Given the proximity to Christmas, I had intended to write a very brief blog this week, offering wishes for a safe and blessed holiday to all of our readers.
But I was reminded recently how quickly life can blindside us with unwanted tragedy, so I would like to instead share a couple reflections from the events of my past week that I feel have good teammate relevance.
We lost a dear family member Wednesday. Dwayne was just 27 years old and seemed to have left this world much too soon.
As I spoke with other grieving friends and family at the funeral, I thought of Linda Ellis’ clever poem The Dash, which calls attention to the significance of the punctuation mark that is often used to separate the year of birth and the year of death on a person’s tombstone. (1990 – 2017)
It’s not the numbers that appear before or after the dash that matter, it’s what happens between them that tells the story of a person’s life.
Dwayne packed a lot of life into his abbreviated dash.
He had a world class smile and an infectious laugh. In fact, his laugh was so uncommon that it was truly a gift. When he laughed, others were rendered helpless to resist its contagiousness and soon found themselves joining in.
I suspect he laughed and caused others to laugh more in his brief 27 years than most men do their entire life. Dwayne used his gift to bring joy to others and that added tremendous significance to his dash.
Good teammates use their gifts to touch the lives of others.
When the funeral ended, a few close family members made their way back to his parents’ home. As we interacted with one another, the idea that a family is a team was reinforced.
In this case, it was a family of good teammates. They shared. They cared. And they listened. They provided each other with exactly the kind of support that was needed.
If there is a silver lining in Dwayne’s passing, it is in his final gift to us—a reminder of the fragility of life. None of us knows when our time will be up, or when one of our teammates’ time will be up.
That’s why it’s so important to let them know how much you appreciate them. How much you care about them. And how much you love them.
Life is too unpredictable to waste time being anything other than someone’s good teammate.
Make an extra effort this holiday season to let your teammates—whomever they may be—know all three of those things.
May you all have a safe, blessed, and merry Christmas.
As always, remember: Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
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That brought the tears! What a beautiful testimony to a young man whose life was ended too soon.
He was indeed fortunate to
Have been loved by his family the way that he was.
Hopefully his laughter will remain in the hearts of those who loved him so dearly. Rest In Peace …..
Thank you for the kind comments. They are certainly appreciated by his family.
Condolences to family and friends. Love The Dash poem. Beautiful tribute written.
Thank you. And you’re right…the Dash poem is brilliant.