Open forum: What's your life sentence?
Elizabeth Heil
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: Opinion
A spectator probably would have suspected mischief. A week after Halloween and on a dark night, 40 college students in a graveyard is not normal.
Last Sunday evening, Athletes in Action took their lesson to this unlikely spot in an attempt to focus on the dash. The dash is what happened between the listed birth and death dates. When it all comes down to it, this is what matters.
What will they say about you in 60 years when your name comes up over coffee? One sentence or maybe two: the dash. Of what will it consist?
These are the questions we asked as we walked between the graves, guided by a dim flashlight through the serene darkness. Mother, wife, son, veteran and the occasional titles of Dr. or Rev., but that was it. No grade point listings, athletic achievements, or career information.
Who were these people, and what kind of lives did they lead? Our group pondered different scenarios as we endeavored to decipher what the old tombstones said. How about the thirty-year-old Hillsdale College professor? What did he teach? Did he truly make a difference in somebody's life? What marked the lives of the veterans other than the flags over their graves?
To conclude the meeting, we gathered back near the gates and sang "In Christ Alone." While the group of athletes may have lacked perfect pitch, the words were powerful.
There in the ground, His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain. Then bursting forth in glorious Day, up from the grave He rose again.
The experience made us ponder our lives. Are we sharing the amazing story of His dash? Think about it.
What do you want your life sentence to be? If you need an aid, head to the cemetery.
Don't be deterred by the seemingly creepy idea; it needn't even be dark to learn a lesson from someone else's dash.
Hillsdale College Collegian, 2007
Last Sunday evening, Athletes in Action took their lesson to this unlikely spot in an attempt to focus on the dash. The dash is what happened between the listed birth and death dates. When it all comes down to it, this is what matters.
What will they say about you in 60 years when your name comes up over coffee? One sentence or maybe two: the dash. Of what will it consist?
These are the questions we asked as we walked between the graves, guided by a dim flashlight through the serene darkness. Mother, wife, son, veteran and the occasional titles of Dr. or Rev., but that was it. No grade point listings, athletic achievements, or career information.
Who were these people, and what kind of lives did they lead? Our group pondered different scenarios as we endeavored to decipher what the old tombstones said. How about the thirty-year-old Hillsdale College professor? What did he teach? Did he truly make a difference in somebody's life? What marked the lives of the veterans other than the flags over their graves?
To conclude the meeting, we gathered back near the gates and sang "In Christ Alone." While the group of athletes may have lacked perfect pitch, the words were powerful.
There in the ground, His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain. Then bursting forth in glorious Day, up from the grave He rose again.
The experience made us ponder our lives. Are we sharing the amazing story of His dash? Think about it.
What do you want your life sentence to be? If you need an aid, head to the cemetery.
Don't be deterred by the seemingly creepy idea; it needn't even be dark to learn a lesson from someone else's dash.
Hillsdale College Collegian, 2007
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