Michael & Dawn Lister- And They Lived Happily Ever After

BY DR. DAN FINLEY; PHOTOS BY ANITRA MAYHANN

Michael Lister is the award-winning author of eighteen books. Although many people write and some are published, it is both rare and remarkable for a writer, especially a young writer, to support himself and his family with his writing and talent. But it is not Michael alone; his inspiration and muse is his wife, Dawn. They live a collaborative life – each fully invested in the other. Michael and Dawn Lister live on Lake Julia in Wewahitchka. It is an idyllic place for them to live, love, and work together. Dawn’s horses are close by and Michael has the tranquility and inspiration to write and reflect. The following is a portion of their story:

PCL: Do you remember the first time you ever saw Dawn? When, where, and what were your first thoughts?

Michael: Dawn and I first met when she moved to Wewahitchka in the seventh grade and began attending the youth group held at my house. Some twenty years later, we reconnected while picking up to-go orders at the Tiki Grill–each of us having returned to the small town we grew up in. A fictionalized account of this is contained in my novel “A Certain Retribution.” Here’s a snippet of it:

“I see her for the first time in over twenty years the night before she’ll be arrested.

We have both stopped by the Tiki Grill for takeout––her for her sixteen-year-old son who has just finished football practice, me just for me. Casey has taken Kevin to the fair in Panama City and I am on my own for the evening.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” she says.

She is a few years younger than me, which back in high school was an eternity, but we had hung out some and had even gone on an ill-fated date.

We had both grown up in Wewahitchka, a small North Florida town of a few thousand people. Wewa to locals. We had both gone to Wewa High. Both moved away. I had moved back to the town famous for tupelo honey and the Dead Lakes a long time ago now, where for four generations my family had owned and operated the weekly newspaper and produced commercial grade tupelo honey, but it’s the first time I’ve seen her since school.

“Of course I do,” I say, thinking I could never forget those eyes. Those beyond striking, beyond beautiful, beyond mesmerizing blue-green-gray eyes.

Though there are two tiny tables, the Tiki Grill is mostly a carryout joint. Thankfully we’re the only two people in the place. We stand not far from the counter, but drift farther and farther back from it as we talk.

“You do?” she says, genuinely surprised, and I find it altogether endearing.

“Reggie Summers,” I say so she really knows I know.

She has straight, longish saddlebrown hair and a natural river-clay skin tone most models would die for. She is unassuming and kind of shy or is it insecure? Whatever it is, everything about her is authentic.

When a beautiful woman doesn’t assume you remember her, when she’s truly pleased that you do, it’s as refreshing as a cool autumnal breeze on a North Florida fall night.”

PCL: Do you remember your first date?

Michael: We had our first date some two weeks later when we drove down to Mexico Beach and ate at Killer Seafood, then got together later that night (after taking care of other obligations)–a night that included sitting on a dock by the Apalachicola River kissing and talking into the wee hours.

PCL: When did you know Michael/Dawn was the one?

Dawn: I am not sure there was any specific time that I knew. I think it was a bunch of stuff over a period of time. But the sure sign was when I didn’t get annoyed with his company and wanted him around all the time. I am not a people person and that doesn’t happen but every once in a while. Wait, it never has except with him.

Michael: I first knew Dawn was “the one” on Sunday night, September 16, 2012. I had been away for the weekend and when I returned I took her out to dinner. The more we talked, the more we were together, the more I knew and, by the end of the evening, I knew. I also learned that night that a big part of the reason we were apart that weekend was because of a misunderstanding. We’ve been together–nearly inseparable–ever since.

PCL: Where did you honeymoon?

Dawn: We went to St Augustine the last week of September 2013 to the Heritage Book Fair for our honeymoon and stayed in a cute little bed and breakfast near Flagler campus. We enjoyed the shops and each other.

PCL: If you have an argument, who is the quickest to forgive?

Dawn: When we have an argument Michael is usually the first to forgive.

PCL: How do you deal with difficulties in your personal or work relationship?

Michael: Sometimes a lot better than others. For me, it all comes down to my reactions. If I react out of ego or overreact out of emotion–in fact, if I react out of anything other than love, it makes situations far more difficult than they have to be. Like anything else, love is a practice. If I am mindful, careful, prayerful, I will respond in love. I will be patient and kind and unconditionally accepting. That’s the goal. That’s the practice. When I fail, saying I was wrong and apologizing as quickly as possible, then setting my intention to being more loving is what I’ve found works best for me.

PCL: How challenging is it to be together all the time and work together?

Michael: It’s not challenging. It’s wonderful. It does, however present certain challenges that Dawn and I try to navigate as gracefully as possible. One challenge is making sure we don’t work all the time-that we actually have plenty of non-work time. This is particularly important since most of our work is done in our home. The second challenge is to make sure and not let any work-related issue or frustration creep into our personal relationship. Another is the art of guarding one another’s solitude. As an artist and an introvert, I need quiet, alone time and space to be and think and create. Negotiating that is, at times, challenging, but I think we do pretty well at it. And I have to say, all the challenges are next to nothing compared to the absolute joy and gift of being able to be with your best friend as much as possible. Every single aspect of my work–from creating, to distributing, to promoting is far, far better with Dawn as a partner.

PCL: What is your favorite place and favorite time with each other?

Dawn: My favorite place and time with Michael is probably in our home in front of the TV on the dual recliner in the evening and night.

Michael: Dawn and I spend nearly every waking (and sleeping) moment together and I am truly grateful for each and every one. She is such a wonderful and full partner in every way. I can’t pick one moment over any other. I love them all.

PCL: What is your dream vacation?

Dawn: My dream romantic vacation is probably being in a cabin in the woods in the mountains. No phone or internet, just horses, four wheelers, a hot tub, and books.

Michael: I’m not much for vacations. I never have the urge to get away or leave my life even for a little while. So I didn’t have a dream vacation until I read Dawn’s response. Now I’m planning that one.

PCL: What is the secret to your obvious and enduring love?

Dawn: If I told you the secret of our enduring love it would no longer be a secret.

Michael: Love is a grace, a great mystery, a gift from God that is God. In one way love itself is a secret. In another, there’s no secret at all. It’s a way of life–a way of caring for and preferring the other. It is action. It is a holy vocation that requires no less than all of ourselves and then some–and the “then some” is love, is God. Dawn and I are opposites in so many ways–a yin-yang of complimenting parts– but, in our desire to make the other happy, fulfilled, and the best version of ourselves. We are twins.

PCL: What is your favorite thing about Michael/Dawn?

Michael: I truly love and appreciate everything about Dawn. Everything. She is the single most supportive person I have ever encountered. She is the most fiercely faithful person I know. And she is as genuine and authentic a person as you will ever meet. She is also the funniest person I know. I really love her sense of humor. These are just a few of her qualities that I especially adore.

Dawn: I cannot pick a favorite thing about Michael. There are so many things: Physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, spiritual. I have favorite things about him in all these categories. And multiples in most. So I guess my most favorite thing about Michael is Michael.

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