It was a beautiful fall day when I decided to visit the Swan Island Dahlia Farm in Canby, Oregon. I recently bought a new camera in preparation for the YouTube videos I planned to create for my Family Relationship Coaching practice. This outing was the perfect opportunity to play with my camera and capture the true beauty of this flower.
The beauty and strength of dahlias
I was blown away at the dahlia farm. It seemed each flower color produced a distinct feeling as I took in its beauty. The differences in petal shape, flower size, and plant height created impressions ranging from happy to stoic, elegant to wild. I observed the strength of each flower as it endured the pounding heat and soaked in the rays of the sun. The sheer joy I felt walking from row to row was profound. As I took notes on the varieties that spoke to me most, I noticed I was continually attracted to varieties that were pink, peach, and white. And because I do not believe in coincidences, I knew I was led to this farm for a reason, but I had no idea that the dahlia flower was about to become the symbolic logo for my family coaching practice.
What the dahlia means to me
When I returned home, I decided to research the meaning and symbolism of the dahlia. To my surprise, the dahlia is often associated as the birth flower of the month of November, my birth month! In addition, the dahlia is native to Mexico and is important in Aztec culture. As an owner of a Spanish immersion school and an affinity for Mexican culture (as my own two children are half Mexican), I was thrilled to learn about the Dahlia’s importance to Mexico and the Aztec people. And in Victorian culture, the dahlia was used to portray commitment and eternal love, two values I strive to live by daily. As I researched the symbolic meaning of the dahlia, I realized the flower truly symbolizes who I am, what I hope to bring to my family relationship coaching practice, and how I want to inspire and support others. Below are the symbolic meanings of the dahlia:
Symbolic meanings of the dahlia
Service: A pink dahlia symbolizes service. If you read my previous post on my journey to becoming a family relationship coach, I spoke about service to my community as my life’s purpose. It was no surprise to find that a pink dahlia symbolized service and it’s certainly why I found myself so attracted to this color.
Kindness: Dahlias represent unwavering kindness combined with love and grace. Kindness, love, and grace is the perfect recipe to feel supported, heard, and valued. My clients deserve to be treated with kindness in every session we have together. Ultimately, each person is walking their own path and when we learn not to take things personally, we are able to approach all people with kindness and love, which will bring kindness and love in return.
Gracefulness: Dahlias represents grace under pressure. A dahlia is very feminine in appearance and is known to represent a woman who has high standards and morals. Her graceful nature and calm outer appearance is a superpower because she understands that true power is learning the art of responding instead of reacting. Staying graceful in times of conflict and stress is an art form and a skill that I passionately foster in myself and my clients.
Inner strength: The Dahlia symbolizes inner strength and perseverance in times of adversity. She symbolizes the ability to endure difficult conditions and remain strong and patient as you move through difficulties knowing that every experience is a lesson in gaining wisdom and skills to bring positive change over time.
Embracing positive change: I am here to support my clients to bring positive change into their lives to allow their relationship with themselves and their family members to flourish. The dahlia flower symbolizes positive change with a focus on moving forward with the vision of bringing something better into focus.
Uniqueness: The dahlia teaches us to embrace our uniqueness and allow our light to shine. I seek to support my clients on their path to becoming confident parents who are authentic and uninterested in seeking approval or acceptance from others because they are grounded in themselves.
It was no accident that I happened upon the Dahlia Farm in Canby. The dahlia perfectly symbolizes who I am and what I seek to develop in both myself and my clients. Using the dahlia as my family relationship coaching practice logo is the perfect representation of who I am, what I hope to achieve, and my desire to help others grow.
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