Bringing Dreams to Life: Nancy & Ron

This story begins further back than I even know, but in 2005 I met Reverend Nancy Neal.  I had just moved to Greenville and was leading an open house at Stone Academy as a teacher.  I was super nervous as I know I am not the norm for a 4th grade teacher.  In walked Nancy and her daughter looking just like they stepped out of a poster for California.  They immediately put me at ease and made me feel at home.  Nancy and I continued to talk and stay connected over the years through community events, friends, and healing work.  There is more to this story, but for this newsletter the magic begins here…

Nancy’s story: It had to be 30 years ago. I lived in Dallas and knew I wanted to try yoga. I don’t know how or why, but I ended up in Denton, Texas and it felt important. I enjoyed the yoga, but eventually left and joined the Peace Corp. When I moved to Greenville there was no yoga. So, I found three friends and a teacher (Bruce Cable) to teach in our living room. Bruce gave us all line drawings of yoga for beginners and I’ve done that every day ever since. I continued and received my teacher training with Karen Noonan of Yoganize in Greer, taught yoga at Indigo Flow and Art and slowly became a regular at Greenville Yoga.

Ron’s story: Yoga saved me. I lived in Michigan and traveled for work. I had back problems and knew I needed something. I went to a chiropractor and it helped. My late wife asked me to join her for her Saturday morning yoga. After three months of Saturday yoga, all of my back pain was gone. My traveling stayed the same, but my pain was completely eliminated. When we moved to Greenville, my wife attended yoga at St. Francis as part of their integrative oncology program and Caroline was the teacher. One day years after, I was driving down the road and saw Greenville Yoga. I walked into the 9am class on Saturday and there was Caroline! I loved her classes as I was familiar with the routine and she gave me a workout for every part of my body.

Here's where the story gets good: For several years Nancy and Ron ended up attending Caroline’s class in the evenings and Saturday mornings. They often put their mats next to each other and would exchange pleasantries. In 2015 they ended up connecting at our Anniversary Party. Ron’s first question to Nancy was did she ever have lucid dreams? He didn’t know she leads dream groups twice per week where dedicated groups show up just to talk about their dreams! Ever since they have been joined at the hip and as they said, “there is something so natural here.”

Independent of one another (before Caroline’s magic) they both had experienced retreat life and the gift of silent retreats. Together over this past year, they have put their energy and their dreams to work. Both had a shared vision of creating a sanctuary for people to come, be in nature and heal. Their dream brought to life is Dawn Retreat Center, a non-profit with over 100 acres of land near Jones Gap. Their intention is to create community while giving people time to be in nature and access that small still voice within. As Ron and Nancy said (taking turns to speak), “I always knew there was more. I was searching. Yoga was the doorway to contemplative practices. Using silence as a practice- after the first 72 hours I thought I would lose my mind. And I did- my mind popped open! After experiencing this silence regularly, we wanted to share it with other people.” If you are searching, you know there’s more; you may want to check out Nancy and Ron’s dream. Their first retreat is May 1st and I will definitely see you there.

More about Dawn: 

Vision: to inspire a community of people to find that still, small voice within, creating inner peace and harmony with all living things.

Mission: to provide a sanctuary for stillness and peace.

Web: https://www.dawnretreatcenter.org

Instagram: @dawn_retreat_center

May 1st is a free inaugural event, a Mini Retreat/Walk in Nature from 1-4:30 pm. Pre-register at website for directions.

(Side note- This is not the first couple that has found their way together after taking Caroline’s class. She is magic in so many ways! Who knew?)