Dare To Bloom: Trusting God Through Painful Endings And New Beginnings. Let’s take a moment to appreciate the title of this book because Zim Flores summed it up well. Painful endings and new beginnings.

I have to say, I didn’t know what to expect while reading this book. This was another book recommendation by LoveMichelleAna. I have to admit that I was not aware of Zim Flores but the title was fitting for this time of my life. This book was so good that I plan on reading it again.

The book itself is beautiful. Not only is the cover of the book visually appealing, when you open it , it’s a delight. She includes pictures of her travels throughout the book. The book includes questions of reflection at the end of each chapter.  It also includes its own bookmark, a thin strand of a blue cord delicately placed in the middle of the book. It’s just lovely.

I could have highlighted the entire book to be honest, that’s how many gems she dropped. She did an excellent job with describing seasons of your life. She honed in on  Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…”, which is one of my favorites.

When one season ends, another begins. In the same way, each season in our life will have its own place and purpose; the more we’re able to identify that purpose, the better equipped and in tune we will be free to God’s Will for our life

Zim Flores

This resonated with me. I realized the transition of seasons in my own life. For instance, I am in this season of being a new mom and things have changed for me. My thoughts, my ways, have changed, and I love every bit of it. There are some things that no longer serve me in this season and I have to be okay with letting that go. I am in the season where I only want to spend time with my daughter. This little 16-month old has become my best friend and it’s a wonderful feeling. I just love being a mom. This is the season that I am in right now.  

There are some people that I’ve trauma bonded with so much that we no longer have anything to talk about but I am grateful for them being there in the season that I was in.

There were jobs that I’ve had that were perfect for the season that I was in. Being fresh out of college, eager to get my foot in the door somewhere, and finding that job that helped me start my career in Human Resources. I am no longer at that job. That job served its purpose and I moved into the world of education. God was, and is, guiding me.

During our lowest moments in the valley, we must stay close to the river. During the rise to the top, we must stay grounded and remember the wisdom we gathered in the valley. And we finally come to the clearing at the top of the mountain, we’ll be able to see all that the Lord brought us from and all newness that He’s bringing us into

Zim Flores

Whew. I don’t know about you, but I needed this read. Sometimes we get caught up in what we are going through that we lose focus on God. We really have to put our trust in him and know that he will make things anew for us and even when we get through the hard times, we need to still praise and trust him. Man, isn’t God good?! I look forward to basking in the newness in this new season of my life. In my mind, I am standing on the edge of a mountain with my arms wide open, looking up to the heavens and screaming, “I am ready God! I am ready!”

I am accepting change. I am learning , trying to embrace change gracefully despite my “What the hell is going on now?!” and “Can you believe this?!”. Like I said, I am learning. Though change sometimes feels ugly, I am trusting God in the process.

I highly recommend this book. This was the light read that I was looking for. This is a great companion to a cup of coffee, tea or a glass of lemonade and I plan on reading this again.