By: Madison Imber
I first connected with the Verhoeff’s in the late summer of 2023. They had been at this whole spelling thing for 2 years already, but just hadn’t found the right practitioner that “clicked” for them. Lucky for me, we clicked right away. Luke’s mother, Sandra, is a dynamo. Her passion was palpable, even through a screen. She was so ready to do whatever was needed to unlock her wonderful son who she KNEW was in there, ready to come out.
We arranged for me to travel from Calgary to Kamloops for 6 hours of sessions over 3 days. I came with my stack of lessons, ready to follow whatever Luke showed interest in. Little did we realize, there would be very little “book learning” going on that week. Anytime I meet a new student, I come in with some anxious anticipation, but Luke’s presence was immediately calming. Luke has such a gentle spirit & I felt it before we were even open ended. So session one we start out with a lesson, and within 20 mins Luke is spelling open-ended and is ready to scrap our lesson. I’m sitting there starstruck, in total amazement of the young man beside me. And so we talked, and talked, and talked. We spent the better part of 6 hours talking that week. Getting to know the amazing man that is Luke. I am so honored to have been privy to Luke’s great awakening. I watched as a mother and son deepened their bond and understanding of one another. I watched two brothers reach for each other & connect more meaningfully than they ever had before. I watched as a father got to know his son, like really know his son for the first time. Words don’t quite conceptualize the connections made that week.
I’ve been lucky enough to have the Verhoeff’s travel to Calgary twice since “the great awakening” in September. Both of these trips deserve a post of their own. I am so blessed to have crossed paths with the Verhoeff’s and know great things will continue into 2024.