The Dash

I have been working with an employee in another state about their Long Term Disability application. I have never met this person, but we have become friends in phone calls and emails. Not being released to return to work and being forced to apply for LTD has been a pretty hard thing to swallow for them right now. Today he sent me a poem that has made it easier for him. I also wanted to share with everyone, as I found it really neat.

The Dash
By 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 the following dates 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 that loved her
Know what those little lines are 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 spent your dash?

Murder She Wrote

It's on TV!! i love it. i remember watching murder she wrote (msw) with my mom when i was growing up. it was her favorite show. it is so interesting to watch it at the age of 30. angela lansbury looks so young!! and wow - she is whitty. and very passive aggresive. i think i like her. she also is a good stalker. how did she get away with that stuff??

it's like the classic saying, "whay did people hang out with her? every where she went some one was murdered."

she is a smart cookie!

so...let's see what else do i have going on. oh' i can eat again. my wisdom teeth are cured...but not really. i have a nice bone spur on my jaw bone which is apparently common so the dentist doesn't really think it's an issue. how does it feel to me you ask? if you had braces...do you remember when the wire at the end would stick out at the back of your braces? the wire that would poke your check? that is what is feels like. OUCH. they can fix it by numbing me up and (are you ready) file down the bone. I told them no thank you. I will let nature take it's course and naturally round off the bone sticking out of my gums. i know. i'm lucky.

back to msw. she is so smart!! how is mrs. fletcher not an fbi agent? serious. does anyone else find her to smart for an average person that solves crimes? i mean the clues fall into her lap.

ok - the story is getting good. i have to go. i think mrs. fletcher is about to catch the killer!

Music

Music.

It's pretty cool. It can play and you can sit in a room and just smile while you watch someone dance and not say a word. It can be so loud that you try to talk and then laugh as you realize that you can't understand but instead raise you hands and sing alone. People can walk around on busy streets with earphones jamming to their own idea and you know they see the cars, lights, and road rage differntly. The world is one big soundtrack.

I like to think about my best memories seeing my family and friends laugh, hug, and cry all set to music. It is like a Sundance Film that no one else will see but me.

"Ross is Always at the Airport"

I own all 10 seasons of Friends. I cried alone in the TV lounge of Mitchell Lofts when I was 23 and the last episode aired. I remeber calling my mom to tell her the importance of the season ending and how I used to watch the show with my "sisters" in the TV lounge at the GPhiB house.

Still in the fall I will put the dvds in and open the windows to let the cool air in the house. The cool air on a Saturday with Monica walking around with a Turkey on her head in the background is comforting.

Obviously I hope you have picked up on that I watch these shows a lot. I know that Ross told Emily at the airport that he loved her and she said thank you and got on the plane. I know that Ross came back from Japan with Julie only to have Rachel waiting to tell him she loved him, but ended up with a wounded on her head from failing. Luckly she had the flowers to stop the bleeding. And of course Ross had to race to stop Rachel from going to Paris.

My point is....Preston said something tonight I never thought of and yet it was so funny. "Ross is always at the airport". He totally is!!! How did I not see that?

I take it back.....

So it's not the worst 4th of July ever. Our engagment annoucment was in the paper today! Check it out:

Sherrell - Gibson

Jeffery D. & Jane E. Gibson of Bixby, Oklahoma, are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Sarah Jane Gibson of Dallas, to Preston Ray Sherrell of Dallas. The prospective bridegroom is the son of Ray & Julie Sherrell of Arlington. The wedding will be on May 14, 2011, at First United Methodist Church of Dallas. Published in the Dallas Morning News on 7/4/2010.

Yeah Us! Slightly cheesy...I know. But I remember as a kid always looking at the Sunday paper and reading the celebration page. I would look at the pictures and read every word about the couples. I loved having a glimpse into their weddings. It just seems so cool and real. I like how old fashion it is. Parents letting the community know their daughter is to be married to said family. I just love it. We chuckled at the picture because everyone else had these professional engagment pictures. We took our favorite picture from a Mavs game.

Worst 4th of July Ever

I can't eat the hot dogs, I can't eat the hamburgers. The miller light can't even be touched. I'm living off of soup.

Happy Birthday America - I would like to take back my RSVP to be here for your party.

Wise Words

I had my wisdom teeth removed yesterday. My dentist has been trying to have me do the deed for years!! But there was no need in my opinion. They were in, straight, fully there, and not in pain. They did nothing to me, why should I kick them out of my life? Well, they finally did something to me, one of them grew a cavity. I was so good flossing, brushing, etc...but not good enough. The dentist finally got me to agree, "trying to fill that cavity will be a waste of your money". It's all downhill from there.

So, for my Dallas friends, I made an appointment at Floss. I went to the location next to the Loon. I highly recommond the place. Not only do they accept Metlife Dental, they give you lifetime of Zoom whiteing. Bonus for the wedding! Anyway, I start to get nervous around noon yesterday. It was getting closer to 2pm. At 2pm i had to take a pill that would calm my nerves and then Preston would have to drive me to the place. My appointment was at 3pm. By 2:30 I was feeling fine. Woohoo!

Then...I'm in the chair. I have the gas going, I'm having weird thoughts about vegtables. I always think about veggies when I'm under the influence of morphine or gas. So strange. Anyway, Dr. Steffens starts to pull out one tooth and I'm not liking this. I don't say anything, just lay there. He is done with that one and moves on to the next one. Tears run down my check and he stops. "am I hurting you?" I reply, "no..not at all..it just feels weird. i don't like it. i feel weird" I start crying. Who does that at 30 years old?? Embarrsing. He tells me he knows and he is sorry. He stops working on me and says he will give me a break to adjust after the first one. It can be kind of shocking to have 4 teeth ripped from your head. I'm pretty sure they turned up the gas.

I don't remember much after that. I remember walking out and seeing Preston and getting in the car, then I was on my sofa trying to watch my dvr of Pretty Little Liars. That didn't work! I slept until 6:44 this morning. (according to the email I got on my work phone that woke me up)

Today I'm feeling better as long as I don't walk around a lot and take my medicine. Feeling sleepy now. Peace Out - hello sofa.