there are people
you meet in life
who have a profound
influence on you
and sometimes
they don't even know it
some come and go
but still you
remember them
with love
and gratitude

sister ann
my chemistry teacher
in high school
she adored me
she saw talent
she saw a troubled kid
in a difficult home
she made some terrible years
so tolerable
she became my friend
and was beautiful
and special
i will
never forget
her kind heart
and nurturing way

kay howard
my mentor
at citibank
a warton school graduate
brilliant.
diligent,
quirky kay
she pushed me
and challenged me
every day
she would make me
rewrite other
people's reports
more senior than me
who couldn't write
their way out of a paper bag
i wonder if they realized
that i always fixed their work
thank you kay
because of you
my career flourished
and i achieved
what i did in
corporate america

roger squire
a writer
if there ever was one
he embraced my talent
and we worked together
for many years
a great boss
a terrific friend
we laughed for hours
and still worked hard
producing amazing words
for our customers
i miss those days,
really i do

robert enoch
oh how i love robert
sure we butted heads
but he listened to my ideas
and very often
we did things my way
because he wasn't a boss
who thought
he was always right
he brought me with him
as his career grew
to a new company
championing me
like no one else before
and we both achieved
greatness
before we were done
my colleague,
my friend,
i owe you
more than you know

marianne, cathy
mary, gail,
peter, andrew
the fifty chicks
deep, wonderful
friendships
each of you
a piece of my life
who share my joys
and my tears
the memories we have
are countless
the love we know
is boundless
my life would
be meaningless
without all of you
i mean that,
really, i do

ralph,
my love
we met late in life
just when i
was about to give up
stop believing
that my heart
would ever belong
to someone else
and then
you came along
and there was
no turning back
our fates sealed
November 22, 2000
a quiet thanksgiving eve
on a bitter cold
manhattan street
we met
and i wasn't cold
anymore
and i knew
my search was over
i don't remember
a life before you
though I know i lived
but together,
i am alive
i love you

there will be others
to come i’m sure
who knows when
who knows where
perhaps even here
there may be a bond
a permanent bond
that changes
the course of
my life
maybe it
has already
because
as a whole
i don't think
i could do this alone

really, i don't think
any of us can
or we wouldn't be here
reading blogs,
writing journals,
sharing success,
seeking advice,
baring our souls
learning
from each other
i need this
to keep me
healthy
and always ready
to face another day
thank you


"Hey my friend,
I see your eyes are troubled,
care to share your time with me?"
- Dave Matthews Band