Cynthia Hilston – Author & Blogger
The published and unpublished works of writer Cynthia Hilston
During this special time of year,
We hold our loved ones dear.
To give a gift is better than to receive.
In true spirit, we believe
The greater meaning of the season,
The central meaning and reason
Is Jesus’s birth
On this earth.
Like the babe wrapped up warm,
We can weather any storm
If all throughout the year
We keep the meaning clear–
Lights and tinsel on the tree,
Pretty though they may be,
Pale in comparison
To God’s only begotten son.
–written in 2017
Merry Christmas!
Everyone gathered, young and old,
Around the Christmas tree topped by a star of gold.
Smiles spread across faces; the air was light and warm,
For it was many years ago the Blessed Babe was born.
Content with what they had heard,
They could now rest assured
That peace and goodwill toward all men
Would prosper as long as love would never end.
It seemed the snow falling gracefully had a way
To bring magic to this wondrous day.
The family thought of all the years all had cared
As those happy and sad memories they shared.
As the little children opened their gifts,
Oh, how high the spirit within lifts.
All those happy years seemed from other lands
As the little boy held the picture in his hands.
“Mommy?” he asked. “What happened here?
Where are all the people who shared in that cheer?”
“Oh, dear child of mine,
Sadly, things have changed with time.
All the elders are long gone,
And all the children have grown and moved on.
The winters have become so cold,
And Grandma’s little cottage was sold.
All the decorations were taken down,
And family has moved out of town.
I know things are not the same,
But one very important thing does remain:
The Greatest Gift, the Child of Love,
The Divine Savior from the Lord up above.”
Such beautiful music fills the air,
Bringing its promise everywhere.
From far away souls, to those near,
The message is the same, year after year.
To a place and time beyond does transcend
God’s mercy that does not end.
Many are lost, lonely, angry, or sad,
But true love overcomes all that is bad.
In moments of silence,
Let us fall to our knees in repentance,
Our true selves laid open and bare,
Every thought and feeling to share,
Not to feel awful and full of shame,
But rather to call on Jesus’s name.
Remember this and be thankful
For a most precious gift so beautiful,
Not only at Christmas, but all through the year,
Loving others as He first loved us so dear.
In right spirit of giving over receiving,
Let us hold fast to our blessed Savior, believing
That He is forever and everywhere.
Life in hope and not in fear.
The time is upon us once again
When shorter days mark another year’s end.
“Not enough hours in the day”
Is often all we have to say.
Commercialism and materialism
Seem to cloud true holiday realism.
Impatience in the checkout line,
Illegal parking by a no parking sign,
Running and rushing from here to there,
Never having a single moment to spare–
All this sounds familiar to us,
But what is up with all this fuss?
Do we still hear the voices of Heaven
Like we did when children of seven?
Do we still see the wonders all around
That God has blessed this earth to abound?
“Today is different,” we remark,
For a holiday is a time to embark
On a journey down Memory Lane
And step away from the world insane.
No doubt, the spirit will reside
In a happy household’s inside
Around a table of family and friends,
A gathering that, by tomorrow, ends.
Come tomorrow, will we suddenly forget
And later wallow in pity and regret
For having thought that one mere day
Away from the world’s twisted way
Would be enough time to truly cherish
The time with loved ones before they perish?
Sadly, caught up in living life on Earth,
We don’t think of our heavenly rebirth.
Like waves in the ocean,
We merely repeat the motion,
Until one day we crash upon the shore.
Then life is over, we live no more–
Well, life as we know it, anyway,
So do more than cherish one holiday.
Truly live life as it was meant to be.
Open your eyes and plainly see
That earthly life is too short,
So don’t you your chance abort
To enjoy today’s gathering of friends,
Knowing it mirrors Heaven and never ends.
LIKE WHAT YOU’VE READ? PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG, WHERE I POST A POEM EVERY TUESDAY. ALSO KEEP UP-TO-DATE WITH MY WRITING PROJECTS!
My novel, Hannah’s Rainbow: Every Color Beautiful, is available for $5.99 here.
Smiles frozen in time decorate ruddy faces
And stare back at me, all bundled and warm
In holiday sweaters and knitted hats.
My fingers gently grace the baby
Who was once me in the old Polaroid,
The white tree with the red bulbs
And our stockings with our names in the background.
Grandma gazes back at me with the kindest eyes,
Her knobby fingers carefully unwrapping a gift,
Her patience to save the paper for another year.
The turkey still looks fresh out of the oven,
And I can almost smell the pies on the dining room table,
As all the family is gathered ‘round,
Ready to bless each other and the food.
Pictures are our looking glasses into the past,
Along with cherished memories of loved ones.
But as I look around me now,
I see the same smiles with those rosy cheeks
And get to actually hear the laughter and tales
That come with them.
The baby is my own son,
In whose eyes I witness the magic again,
And there hangs his stocking from our fireplace.
My parents are the grandparents, so happy and proud,
Bringing with them their own traditions from times past.
The meal is prepared before us to enjoy,
And we are still a family, still thankful to be so blessed.
This is the present, ever-fleeting and ever-changing,
Which is what makes it so special.
Life’s circle continues to turn as I age,
But it is beautiful,
And every Christmas is another reminder
Of how precious every moment is.
But lest we forget there is Someone much bigger than all this,
Let me just remind myself and everyone here
That Jesus is the true reason for our celebration.
In Him is our past, present, and future,
And that is a merry Christmas, indeed.
–written in 2010
We find it strange
How the tear falls
A minute too late
After the flood has begun.
Sad, little, inquisitive minds,
Wouldn’t you like to know
Where the real danger lies?
A black, rotten heart
Falls to pieces in its own decay
And the remnants are broken down
To dirt on the ground.
It goes to show
What all our pride stands for
When the sand is washed
Down some undiscovered river
To the ocean’s forgotten depths.
Then it is too late,
Too deep, to reach far enough
Down into the damp, desolate hell
We create for ourselves.
Only then too late
Were our eyes truly opened,
Only to be blinded
By the fog of our sins
And the heavy blackness
Of our impurities.
This is the only truth
We succumb to.
–written in 1999
LIKE WHAT YOU’VE READ? PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG, WHERE I POST A POEM EVERY TUESDAY. ALSO KEEP UP-TO-DATE WITH MY WRITING PROJECTS!
My novel, Hannah’s Rainbow: Every Color Beautiful, is available for $5.99 here.
Shopping is done,
And presents are wrapped.
Wasn’t that fun?
More like whacked?!
Staying up late
Addressing the cards;
Now, wait,
What’s in my front yard?!
The mail truck is here;
Let’s run like a fool!
Oh, dear, oh, dear!
All this for Yule?!
Covered in flour up to each elbow,
More cookies to bake,
Stack and frost in a row.
Oh, for Pete’s sake,
What is that smell?
I forget one batch.
Oh, well, oh, well.
Start again from scratch!
I swear, if I get one more email
Begging for my business –
This is why I hate retail!
Nothing but a mess!
Pull out the tree
And untangle the lights,
Oh, whee, oh, whee!
This gives me the frights!
Here comes the cat
To knock it all down.
Now what do you think of that?
Maybe next year I’ll just go out of town.
Now, I think myself generous,
But how many a charity
Must ask for my Ebay bonus?
Do you want me to live in poverty?
Elf on a shelf
Can take the plunge in the lake;
I’m beside myself
With dancing in the snowflakes!
