Alison Hendrix's Blog

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Breaths Between Christmases

I’ve long dreaded, from a very young age, the passing of time. I clung desperately to my childhood, far longer than my friends and family. At long last, innocence was pried from my fingers, and I became a defender of that innocence in others. The years have begun to fly, now, and are merely breaths between Christmases.

I have ever heard that the joy of living, the adventure of this world, is for the young. Now, though, I have discovered the walls between the very old magic of dreams is best saved for, and best loved in, the winter of life. It is during this season the walls between this world and the world of magic wear thin: so thin we can see glimpses of otherly things. And sometimes, on the luckiest occasions, we can reach in and touch them.

Christmas Princess Study Part 3

Finding the True Meaning of Christmas in “The Christmas Princess”

Part 3

          In part two, we saw Adelaide’s curse affect her relationships with friends and family members; they would all grow old and die while she was still young. In part 3, we find, what is for her, maybe the most tragic of all consequences.

          As the princess wanders the castle grounds, she happens to meet a handsome young prince. They fall desperately in love, only to be parted at midnight on Christmas Day.

     The disappointment and heartbreak show in the tears she cries. We see, for the first time since her curse, a wholeness, a completeness, that Adelaide is without-a kind of relationship that only comes with the acceptance of commitment and responsibility. And, of course, a whole lot of magic. 

     The emphasis here is on the tragedy of Adelaide’s situation regarding romantic love; however, though she mourns her prince, there is still no mention of readiness for taking on responsibility.

Is Adelaide breaking her own heart? Do we break our own hearts with a stubborn clinging to pride? Often, it would be so simple to let go of self-centered desires and embrace the magic of taking care of others. But maybe we break our own hearts and hold onto personal wants instead of carefully tending to the things and the people we’ve been blessed with.

          Thank you so much for reading my musings about The Christmas Princess! May we all be blessed with the joys that come from our special care of others, especially as we celebrate what God gave us through Christ. Merry Christmas to you all!

Visit Alilikestowrite.com for your copy of the Second Edition of “The Christmas Princess,” and to see what all I’m up to. May you find magic in every day!

Check out the trailer for the Second Edition of The Christmas Princess!

Christmas Princess Study Part 2

Finding Magic in the Mundane and the True Meaning of Christmas in “The Christmas Princess” by Alison Hendrix

Part 2

        In part one of the Christmas Princess, we see Adelaide cursed with never-ending Christmas. In Part 2, we discover what that means for her. As the clock strikes midnight on Christmas Day, Adelaide is magically transported into a peach-colored ornament, where she stays until the next Christmas season. Time does not pass for her while she is inside the ornament.

        This short piece of the story highlights this uncomfortable truth: the consequences of our decisions often affect others more than ourselves, at first.

Adelaide happily continues with her life, though her family and friends have been distraught since her disappearance into the ornament nearly a year ago. She has no concern for them, does not apologize for causing them pain, even if it was unintentional. She merely asks for food and then has a fun Christmas playing with her younger sister.

        We can, perhaps, excuse this behavior in an 8-year-old princess in a fairytale story, but how often do we consider how our actions will affect others when making selfish choices? This is something I struggle with: a selfish heart. My prayer this Christmas is to focus on Christ, His birth, His life, His sacrifice, that I may become less selfish and more self-less!

Thanks for sharing my journey with me!

Finding Magic in the Mundane in “The Christmas Princess” by Alison Hendrix

Finding the True Meaning of Christmas,

and Magic in the Mundane, in

“The Christmas Princess” by Alison Hendrix

Have you been celebrating Christmas already? Are you the type who waits until Christmas Eve to start shopping? I’ve been working on a study of my book, “The Christmas Princess,” and it has really put me in the spirit! Journey with me through a fairytale for all ages and discover the magic and joy in the mundane and the true meaning of Christmas!

Also, check out some new artwork and inside looks at my illustrating and cover design process. Thanks so much for reading!

   Part One of The Christmas Princess, First sketch of “The Impetuous Wish” and the final design

In part one of “The Christmas Princess,” we meet young Adelaide, an endearing princess with loving parents. Adelaide loves the Christmas season. The princess and her family celebrate the holiday by decorating, singing, giving gifts to the poor, and waiting up until midnight to celebrate “the coming of the Christ Child.” The true meaning of Christmas, the birth of Jesus, is the underlying foundation for the story.

These are typical storybook characters: people who live in a castle. Their world, we find, runs along much like ours today, in that we expect children to begin to take on more responsibility as they age. We try to instill an importance of doing difficult things. Although they may not see the joy in doing these things, we hope they see, in the end, that those difficult tasks often bring ultimate joy to them and those they love.

A servant’s heart is what Jesus asks of us. Young princess Adelaide rebels against this, however, as we all often do. When she insists on having her own way rather than putting other needs before her childish desires, she is CURSED by a mysterious old man. He gives her exactly what she wishes for: never-ending Christmas. She will soon discover tragic consequences.

Many times, God allows us to get exactly what we ask for, only for us to see that it is not at all what we need. Maybe we, like Adelaide, must first experience the curse of our impetuous nature and selfish desires before we can see clearly the beauty of God’s plan. Perhaps the princess should have just obeyed in the first place. But then, there would be no story.            

Early sketches of my new cover for The Christmas Princess

   The process of designing covers is so much fun! You start out with a concept, barely an idea really, and keep playing with it until it matches the vision in your heart! Thank you for sharing this journey with me!

Molly Calls the Lightning Bugs

Part of what makes something magical is its ephemeral quality. It doesn’t last, bust swims before us a moment, like a dream or mirage. Something that dances on the wind, a breath of colorful fragrance, a song, a memory. It does not last. Perhaps even the memory becomes watery reflection, but the feeling. The sparkle and the pure joy! That elusive, exquisite, perfect delight: the memory of that feeling lives forever.

A little girl adds fairy lights inside her climbing tree. They twinkle, just like fireflies, and she uses them to invite the summer-bringers in. She calls to them in song, “Lightning bugs, come and play, lightning bugs, you’re so great! Come into my tree with me, and I’ll throw you a party!” Then smiling wide, she throws a handful of crumbled leaves into the air. The confetti falls, with my spirits. For how could the world ever be so Eden-like, so purely perfect, as at this moment right now? With the smell of magnolia wrapping round us in the purple glow of twilight, a soft breeze to caress our smiling faces and dance with us as we call to the lightning bugs, and the girl. The chubby cheeked, curling red-haired, freckle-speckled, giggling beauty! This is what Heaven is. One day I will forget this moment, and so will she. But I will never forget how it feels to be a mommy, and I have failed if ever she forgets how it feels to be a kid.

Seashell Sparkle

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A ripple, a sparkle-just one among thousands-

But this one holds a beauty, a richness, for me.

I scoop it up with a gentle smile,

And think how like us all is this small treasure:

Broken, dirty, shining in the spray of life’s tumult,

Each of us a part of an enormous, majestic, hallowed whole.

To the Beach Comber, every cracked shell is important,

Serves its purpose, paints the picture.

We all, though beautifully chipped, scarred, and broken, sparkle in the spray.

For I know the plans…

I’ve been reading in the book of Jeremiah for most of January, and, like the month of January, this book seems to drag on and on.

Jeremiah isn’t called the weeping prophet for nothing. Talk about a downer. From my perspective, a few thousand years in the future, reading the same message for Judah and Jerusalem over and over is tedious. I get it. God’s people were messing up royally and were about to be royally punished. God sent Jeremiah to communicate this. He says Babylon is about to invade them and destroy them. But how many times do God’s people need to be told they’re screwing up and are about to get it? Well, I’m in chapter 29 right now, and poor Jeremiah has just had his life threatened, again, for saying the same message again, AGAIN. So, I’m assuming the rest of the book will be the same.

In this morning’s Bible reading, though, in Jeremiah chapter 29, I read one of the most quoted, most well-known verses in the Bible.

The verse is Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare, not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” These beautiful words feel like being wrapped in a divine hug, a bright ray of sunlight reminding us that there is a plan and there is a future and there is hope.

The only problem here is that God’s people were messing up. In a huge way. In all the ways. It was so bad, 29 chapters of this book so far have been dedicated to describing repeatedly just how bad. God had absolutely had enough. It was time to lay the smack down. And it would hurt. It was a doozy of a punishment. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was getting ready to invade. He would invade Jerusalem three times, carrying away captives like Ezekial and Daniel and their adventures would become awe-inspiring. But before that, all of Jerusalem would be shaking in their boots.

So God pauses in chapter 29 at verse 10. He interjects a message of wrath with a promise. “When 70 years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill my good word to you, to bring you back to this place.” Then He tells them about the future and the hope.

For me, this is a huge pause. It’s the first glimmer of sunshine in a gloomy book. But it’s more than that. It’s indicative of who God is, of who we are, of the entire story of creation. God chose us. We hurt Him, hurt each other, hurt ourselves, irreparably. He lays down the law and sends someone to try to guide us back to freedom and safety. We cross our arms and stamp our feet. We fall into the consequences of our actions. Then we call out to God, we seek Him; and, because of immeasurable grace and love that we can’t comprehend, God swoops in and saves us from the calamity of our own making.

God says in verse 11 He has plans for His people in Judah. He took the time to explain exactly what was happening, why it was happening, how long the punishment would last, and then reminded them of His love for them and His plan for their lives.

While He was speaking directly to a specific group of people then, I believe He holds the same truth for us today. How comforting a reminder.

Life is so full of uncertainty. Just in my little family this month has been, well, uncertain. It can be scary, but it’s also good to be reminded that we cannot depend on things we mostly take for granted to be there, remain stable, or to always get us through. We depend on God. I firmly, confidently, believe; I KNOW, that God is the absolute MASTER of making a plan come together. To us, the pieces are floating, spinning out of control, but God sees our future. He knows the plans he has for us, and all we have to do is trust His perfect timing. And I do.

In the smack middle of a dark place, or a place of uncertainty, a time of doubt or fear, God is working a plan for us. A plan for our FUTURE. A plan for HOPE. How sweet are the promises.

Creating from Nothing

In cleaning a bit today, I found a note written during some sermon or other. The point being made was that, as we learn to give- of our time, our money, our energy- God gives us the ability to give more. I’m sure this was being said in reference to tithing, however, my overwhelmed artist mind dashed to my creative efforts.

If you’ve ever suffered from depression, you’ll understand what I mean when I say it takes all of your creative energy. All of your decision making energy, even your energy to feel.

If you are a creative, you’ll understand what a drain creating can be. How it pulls away your inner energy, your being, your sense of peace. It pulls it in a beautiful way, pulling your soul from your inner self and arranging it onto your canvas, whatever that may be. When I feel the old humbug of depression loitering around my heart, it feels to me that creating anything would pull the rest of my soul energy from my body and I would disappear. It would hurt.

When I saw my notes this morning, I thought, what if it were true…can God replenish, repour that soul-energy? I know He can, He does, but He always poured from a store that I no longer have access to. These words make me wonder, if I give a little, will He give me the capacity to give more?

I believe the answer is emphatically yes.

Start by doing one small thing. One small sketch on a corner of notebook paper. One line of poetry. When creative thoughts dance among the shadows, grab just one. Write it down. Then, when things are fuller, richer, allow the small efforts to swirl into a beautiful change, a work of art, a work of love, a work of the soul.

This year, perhaps my new year’s resolution will be to listen to God more. To know when He is re-pouring into my soul, and to honor that. I can’t wait to see what God is about to do!

Click Clock Click Clock

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Click clock, click clock, click clock: soft whir of brass.

Time passes, and stands still, trapped in case of glass.

Warmth without, a world within, I am not like others.

Love inside and doesn’t hide, not here when safe with mother.

And so, I’m left, happy to discover, to watch, to see.

A shiny spinning city in future or from long antiquity.

Click clock, click clock, a holy palace appears in seconds,

A hero from outside looks in, a leader pleads and beckons.

Somehow deep within, the hero seeks the brass,

He finds his way to save the day within the case of glass.

Reflections appear, a shiny voice, “Play Indians with me.”

And I must go, for my world below, is only for me to see.

And what child would change the deep, real joy of playing in the mud,

Building forts from piles of leaves, or digging in ditches by the road,

For such a tiny world of spinning brass, though it fills my soul?

No, not I. From the case of glass, I will allow myself to go.

But one last look, a breath, a glimmer, a glance.

Click clock, I’ll find the city and hero again, someday, perchance.