The Break of Dawn
About Dawn
A storyteller through lens and pen — living joy in the mourning.
Who I Am
Hello — I’m Dawn.
A wife, a mother of four, a photographer of twenty years, a woman of faith tested in the fire, and a counselor in formation. We’re the Sparks family — my husband, Noy, and our four children: three who are here with us, and one who now walks with Jesus. We’ve built our life in Colorado, among its vast landscapes and ever-changing skies.
On February 10, 2023, our world shattered when our fifteen-year-old son, Julian, took his life. What came after was the longest, hardest, most clarifying season of my life. In the wake of that loss, I began to write — processing grief, searching for hope, and clinging to the promises of God. This space is where I share that journey.
My calling to counseling came through that lived experience — through loss, through faith, through the slow realization that what I had walked through was equipping me for something. Twenty years of photography taught me to help people see themselves clearly in the most significant moments of their lives. It turns out that’s not so different from what happens in a counseling room.
Our story has led us through the deepest valley, where sorrow lingers and the road feels long. Grief can seem like an isolating journey — but there are many other travelers here. And in this space, I pray you find this to be true: there is mercy in the valley, joy in the mourning, and even the longest night must yield to the break of dawn.
If you are walking through sorrow, you are not alone. You’re welcome here.
The six of us.
For Julian.
Our fifteen-year-old son — tender, funny, and deeply loved. He is the reason these words exist, and we carry him in everything The Break of Dawn becomes.
