I heard a sermon once in which the preacher said it doesn’t matter what year you are born, or what year you die.  What matters is what you do with the dash between those dates.  Many of us spend our dashes rushing around trying to find something to make us happy.  Others spend their dashes doing good things to make other people happy.

Yesterday, I saw a fine example of someone who has lived her dash well.  Dianne has devoted herself to her nursing profession for 42 years.  Now that she is sick and unable to work, her dash is paying off.

While most people are soon forgotten by coworkers, Dianne has one of the most caring, persistent bunch of coworkers and friends I’ve ever encountered.  When we got home from her doctor visit yesterday, one of her supervisors and her husband were in Dianne’s yard mowing, digging out monkey grass, and generally sprucing up the yard.  We pitched in to help and soon two more friends arrived, then a couple more.  For over three hours these women (and one husband) worked tirelessly in her yard, clearing out her wooded area, pulling privet, honeysuckle and blackberry briars.  They loaded it on a trailer to be hauled off.  They even climbed over in the trailer by ladder to pack it down so they could dump in more stuff.  The yard looks great, thanks to these wonderful ladies.  One even provided home made soup to feed the work crew.

I have to wonder how many people would appreciate my dash enough to devote so much care and concern on me.  Makes me stop and think that maybe I need to spend the rest of my dash being a better friend and family member.

I think of the many birthdays I forgot to send a card or a gift, how many times I didn’t call to check on a sick friend, the favors I promised but failed to follow through on, and the list goes on.  I can honestly say, that Dianne remembers those birthdays, calls on and helps her sick friends with rides to the doctor, gift baskets, books to read, and anything else she can to to make the time pass for them more pleasantly.  She is never stingy with her time, always willing to volunteer where needed, always available to take mama where she needs/wants to go.  She is overly generous with her money, always donating to a needy cause.

I guess she’s just about the best sister anyone could have, and I’ve only recently understood just how special she really is.

So from now own, I promise myself to be a better friend, family member, Christian, and person.

Please pray for Dianne and our entire family as she has her surgery on Monday.  I know there is much left for her to do, especially being an example of what we should all strive to be.