Wishes

A Lifetime of Christmas Poetry

My mom, Raynette Forister Eitel, passed away in September of 2022, age
85, drifting away into dementia. It was tragic to watch this woman who loved
words, who was a poet and teacher, fade away into wordlessness after a lifetime
of crafting poetry.

Mom had a tradition of writing a new Christmas poem each year and
sending it to friends and relatives. The mailing list grew each year, and
people always told us they looked forward to mom’s Christmas poems. She
published some in a couple little books. There are too many to post just once a
day during the month of December, but I’ll choose some of the best.

Wishes
by Raynette Eitel

I wish you the warmth of a Christmas fire,
The light of a Yuletide tree,
The love of family gathered ‘round,
A perfect memory.

I wish you the hush of Christmas night,
The silver crust of snow,
A million stars to light your path
Wherever you may go.

I wish you the peace that comes with prayer,
The joy that giving brings,
The golden sound of Christmas songs,
And the stir of angel wings.