Young mother pens children’s book about faith

By DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
       Managing Editor

ASHLAND — Back in 2018, Alaina Griffin watched a particularly beautiful sunset with her family. That sunset, with its gorgeous colors, inspired her recently released children’s book Glimpses of Heaven, which is illustrated by Griffin’s aunt Cynthia K. Quinn.

For Griffin and Quinn, it took time to bringing the majesty in that sunset to life, while also focusing on some of God’s other blessings. However, remembering that evening and what she felt kept Griffin writing about it. “I looked at the colors and thought, ‘Those are some heavenly hues!’ I worked for a few years here and there, adding more rhymes,” she said. “It was a busy time in our lives. Our kids were babies, and writing was something I enjoyed doing in our small pockets of spare time.

“These words really came from an outpouring of the Holy Spirit into my soul,” she said. “I had some ideas of what made my heart so full of God’s joy and peace and I tried to find a decent rhyme to follow those ideas. I had no denomination in mind at the time. In hindsight, I would’ve loved to add a page about the Eucharist.  Maybe in the next book!”

Griffin, who is a member of St. Augustine Parish in Ashland, dedicated the book to her parents, Larry and Lisa Cave and to her “own glimpses of heaven on earth” her children Lilah, Beau, and Tucker.

Like Griffin’s words, Quinn’s illustrations were a labor of love. “My aunt Cindy painted these illustrations by hand,” Griffin said. “When I knew these words were going to be a book, I had specific illustrations in mind for each rhyme. I asked and she graciously accepted to be my illustrator, and she exceeded my expectations.

“She lives in Florida, so we had a lot of phone calls and texts back and forth. She’s such a faithful lady and I’ve always admired her devotion to Jesus and practicing the Catholic faith,” she said. “It took about a year to get all of the illustrations done. It was a precious time of sharing our love of God with each other. It was such a treat when she would visit and bring her envelope of paintings for us to go through. She cried when she saw the finished product.”

Many of the illustrations feature a mother and her children. “Those illustrations were inspired by photos of myself and our three sweethearts,” Griffin said. “I read the book to them and they like seeing themselves in the pictures.” Her husband, Wes Griffin, is also the model for one of the illustrations.

Griffin homeschools her children and works a few nights a week as an RN at a nursing home. “Raising tiny disciples has been an incredible privilege and it’s also a weighty vocation,” she said. “As parents, we’re the first example of how to take up our crosses daily and follow Jesus. My hope is for my kids to know the love of Jesus and for Him to be the love of their lives.

“We try to fill our days with worship music and the Word of God,” she said. “I love showing them how faithful God is. I also love showing them how we can be His hands and feet. It’s definitely a vocation that keeps me close to Jesus. I’m always praying for His help to guide them.”

Griffin hopes people both young and old find inspiration in her book. “I hope that this book gives glory to God. He won our salvation and that’s more than enough,” she said. “But on top of that, He continues to pour out His good gifts into our everyday lives. I hope the book reveals some of that precious love He has for us.”

Note: Glimpses of Heaven by Alaina M. Griffin and published by Covenant Books is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites.