Last week I had the priviledge of meeting up with the Ver Beek family at the Herman Miller Design Yard where Dustin works. I have to say, I was very honored to take photos of this incredible family. This family is very dear to my heart and I’ve prayed a lot for them over the past few years.
I met Dustin and Lindy back in 2006, when I started working at their baby boutique. Back then they had sweet Brooklyn. In the fall of 2008, after a very difficult pregnancy and scary delivery, they welcomed two adorable twins, Max and Samantha. In the spring of 2009, they decided to close the store. It all happened very quickly and I never had a chance to meet their sweet twins. We had planned to all meet up once the store had closed when they found out Lindy had breast cancer. My heart went out to them, but I had hope that Lindy would beat it. I checked Lindy’s blog and Dustin’s blog every day for news and direction on how to pray for them. I felt very helpless. I wanted to fix it.
In 2011, I came down with a strange sickness and I remember emailing Lindy. Even during her own struggle, she encouraged me to ‘keep holding on.’ Sadly, Lindy passed away on September 14, 2012. She was such an inspiration and a fighter to the very end. I was so happy to have known her and this amazing family. They have influenced me and many others more than they will ever know by sharing their story. Since then I’ve continued to pray for this family to find joy again. Life will never be the same, but I saw that God is blessing them with new beginnings. Dustin’s new girlfriend, Amy, joined us and it was so nice meeting her and I was happy to see them all smiling and enjoying life.
Thank you Dustin for allowing me to photograph your beautiful family. It was so great seeing you all and finally meeting the twins! God bless you!