Some dreams begin with a carefully laid plan. Others begin with a conversation between friends.
This one began with a friendship on Maui, a picnic table on the lanai of a tiny home, and a shared dream of creating beautiful books together.
My dear friend Zoe Mason and I met at a Bible study on Maui, and our hearts just clicked. We quickly discovered a shared love for creativity, faith, beauty, and the ways God meets us in the ordinary moments of life.
We began dreaming of writing and illustrating books together. I would write, Zoe would illustrate, and perhaps someday we would hold something in our hands that had once existed only in our imaginations.
In the summer of 2025, while I was staying in Dursley, a little town in the English Cotswolds, Zoe and I were discussing ideas for children's books. We had several possibilities floating around, and she was planning to illustrate some of the stories I had written.
Then one day, a Marco Polo message arrived from Zoe with a different idea.
What if we created a journal around my 15–10–5 practice?
I'd been using this rhythm in my own spiritual life since 2022, and Zoe had often listened to me share the reflections and discoveries that came out of those quiet moments with God.
The practice was simple: fifteen minutes of abiding with God through art and Scripture, ten minutes of guided journaling, and five minutes of stillness.
As I considered her suggestion, something clicked.
I had first begun practicing 15–10–5 during Advent of 2022.
Of course! If we were going to create our first 15–10–5 journal, it needed to be an Advent journal.
And so, Aloha Advent Journal was born.
When a Simple Idea Becomes Something More
Our original plan was fairly modest.
Zoe would create some simple line illustrations to accompany the daily reflections, I would write the Scripture meditations and journaling prompts, and we would aim to release the journal in time for Advent 2025.
But something wonderful began happening.
Zoe started painting.
And then she kept painting.
The simple line drawings we had envisioned began transforming into elaborate, colorful illustrations, each one carrying its own beauty, symbolism, and story.
What had begun as a relatively straightforward journal was becoming something much more intricate.
And then life happened.
Zoe became pregnant with her second child, Kaia, and the exhaustion of early pregnancy meant that the project needed to be set aside. Our hoped-for 2025 launch came and went, and for a while, neither of us knew whether we would return to the book.
But the dream hadn't disappeared.
In March 2026, I felt a renewed desire to move forward. I reached out to Zoe, who was now in her second trimester, and asked whether she might be ready to give it another go.
She caught the creativity bug and began creating again during the nap time hours.
A Book Created Across Oceans and Seasons
Over the months that followed, our lives continued to unfold in all sorts of unexpected directions.
Zoe moved twice, first within Maui and then very recently across the ocean to North Carolina for her husband's work, all while navigating pregnancy, motherhood, and the demands of family life.
Meanwhile, my own nomadic life carried me from place to place. I worked on the journal in Texas, Alaska, Hawaiʻi, Nevada, England, France, Switzerland, and beyond.
Somewhere between all those moves, time zones, and changing seasons, we kept creating.
One illustration at a time.
One reflection at a time.
One page at a time.
And what emerged was something far more beautiful than either of us had originally imagined.
Aloha Advent Journal now contains over 50 original pieces of artwork, including six introductory illustrations, twenty-eight for the days of Advent, twelve for the days of Christmas, one for Epiphany, and the cover.
Every single piece has a story behind it.
Every illustration has been thoughtfully created to invite the reader to linger, notice, wonder, and encounter God through beauty.
And every page carries a little piece of the journey that brought this book into being.
Every Illustration Has a Story
One of my favorite things about this project is that every piece of artwork has a story behind it.
For example, as I sat with Luke 2:10 and the angel's announcement of good news and great joy for all people, a beautiful image began forming in my imagination.
I pictured Jesus arriving on the next wave.
In my mind, a traditional Hawaiian voyaging canoe was approaching the shore, carrying the most precious passenger imaginable. The people on the beach knew their Savior was aboard, and they were running toward the water, overflowing with joy and anticipation.
I shared this vision with Zoe, and she brought it to life in the illustration you see here.
What makes this illustration even more special is that I never told Zoe to include the welcome leis. That was something she added intuitively, out of her own imagination and artistic heart.
But the moment I saw the completed illustration, I knew.
Of course there were leis.
They had always belonged in the picture, even if I hadn't thought to mention them.
The different flowers and colors seemed to represent the unique relationship each person had with God. Each person was bringing something of themselves to welcome their precious Savior.
And what I love most about this image is the sense of unrestrained joy. Nobody is standing back wondering whether they are worthy to approach. They're running toward Jesus, eager to welcome Him.
Isn't that part of the wonder of Christmas?
The Savior has come, and His arrival is good news of great joy for all people.
This became such a beautiful pattern throughout our collaboration. I would share a Scripture, a simple image, or the beginnings of an idea, and Zoe, with her artist's soul and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, would bring it into a rich, full picture that was so much more than I had imagined.
Again and again, we experienced this beautiful flow of creativity and what I can only describe as divine inspiration. It often felt less like we were trying to manufacture something beautiful and more like we were discovering something God was inviting us to create together.
And perhaps that's one of the things I treasure most about this journal. It carries both of our hearts, our unique gifts, and the joy of seeing what can emerge when we make room for the Holy Spirit in the creative process.
An Invitation to Abide
At the heart of Aloha Advent Journal is a practice that has become deeply meaningful in my own relationship with God.
I call it 15–10–5.
Fifteen minutes to abide with God through Scripture and sacred art.
Ten minutes to reflect and journal.
Five minutes to simply be still.
It's not a formula for getting closer to God or another spiritual task to check off the list.
It's an invitation.
An invitation to slow down long enough to notice the presence of the One who is already near.
And I can think of no more fitting season for this practice than Advent.
In a season that can so easily become filled with shopping lists, parties, obligations, and endless preparations, Advent invites us into a different rhythm.
A rhythm of waiting.
Of watching.
Of making room.
Of remembering that the greatest gift of Christmas isn't something we need to achieve, purchase, or prepare.
It's the gift of Emmanuel.
God with us.
A Little Aloha for Advent
The word aloha carries a special tenderness for me.
Having grown up on Maui, Hawaiʻi, aloha has always been much more than a greeting. It speaks of love, welcome, presence, and the spirit with which we encounter one another.
That is the spirit Zoe and I hope to offer through this journal.
A warm welcome.
A place to pause.
An invitation to bring your whole self into the presence of God, just as you are.
The journal begins with the four weeks of Advent and continues through the twelve days of Christmas, concluding with Epiphany. Along the way, you'll encounter original watercolor artwork, Scripture, guided reflections, and moments of stillness.
Our hope is that it becomes less of a book you feel compelled to finish and more of a companion that helps you savor the season.
From Our Hearts to Yours
When I think back to those conversations around Zoe's picnic table on Maui, I smile.
We had no idea that our first book together would be created across so many miles, through pregnancy, a new baby, international moves, and all the beautiful messiness of ordinary life.
But perhaps that's fitting.
Because this journal is, in so many ways, about learning to notice God in the midst of life as it actually unfolds.
Not when everything is quiet.
Not when the circumstances are perfect.
Not when we've finally finished everything on our to-do lists.
But here.
Now.
In the middle of it all.
Zoe and I are so delighted to finally share Aloha Advent Journal: A Contemplative Journey Through Art, Scripture & Stillness with you.
What began as a little idea between two friends has become a labor of love, and our prayer is that these pages will offer you a place to rest, reflect, and encounter the nearness of Christ this Advent season.
Aloha Advent Journal is now available on Amazon!
I'd love for you to join me in making room for Emmanuel this Advent season.
Order your copy:
🇺🇸 Amazon USA | 🇬🇧 Amazon UK | 🇨🇦 Amazon Canada
Shopping from another country? Look for Aloha Advent Journal on your local Amazon marketplace.
Explore Aloha Advent Journal and learn more about the book at laurameis.com/books.
