Rachel Dawn

Eye See You

Life Lessons, Metaphors, Success & Motivation

It’s been said that our eyes are the windows to our souls. I believe that. I saw a picture tonight, of a girl I don’t know, and this thought went through my head: There are some people, who even though they are smiling in every picture, and even if their smile is perfect, you can still see sadness in their eyes. Have you seen this before? Has this ever been you? My next thought was: These are the people I want to meet. I want them to know they don’t need to wear a smiling mask. I want them to know they are not alone. And I want to give them a picture…

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#56

faith, Life Lessons, Spiritual Growth

Skydiving is was on my bucket list. It’s number 56, in fact. I kind of had it penciled in for this Summer, and then my best friend turned 40 and decided that’s what he wanted to do to celebrate. BINGO! Weeks leading up to the event I was pure bottled excitement and eager anticipation. My husband had a scheduling conflict arise so that he was not able to join us, and I remember having a strange little flutter of uneasiness. Am I going to be able to do this without him? Won’t I need him there?  Then I reminded myself, I lived a pretty routine life for 25 years before I met him,…

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Voices at the Bottom

Life Lessons

When we go through dark seasons in our lives, there is a little voice that comes and whispers in our ears, “You are the only person going through this. You are alone. No one else will understand.” And so we withdraw from the world, and keep our problems to ourselves. The more people I meet who open up and share their stories with me, the more I realize there is ALWAYS someone else going through, or that has gone through, EXACTLY what you’re going through. You are never alone. That is a cleverly designed lie to drive you into shame, isolation and depression. Do not listen to that voice.

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Your Fickle Heart

marriage, relationships

If you spend your whole dating career making decisions based on “following your heart”, what are you going to do after you get married and you and your spouse go into a [temporary] funk (because it’s going to happen), and your “heart” tells you your in love with someone else? Are you still going to follow your heart then?  Does your heart supersede your vows?  Then why bother even making them? No. You’ve got to figure out how to base your decisions outside of something as fickle as your heart. And trust me, you want to figure this out before you get married.

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The New Guy

Life Lessons, Success & Motivation

They recently moved my desk at my office. I’m only there for a few hours every couple weeks, so it’s not a huge deal, I’ve been moved several times. I’ve been put in the middle of administrative assistants, and customer service, and for a long time I sat with the marketing department. This time, they moved me right in the middle of the sales floor, so I sit right behind a [brand] new guy, who has just gone out on his own. I hear him making cold calls and it’s….well, rough, and it’s awkward, and I know he’s struggling…. I have to fill in the other side of the conversation in my mind,…

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Perfectly Imperfect

Life Lessons

“We have all heard that no two snowflakes are alike. Each snowflake takes the perfect form for the maximum efficiency and effectiveness for its journey. And while the universal force of gravity gives them a shared destination, the expansive space in the air gives each snowflake the opportunity to take their own path. They are on the same journey, but each takes a different path. Along this gravity-driven journey, some snowflakes collide and damage each other, some collide and join together, some are influenced by wind… there are so many transitions and changes that take place along the journey of the snowflake. But, no matter what the transition, the snowflake always finds itself…

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The List

Life Lessons, marriage, relationships

When I was 16, some well-meaning mentors of mine recommended I make a list of the things I absolutely wanted in my husband, from physical attributes to character traits. Four typed pages and 160 bullet points later, I had what a “perfect spouse” looked like to me down on paper. Things like: 2-5 years older than me, 5’8” to 6’2” tall, dark and moderately-short styled hair, nice abs, no visible tattoos or piercings, strong Christian example & leader (or striving to become), passionate with a clear, concise dream/goal/calling, makes me laugh, takes me on picnics, notices & remembers “the little things”…. you get the point. Some valid, some negligible, some ridiculously adolescent. The…

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Resilience Defined

Life Lessons

Someone once told me I was the most resilient person they’d ever met. After my divorce I set out to study that word and embrace it. I couldn’t find any definition that encompassed the full value of the word to me, so I wrote my own: Resilience (Noun) – /rəˈzilyəns/ the ability to bounce back, return, or rebound after deterrence or defeat. Buoyancy. To push through, unscaved and un-slighted, any circumstance or situation. To proceed with resolute determination, giving no regard to attempted diversions,set-backs, let-downs, heartbreaks, poor judgements, unkept promises or disappointments. To recover quickly from illness, change, or misfortune. The ability to spring back after initial plans or anticipations fall through. To…

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Ronnie & Nancy

marriage, second marriage

He was married for nearly a decade; they shared a common interest and career in filmmaking.  Their union produced a daughter by birth and a son by adoption, and the couple also lost a daughter.  She filed for the divorce – neither of them ever publicly commented on its causes or its reasons.  Instead, they remained amicable and cared capably for their two children.  Both continued to work in their chosen professions.  both continued to move in the same circle of friends, acquaintances, and co-workers. Three years after the divorce he found the courage to marry again. He had met Nancy on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend.  After two years…

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A Word of Caution to the Girls Like Me

Life Lessons, marriage, relationships

This is for the girls with Incredible Fathers.  I know it’s hard to imagine this blessing would require a word of caution, but bear with me… My father has exemplified what it means to be a Christian man, husband, brother, son and father every day of my life. I have never seen him waver. The strength and conviction of his character inspires those around him to be better themselves. I have watched him lead our immediate (and extended family at times) spiritually. I have seen him confidently assume leadership roles in church my whole life. He is always smiling and laughing. His countenance affects joy in every person he encounters. You just feel…

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