It’s hard to write a post like this when you’re a person who hates goodbyes.

I tend to say “See you soon!” even if I don’t know when (or if) I’ll see you again. It’s gentle. Unassuming. And it allows me to postpone emotion indefinitely, which is the gift that keeps on giving.

However, as an adult, I have come to realize that there is something beautiful about the closing of one chapter, and it doesn’t have to mean that I fall apart and cry and try to act like it’s not happening. I mean, I still do all of those things, but underneath it all I recognize that part of saying “goodbye” is actually an opportunity to formally say “thank you.”

And that’s much prettier than “goodbye,” so let’s go with it.

Jess and I are so incredibly grateful for those of you who allowed us into your homes and hearts as we sat in various (classy) places like closets and bathrooms and filmed videos about books we loved. And there’s no pretending that we were professional about it, but that’s kind of what we loved. We just invited y’all in as friends and chatted about the way different stories had spoken to us.

Sometimes you do something that just feels like a fun way to connect and then you realize that it might have been more — there were friendships formed, ministries launched, and conversations we got to be a part of that might not have happened without the community that formed around our little book club.

How do you say “thank you” for that?

We’ve not taken a second of it for granted, that’s for sure. And for every single one of you who left a comment or reached out to another woman as a result of the books we shared, we want you to know it matters to us.

As life has gotten busier with kids and obligations, we knew this was a logical time to stop doing Bloom, but it wasn’t an easy choice. We know that (in)courage will continue a book club, and although we don’t know the details yet, we can already tell you it will be fantastic because we know the ladies behind the scenes, and they would settle for nothing less.

But as for Jess and me, well, we’ll miss you. And it’s pretty common for the right choice to not necessarily be the easiest choice. It’s bittersweet — and if you saw the video where we announced it (and my ugly cry), you’ll know that for a fact.

So, more than anything else . . . thank you.

We’ve loved it, and we’ll be forever grateful for the season when we got to set up our laptops, laugh, and cry as we read pages that shaped and changed us for the better.

We love you all more than you know, and because I can’t bring myself to say “goodbye,” you’ll have to settle for “see you soon.”

With all our love and thanks,

Angie and Jess

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Would you join us today in the comments to show some love & gratitude to Angie and Jess for all they’ve done to bring new friends and great books together over the last few years? We’d love to hear your favorite Bloom memories, funny stories, or about the book study that you loved most — whether you’ve joined us from the beginning or have only been with us for one study!

We’re very excited for the vision God has given us for our next book study in the fall, and we can’t wait to share it with you! If you’re not already signed up to receive daily emails from (in)courage, make sure you do that today so you don’t miss any of the announcements!

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