ABOUT THE STORY
According to the Cookie
I woke up in a beautiful place! It was filled with red bows and green ribbons. There was something called a Christmas Tree with shiny circles hanging from the branches. It was all lit up with twinkling lights. The sights filled me with excitement!
Then came the music. They were singing such catchy tunes, "must be Santa, must be Santa," I couldn't help but hum along! I just knew this was where I belonged. I was home...until I found out that I was someone's food! I knew I had to get out of there!
According to the Author
"I woke up in a beautiful place! It was filled with red bows and green ribbons. There was something called a Christmas Tree with shiny circles hanging from the branches. It was all lit up with twinkling lights. The sights filled me with excitement!"
Ahh, that Snowman Jim, always making the story about him. Okay, so it is called, "The Christmas Cookie." I suppose it probably should be about him. He does play a major role in this whole thing!
On the surface this story is about a cookie that wakes up on Christmas Eve, finding himself on a plate of cookies for Santa. Snowman Jim is faced with a lot of decisions. Should he stay and risk being eaten alive by the Jolly Man himself or should he trust the voice that tells him to stay?
The story itself has much greater meaning to me. It was birthed at a time in my life when I chose to listen to that inner voice and trust that everything would work out. "The Christmas Cookie" is a testament to trusting in something other than what we can see and believing that we'll be okay if we do.
As the old adage says, "Faith makes all things possible. Hope makes all things work!"
C. L. Fails
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Who is C. L. Fails
...I want to be an artist!
It sounds so easy. Complete this sentence and draw a picture of what you want to be when you grow up. It was an assignment from my first grade teacher, Mrs. Flint. I painted a picture of myself painting a picture of myself, complete with a beret and an old button up shirt from my dad as a smock. I wanted to be an artist. I told my mom I wanted to have a painting in a gallery...and then it happened. That year my painting of "Kansas" found its way to an all city art display. My work...was in...a gallery.
So what do you do when nobody asks the question again? You wander, creatively of course. In first grade I had reached my goal. In second grade I painted my keds in primary colors. In 3rd, I made a pop-up book about a bear named Bobo, which I'm still looking for by the way. That story was awesome! Every year was filled with creative projects; some solo, some created with the help of my rockin' parents or my equally creative (though he'll always deny it to his core) brother. The desire to write or create has long been a part of me. Even though...
...I want to work with kids!
In high school, my focus was on graduating so I could go to college. The only problem, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do until I was asked the question again. My first answer was, "I want to work with kids, but not as a teacher." So I graduated and continued on to college without a stitch of knowing how I was going to work with kids without majoring in Education or some form of Child Development.
Without a clear path I began to wander again...right out of college. I knew that I would finish but I needed to regroup myself first. After two semesters of soul searching, I returned to college with a clear focus and path. I graduate with a degree in Psychology and some awesome experience helping to instill the love of reading in Kindergarten and First Grade students enrolled in a Freedom School.
My call was to serve, and serve I have. I poured myself into the community and youth of Kansas City in my work with AmeriCorps VISTA, Kauffman Scholars, Inc. and now at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Yet the writing bug never left me. In fact, at each stop along the way I found myself encouraging others to develop their own form of creative expression. What I wanted, shifted from figuring out my place in this world to helping others do the same. Now that I'm older...
...what I want most is...
...to help others answer their own call and walk their own path with the
confidence that their work (no matter what field) makes a difference.
...for all who have met me to know that our interaction (no matter how
positive, negative, big or small) has in some way helped to shape me into the
person I am today.
...to leave behind a legacy of service to others through my work.
...for my family (yes, all of you) to understand how valuable they are to me.
...to be an artist.
