I am a bereaved yet blessed wife, mother, amateur writer, and the publisher of a family magazine and movement. With three daughters, two here and one in Heaven, my husband, Sybrand, and I have been married since 1999, calling Windhoek, Namibia, our home. Our journey as grieving parents has been both challenging and rewarding, a blessed burden that has inspired me to share our experiences and invite others to do the same.
The details of that early morning on July 2, 2017, are imprinted deep in my mind. Before that, life was full speed, busy, and filled with hopes and dreams. Losing our daughter Lumé has been a profound and heart-wrenching experience.
Lumé's unexpected passing on that Sunday morning, shattered our world, leaving us with countless questions and indescribable pain. It felt like someone had ripped our hearts out and left us with raw, dangling threads. No warnings, no time, no goodbye or holding her while it was her last breath. The familiar words from physicians, "We did everything we could, but..." have never brought understanding. We lost Lumé to acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by staphylococcus aureus in her lungs, a sudden and devastating loss that left us grappling with grief and searching for answers.
Our family dynamic has undergone a profound shift, and the weeks following Lumé's passing were filled with extreme pain and sorrow. Yet, amidst the grief, we found purpose in books of similar stories, my profound experience in hospital of her going home moment and all the symbols and signs receiving from people and the Bible. If you allow yourself to be open and still, you will hear God’s whispers.
We refuse to let this pain go to waste; instead, we honor Lumé's name through our story and her incredible love for life. Through that first months of being in despair the concept of Legacy of Love was born. Our logo, designed with Lumé's own handwriting, serves as a reminder of her enduring spirit and the love that she brought into our lives. We used this platform to share our family’s story, inspire, heal, and comfort other parents in similar situations. Legacy of Love is more than just a website or a blog – it's a testament to Lumé's incredible love for life and her enduring legacy. Today the projects and events that grew from this platform is spreading the message of having faith, understanding hope, and giving love.
Indeed Lumé left a legacy of love for us to continue in every possible way.
Although our perspective on life changed entirely, we are still here and have a chance to influence and make a difference. It is an extremely emotional and difficult road, but God’s grace doesn’t just save us and then leave us to fend for ourselves this side of heaven. His grace fully and satisfyingly sustains us, even in the depths of loss. You and I are not alone in the cavernous ache of loss. God sustains us through the pain and comforts us with His presence in very practical ways and in very personal details. I could count hundreds of ways that God has lifted my head, given hope, guided decisions, straightened out my thinking, restored emotions, provided our need, blessed us, loved us.
