Dying to Live, A Memoir: Choosing to Thrive After Trauma and Abuse

by Kimberly Lees

The book connects the reader's heart and soul into the world of a young girl born into the throws of tragedy, but she miraculously survives. The threads woven throughout the chapters share intimate details of her life's challenges of domestic violence, the shame from rape, and two traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) suffered as an outcome of severe car accidents. In a maze of grace, she discovers how bondage, pain and suffering helped shape and refine her mindset in battling her greatest achievement in life...freedom to aspire to the woman she was meant to be.

While walking into the fire of darkness, she was lost and alone in a mind of her own. She realized the only person who could save her from a broken, shattered soul was herself. The God spark within her, was a flicker in the night, so she dug down deep to let her light shine bright.

The resiliency of the human spirit became her crown of jewels that lit a path so sacred for her self-love to shimmer through. How she walked through the fire was just as important as how she walked out of it. A more brilliant, courageous, wise, and forgiving soul with feathers in her hair, stardust on her face, and the cosmos as her cape. Her super power was God's light force from within and her voice would never be silenced ever again.

She blazes a trail as an advocate of light for those who walk in her shadows to bring healing and recovery, courage, and choices for positivity and light for living a life of glow. Redemption and transformation take perseverance, commitment, and hard work, but the rewards of walking in the light far surpass anything she leaves behind.

Choosing to live in the magic zone is choosing a life of possibilities where you become whatever your imagination envisions for you. Whatever you believe you want in life are wishes fulfilled. It is where the extraordinary becomes possible. You are pure magic and can make dreams come true...if only you believe in you.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

285 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 29, 2021

About the author

The sovereignty within us is the resiliency of the human spirit. This was my greatest escape from bondage to freedom to love myself first. My resiliency anchored me to rise into a mindset of worthiness, whereby my divine spirit was free to love again. Loving myself first is the God spark from within that carries the light force to shine and overflow with love far greater than what someone else could offer me. It also gives others permission to do the same.

When I learned to love myself first, I realized I was enough. I was worthy to open my heart to receive the divine and spiritual love I wanted and deserved. Self-love manifests an inner transformation that heals the deepest scars, fears, shame, and guilt inflicted by our past and keeps us stuck from moving forward. The gift of self-love shines a light into darkness, releasing the bondage of one's past so we can live joyously in the present. It is a divine spiritual revelation. Happiness, after all, is an inside job.

My doctoral education earned me honors as a member of Phi Delta Kappa with a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Northern Colorado. My Master's degree in Educational Psychology, with a focus in Addictions and Counseling from the University of Arizona, offers me opportunities to assist in guiding those who seek positivity, change, and transitions to a restorative place of healing, insight, and harmony. The American Psychological Association has honored me with an active membership. My Bachelor's degree in Health Education/Secondary continues to be used as a nutritional platform for healing and recovery in trauma and abuse.

I invite you to visit my website, letyourlightshineon.org to find gentle guidance, pragmatic strategies, and global resources for healing and recovery. Namaste'.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dying to Live

This was an interesting book. Each chapter was well written. Unfortunately, the first half of the book was very chaotic. The chapters were in no chronological order whatsoever. It went from before the accident to 9 months after to immediately after and so forth. Possibly this was intentional to create a feeling of chaos such as the author felt but it was maddening to read by someone who has not experienced trauma or tbi but is trying to help others who have such experiences. The second half of the book flowed better but I almost quit reading before I got to that part. Thank you for sharing your experiences as well as your hope.

[Anne]

I found myself skimming and in a rare move for me decided to be done without finishing. Just not a book that held my attention.