Happiness

<p><span> </span><span></span></p><p><span>The poems in this book were written over many years as gifts to my children. I began writing them in the 1970s, when they were reaching the age of reason. As I found myself in the position of becoming a single parent, I wanted to do something special to share with them — something that would become a tradition, a ritual they could count on.</span><span></span></p><p><span> </span><span></span></p><p><span>And so the Advent Poems began — one day, decades ago — with a poem ‘gifted’ to them each day during the Advent period leading up to Christmas, December 1 to December 24. Nearly fifty yers later, my kids still look forward each year to the “gifted” poems that continue a family tradition, and that new generations have come to cherish.</span><span></span></p><p><span> </span><span></span></p><p><span>It is my sincere hope that you will embrace and enjoy them and share them </span></p><p><span>with those you love.</span><span></span></p><p><span> </span><span></span></p><p><i><span>Children of the Light</span></i><span><span> </span></span><span>was among the early poems I wrote, and is included in each of the<span> </span><i>Poems of Life and Love</i><span> </span>books in<span> </span><i>The Ellison</i><span> </span><i>Collection</i>: (alphabetically) Awakenings, Beginnings, Celebrations, Choices, Conversations, Gratitude, Happiness, Heartstrings, Horizons, Inspirations, Milestones, Mindfulness, Moments, Possibilities, Reflections, Sanctuary, Sojourns, and Tapestry.</span><span></span></p><p><span> </span><span></span></p><p><span>After writing many hundreds of poems,<span> </span><i>Children of the Light</i><span> </span>is still my favorite. In the process of writing it, the words seemed to spring from my heart, and soul… and flowed so effortlessly that it was written in a single sitting.  All I needed to do was capture </span></p><p><span>the words on paper.</span><span></span></p><p><span> </span><span></span></p><p><span>“Light,” to me represents all that is good and pure and right with the world, and I believed then — as I do today — that those elements live in my children, and in all of us.</span><span></span></p><p><span> </span><span></span></p><p><span>We need only to dare…</span></p>