Charlene VandenBrink

Charlene strings together soulful words for life’s beauty and struggles.

When not feeding her six children with good books and endless meals, she can be found walking and talking with neighbours, folding laundry while listening to a podcast, or reading and reflecting from her latest stack of books for seminary!

With a background in education, she recently added a part-time role as a home education facilitator and loves visiting with and encouraging families.

Charlene cheers on her husband, who has owned and operated Delize Inc., a general contracting company, for 17 years and counting.

They welcomed six children in eight years and are living the dream of growing, learning, and traveling through life together!

Even if it is just a whisper,

Your voice,

Your story,

Your life matters!

I’m listening.

You are not alone.

I would love to hear from you!

 

Travel Together on Instagram

We are midsummer. The sun is high, the songbirds sing, and the calendar is about to say goodbye to July. In these slower, sun-soaked weeks, before we head out on a longer trip, I’ve been reflecting on nourishment. Nourishing the relationships
Our first camping trip of the season wasn't a 10/10 (though surprisingly, some kids gave it an 8), as we weathered rainy days and swarms of mayflies on our hikes... But we built fires, played games, whittled, read, and browsed shops, and my mom stay
A missed call read “OJ Zerbin” on my phone recently and I froze. What I would give for one heavenly phone call with that comforting, reassuring voice! Somehow my contacts were synching with my husband’s and an old contact for my
What a wonderful weekend with our 2025 Easter "babies" and our neighbours, church family and extended families celebrating Jesus 💜
This afternoon, I was lying on my dad's grave, staring up at the white clouds and letting more tears fall as I thought about the events surrounding his death and the three years that have passed without him. As I sat up, my eyes were drawn to the ba
Thank you for all angles of birthday love yesterday ❣️ I returned from Mexico in the middle of the night to kick off my birthday with a spotless house -- and roses and a card on the island and this corner bookshelf Benj built for my seminary books t
The sun is setting on my last day of being 40 and last day in Puerta Vallarta paradise. ⛱️ ☀️ 🌊 🌴 🌅 My mom and I had a wonderful week making memories together: -delicious 5-star meals & drinks, -nightly musical entertainment, -a fun white pa
Birthday love 💜 #70 💜 #15 💜 Thank you to everyone who came & showered our momma with love. This morning Annelise gets her birthday brunch!