Welcome to my Second Acts Series!
Today, we have Dawn Rusinko sharing her inspiring journey through prolonged and difficult seasons.
Here’s Dawn!
Thank you Joanne for inviting me to write for your segments on Second Acts.
We all have Seasons in our lives that conjure change. Life circumstances often lead us to face challenges. Challenges like, the sting of rejection, ingratitude, deception and false expectations that surprise us from people we care about. It forces us to take a deep hard look within, but not to stay there in self-pity licking our wounds. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been there. I can remember being very sick and finding out who my real friends were. Writing a children’s book and being rejected by 23 publishing companies, because I didn’t have a literary agent, or it was not their style of publishing. My 11-year-old, son almost lost his life due to a brain tumor and hemorrhaging blood clot. I experienced failed relationships and business ventures, but with every loss there is grieving and a healing process.
This process can feel like the end of the road, but it isn’t. It’s where you meet your darkness, crushed to allow the new seeds of life to break forth. It’s like driving through a long dark tunnel bringing you to a new season of life. You break down and through the barriers of rejection and loss learning that it didn’t kill you it refined and redirected you to better and brighter things. New chapters open when old chapters end.
Currently, I am going through the tunnel to a new season in my life. I’ve picked back up that rejected children’s book from 25 years ago and working on resurrecting it. I am fine-tuning my writing skills by blogging. I am volunteering on a National and local level, and I am in the process of writing three books with the hope that this time I will break down the barrier into publishing. I’ve found these quotes helpful to me, perhaps you will too.
J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series was not only rejected 12 times, but she was told rather harshly not to quit her day job. Anne Frank’s diary was rejected 15 times and the famous “Gone with the Wind” was rejected 38 times. When Lucille Ball began studying to be actress in 1927, she was told by the head instructor to, “Try any other profession.”
“Great success is built on failure, frustration, even catastrophe” ~Sumner Redstone
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot … and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed.” ~ Michael Jordan
Where to find Dawn…
Joanne here!
Thank you, Dawn, for sharing your journey. Your post has uplifted my spirit, and I am certain it will resonate with many other readers. Let me know when your first book is published. I would love to spotlight it on this blog.
Joanne Guidoccio 
Every writer should hear your story Dawn. I really believe that success goes to the dedicated rather than those few with natural talents. Good on you.
Pingback: BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS | Dawn's Faith Connection
An inspirational story, Dawn – and an example of how to just keep going, against all odds.
I wish you every success – you’ve earned it.
Wonderful to hear that you haven’t given up that you face your challenges and learn from them, good luck with the writing, perhaps it wasn’t your time before and now it was meant to be.