“Gigi” likes to have fun, and she wants her grandchildren to have memories laughing with her. She created a fun alphabet book using family pets and colorful illustrations. Also known as Suzanne Homan of Clermont, FL, Gigi authored and illustrated a playful work titled A is for Alligator.
“Pretty soon I had a bunch of illustrations,” she said. “Then I realized a story was emerging.” Her favorite letter is D for donkey because she has a pet burro named Rosie. A close second is Y for Yorkie since her dog Sophie also features in the rhymes.
“At first, I wasn’t thinking about a hardback book. I just collected the art and used an online company to print. When I read the part about Sophie, my granddaughter said, “Gigi, that can’t be in the book,’ then I showed her the page.” Gigi smiled as she recounted the story.
Gigi chooses to see possibilities rather than problems. As a young bride in the 1980s, her husband Greg walked her through their newly planted orange grove. “He told me, “These trees will pay for our children’s college,’ but within a year, freezes hit and destroyed everything.”
Her spouse pursued a new career and she too opted for resilience. One of her favorite Bible verses comes from James 1:2 NIV: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
Adversity has challenged her more than once. In 2018, both her parents died. On the day she buried her father, she also got a diagnosis of breast cancer. “Nothing’s gone according to plan, but I’m glad it didn’t,” she said. “God works good in all things.”
She practices five daily disciplines to keep her moving in the right direction:
1. Read the Bible, not just devotionals, every day.
2. Exercise.
3. Clean up something, even a single drawer.
4. Reach out to a friend.
5. Create, which could be anything – like baking a pie.
“Life can be hard,” Gigi said. “We just need to laugh more.”
If you would like to see more details about Gigi’s ABC book, go to https://www.aisforalligator.com/. There you can download free coloring sheets for children.
If you would like to visit one of Central Florida’s unique landmarks, you can tour the Citrus Tower and view landscape. Afterward, you can enjoy a specialty coffee. For more information, you can go to https://citruscoffee.com/.
If you are interested in making your own book, consider two online resources:
Shutterfly https://www.shutterfly.com/?CID=SEGOO.BRAND.387_16656_629143_4941&gclid=CjwKCAjwk6-LBhBZEiwAOUUDp4Ayimhvwb0sY70_aOPOkoprhJMs26EaOtwzSwSIf_BNC8tu_E3i3RoCErsQAvD_BwE
Mixbook Photo Company https://www.mixbook.com/