My Special List

I have a list of folks I know, all written in a book,
And every now and then, I go and take a look;
And that is when I realize that these names are all a part ...
Not of the book they're written in, but of my very heart.

For each name stands for someone who has crossed my path sometime,
And in that meeting they've become the rhythm in each rhyme;
And while it sounds fantastic for me to make this claim,
I really feel that I'm composed of each remembered name.

Though you may not be aware of any special link,
Just meeting you has changed my life, a lot more than you think;
For once I've met somebody, the years cannot erase
The memory of those pleasant words nor of a friendly face.

So please don't think my greeting as just a mere routine,
Your name was not forgotten somewhere in-between;
For when I send a greeting, that is addressed to you,
It's because you are on that list of folks I'm indebted to.

For I am the total of the many folks that I have met,
And you happen to be one of those I prefer not to forget.
So whether I have known you for many years or few,
In some way you have been a part in shaping things I do.

And every year at this time, I realize anew ...
The best gift life can offer is meeting folks like you.
So may the Spirit of this Season, that ever endures,
Leave the richest blessings in the hearts of YOU and YOURS.

~By Helen Steiner Rice 1949 in "Christmas Blessings"