Week 2 of Training

Greetings from rainy Texas. . . .

This is a picture of our group as we celebrated the sixth birthday of Gracie, the daughter of a couple in our group.  Tonight we get to celebrate their son, Caden's eighth birthday!

We are in our second week of specific training.  We are following the core values of Mercy Ships, week by week.  The first week was "Love God" this week is "Love and Serve Others"

In that light, we have gotten our service project for Guinea defined.  We will be constructing a playground at our partner Women's Hospital.  The group before us did the "big kids" playground and we will be doing the construction for kids age 3-5.  The challenge is that basically all we will have for construction materials are tires and 2x4s. . . people are starting to work out plans.

We have been studying some personal and interpersonal development.  Today, one of the things we were challenged with is "If your tombstone listed your accomplishments, would you be happy with what was written?"

 One of the teaching points was a great poem, titled "The Dash"

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 spent your dash?

(c) Linda Ellis

This is a real challenge to me to remember how to live my dash!

Blessings!!!