It seems as each year ends,
I look back and think of my friends,
What I did right what I did wrong,
Who came into my life and who is gone.

But every year there are those who remain,
Looking only for friendship nothing else to gain.
They have stayed by me through good and bad,
Smiled when I am happy held me when I've been sad.

After so many years you begin to realize,
That a friend is life's greatest prize,
Not the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow,
That we seem to seek where ever we go.

So as I grow older and begin another New Year's Day,
I will thank God for those friends He sent my way.
And my New Years resolution will always be,
To thank Him again for every breath of life He's given me.

Then I will pray He will show me the way,
Give me wisdom and guide me through each day.
And most of all at the end of each year,
Keep by me those friends I will always hold so dear.
And as I make new friends I'll treasure the old,
For the first are silver the latter gold.

Janet Ritchie 2002