The Dash Between the Dates

This poem was read at my grandfather's funeral. It points out that one's life is a date of birth, a dash and a date of death. The dates are fixed by God but the dash, the time between the date of birth and death is ours to invest for the good of others and the glory of God.

....It was then I noticed something,
It was but a simple line;
It was the dash between the dates
Placed there it stood for time.

All at once it dawned on me
How important that little line.
The dates placed there belonged to God
But that line is yours and mine.

It's God who gives this precious life
And God who takes away;
But that line He gives to us
To do with what we may.

We know God's written the first date down
Of each and every one,
And we know those hands will write again,
For the last date has to come.

We know He'll write the last date down,
And soon, we know, for some,
But upon the line between my dates
I hope He'll write "Well done!".

by Lucille Britt