My Christmas List

I have a list of folks I know, all written in a book,
And every year at Christmas time, I go and take a look.
And this is when I realize that these names are 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.
While it may sound fantastic for me to make this claim,
I feel that I'm composed, in part, of each remembered name.


And while you may not be aware of any "special link"
Just meeting YOU has shaped my life, more than you'd ever think.
For once I've met somebody, the years cannot erase
The memory of a pleasant word or of a friendly face.


For I am but a total of the many folks I've met.
You happen to be one of those I choose not to forget.


And whether I have known you for many years or few,
In some way you have had a part of shaping things I do.


So every year when Christmas comes, I realize anew
The best gift life can give to me is meeting folks like you.
I pray the Christmas Spirit that evermore endures
May leave its richest blessing in the hearts of you and yours.


--Author Unknown