Friday Flyer reporter saying goodbye

BY Dawn Rankins

Happy Friday to my Canyon Lake readers. It’s with a heavy heart that I must write this column to say goodbye to being your reporter for The Friday Flyer.

I was given news last week that has impacted my health, therefore, I need to step aside as your reporter. It was a hard decision.

I had to come to terms on how things are going to change for me after leaving the newspaper. I had to come to accept the fact that I won’t be able to enjoy the events and special gatherings of the clubs the way I have been able to during my time at The Friday Flyer.

I am so beyond grateful for all the love and support I’ve received over the last year as your reporter and it truly has been an amazing journey.

One of my favorite things to do has been writing your stories, especially the personal interest ones. I’ve been honored to tell people about your experiences and accomplishments. Having you trust me with your words is something I’ll never forget.

I’ve learned that all clubs and organizations want to share their events with the community. They all contribute to this community in a positive way.

I had big plans for this year. I had reached out to Mayor Jeremy Smith and told him how I wanted to write more about what’s happening from the city’s viewpoint and I reached out to Reneé Griffiths and told her I wanted to do an interview with the POA to tell their stories. But, my vision for this will be placed on hold.

Canyon Lake has become my home and stepping down as your reporter will hopefully not change my dreams for calling this home.  I’m told I cannot work due to health issues, but I refuse to stop writing.

God works in many mysterious ways and once I allowed myself to grieve the loss of my job, I’ve awakened to ideas of expanding my own personal blog and finishing my novel that simply needs tweaking so I can get it published.

Who knows, maybe Chuck will allow me to submit articles for the Canyon Lake Life column, the column I am so passionate about writing. It’s in this column that I can express who I am, and give my heartfelt thoughts about this amazing community that we call our hidden gem.

I am excited to still come out to events, only now, it’ll just be me being me and not your reporter. I am excited to grow friendships and who knows, maybe down the road, I’ll write again for The Friday Flyer.

It has been my privilege to serve this community. I know whoever takes my position will be in good hands, because without a doubt, you, the residents of Canyon Lake, will welcome him/her as your new Friday Flyer reporter.

May we all continue in kindness towards one another as we navigate some pretty heavy topics that the community has been faced with. At the end of the day, we are a community and we have each other’s backs. I saw it first hand when I went to the chronic illness support group, not as a reporter, but as someone whose world was just turned upside down.

I was accepted and welcomed and I walked away humbled by the stories I was told. We all face difficulties, some worse than others, and one thing I learned from that meeting was, you never know what someone is going through.

“Kill them with kindness” was something I’ve tried along the journey of my life, but that term has more meaning to me today. For me, it is a reminder that it might take every ounce of every particle of someone’s being to just show up, and our kindness could be the pivotal moment in their life. You just never know.

Moving forward, one day at a time, is my new identity. I am going to take my time from this moment forward to keep busy doing the things that bring me joy. I’ll quilt again, I’ll craft again and I’ll continue to write. I’ll just have to listen more closely to my body and give it the attention it’s requiring of me. Guess it’s true that I won’t be able to take care of my family, friends and loved ones if I don’t take care of myself. With that being said, take care of yourselves, too. You are amazing, this community is incredible and like no other.

Canyon Lake, thank you for the opportunity to serve you. I’ll be seeing you around the lake. Take care of yourselves. Take care of your loved ones and let’s take care of our little town and shower some unity along the way.

I’ll be seeing you. God bless!