Publisher's Foreword

To chronicle the life and outreach of Helen Steiner Rice in one book is about as hard as capturing a sunbeam in a jar. Radiant, sometimes elusive, yet always warm and beaming bright, the influence this woman continues to have around the world is phenomenal

How many people shivering with loneliness have been warmed by her words? How many birthdays, anniversaries, holidays have been brightened by the sentiments she wrote? Remembered? And cherished? How many tears have been dried, conflicts resolved, reconciliations wrought, and hopes restored? The personal files and papers which we explore are silent confirmation

Her faith was simple — “childlike” she called it — and unwavering. It permeated everything she did. Her life remains an emblem of the love she expressed in word and deed for all people in all walks of life

In this latest book, Remembering With Love, we have tried to do just that — remember Helen, with love. We went to six of her close friends and associates and asked them to share a special remembrance. They graciously consented; each capturing a different facet of her life and offering a new, sometimes unheralded insight into her character. Her sister, Gertrude, begins by recalling their childhood

Each chapter opens with a brief introduction to the theme. It is followed by a personal remembrance. Next is some of Helen's most inspiring prose, taken from her extensive correspondence, her books, and newspaper and magazine articles, on the same subject

Finally, we added the poems, including some of her early attempts, the most notable of which is a lovely one dedicated to her mother, “Life's Fairest Flower.” (These are identified as HES for Helen Elaine Steiner.) There are later works as well, including some rife with humour

We hope that this book would have been well received by Helen herself. She was a perfectionist and vitally involved in all of her publications. In researching and compiling the material at hand, we came upon a poem that — to the best of our knowledge —has never before appeared in print. It seemed to allay our misgivings and communicate her foregone acceptance of our Remembering With Love

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