almighty God. You are princesses, destined to become queens. Your own wondrous story has already begun. Your 'once upon a time' is now."
- Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"President Monson has specifically asked us to have the courage to refrain from judging others. He has also asked every faithful member to 'rescue' those who have tasted the gospel fruit and then have fallen away as well as those who have not yet found the strait and narrow path."
-Quentin L. Cook
"Obedience is the path to freedom..."
-James E. Faust
"Love is the grand motive of the plan of salvation; it is the source of happiness, the ever-renewing spring of healing, the precious fountain of hope. As we extend our hands and hearts toward others in Christlike love, something wonderful happens to us. Our own spirits become healed, more refined, and stronger. We become happier, more peaceful, and more receptive to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit."

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"When events of misfortune occur in our lives we need to keep in mind that our Heavenly Father has a plan for each and every one of us. Instead of thinking 'why would God do this to me?' or 'Doesn't God want me to be happy?' think of it as, 'enduring until the end'. It may seem inconvenient at the time, just remember to keep your faith strong. Our Heavenly Father loves his children and wants us to be happy. But he also wants us to grow and be strong individuals." -Matthew Ott
Everybody is a genius.  But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live it's whole life believing that it is stupid.  -Albert Einstein
You are NOT the mistakes you have made.

Sometimes you just need to distance yourself from people.  If they care, they’ll notice.  If they don’t, you know where you stand.

My life has a superb cast, but I can’t figure out the plot!

Choose your love, and love your choice.

-Thomas S. Monson

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

-Elizabeth Stone

Don’t be the girl who needs a man.  Be the girl a man needs.

At first glance it may appear too hard.  Look again.  Always look again.

-Mary Anne Rodmacher

If you didn’t hear it with your own ears or see it with your own eyes, don’t invent it with your small mind or share it with your big mouth.

When you are down to nothing, God is up to something.

It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.

-Frederick Douglass

Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words.

Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior.

Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits.

Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.

Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.

-Mahatma Gandhi

God doesn’t give us what we can handle, God helps us handle what we are given.

Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

-Will Rogers

Girls are like apples on trees.  The best ones are at the top of the tree.  The boys don’t want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt.  Instead, they just get the rotten apples from the ground that aren’t as good, but easy.  So the apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they’re amazing.  They just have to wait for the right boy to come along, the one who’s brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.

Often, the answer to our prayer does not come while we’re on our knees, but while we’re on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us.

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.

Let your faith be bigger than your fear.

Apologizing does not always mean you are wrong and the other person is right.  It just means you value your relationship more than your ego.

No one else will ever know the strength of my love for you.  After all, you’re the only one who knows what my heart sounds like from the inside.

We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.

-Joseph Campbell

Love me when I least deserve it because that is when I really need it.

-Swedish proverb