charlie waterman, a formidable force to be reckoned with, appeared in my world during a bus trip to tonopah for a central committee meeting.

a plethora of adjectives to describe charlie readily spring to mind, irascible, committed, principled, pragmatic, acerbic, tender, intelligent, observant, and man more as well as being imbued with the courage to unhesitatingly be the quintessential poster child for living the courage of one’s convictions.

in january, a friend of mine, thor hesla, was killed in afghanistan. he and charlie were very much alike in their fearlessness, wanting to leave the world a better place and his ineffable esse quam videri. at thor's memorial a poem was read that brilliantly sums up the person known to all as charlie waterman:

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 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?

© 1996 Linda Elli

for me, i shall not mourn his passing. rather, i choose to celebrate a person who led by example.

pax vobiscum,

Cherie Welch