Christmas Cards

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 that 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 of the rhyme.”

And while it sounds fantastic for me to make this claim,

I really feel I am composed 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 can think.

For once you’ve met somebody, the years cannot erase

The memory of a pleasant word or a friendly face.

So never think of my Christmas card is just a mere routine

Of names upon a Christmas list, forgotten in between.

For when I send a Christmas card that is addressed to you,

It is because you’re on the list of folks that I’m indebted to.

For you’re a part of the total of many folks I’ve met

And you happen to be one of those I prefer not to forget.

And whether I have known you for many years or few,

In some way you have had a part in shaping things I do.

Every year when Christmas comes, I realize anew

The biggest gift that life can give is meeting folks like you.

 

~From Father Charles, Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Conyers, GA.