UPDATE: The votes are in, and we officially have the winner of our Inspiring Family Giveaway – a HUGE congratulations goes out to the Bisant family for winning our $2,500 portrait package! We’ll be in touch soon to schedule your session. Thanks to everyone for being such a wonderful part of this project!
We can’t decide…
We have been knocked flat every single day for the past two weeks with the sheer amount of submissions that we’ve received from you – our wonderful readers – for inspiring families that should win a $2,500 portrait package with us. But not only has the number of submissions been unreal, but the quality of the submissions too! There are so many families out there with jaw-dropping stories, incredible hearts, and loving souls that have impacted the world around them, and its been a gut wrenching process trying to pick the ONE to photograph…
So we’ve decided that we’re not going to decide… but YOU are going to help us!
We’ve narrowed down the entries to THREE inspiring families, and we need you to vote for the family that you would like to win our $2,500 portrait package!
[polldaddy poll=7928788]
The Holmstrom Family
On Wednesday, February 19th, the Holmstrom Family experienced the most breathtaking moment of their lives. Sarah and Eric and their little boy, Charlie, joyfully welcomed adorable baby Brinley into their world. After an excruciating labor, Sarah could feel her heart grow and make room for this beautiful little one. Sarah squeezed her husband’s hand and whispered, “I have never been happier.”
And then Brinley started to sniffle. She stopped nursing. Visiting the doctor, they found out that baby Brinley had a heart murmur, but worse, that her oxygen levels were dangerously low. The doctors found Brinley had RSV – a virus that can be deadly to newborns – as well as bronchitis. That night, Brinley’s fever spiked, and Sarah was told that she could not hold or nurse her baby. She didn’t eat all night, she just whimpered and Sarah sobbed, unable to do anything for her daughter.
The next day was nothing short of terrifying and devastating. Brinley had four different heart problems, and would need open-heart surgery. In a letter to her daughter, Sarah shares how her heart broke for Brinley. “I love you so much, my daughter,” Sarah writes. “If only there was a way that I could take this from you, I would do it in a heartbeat. I would give anything in the world to make you all better. I have no idea why this is happening, but I do know that you are blessed, loved, and so very special. I am so grateful to be your mommy. I love you always. Mom”
In May, baby Brinley will be old enough to have her surgery. And in the meantime, the Holmstroms have transformed their grief into prayer, faith, and celebration. They find miracles in every day, from the sweet moments shared by Brinley and her brother, Charlie, to a stunning smile from Brinley captured on camera. You can read more about the Holmstrom’s story on Sarah’s blog, which asks the question, How Is Your Heart?
The Bisant Family
Joe and Jamie Bisant are wonderful parents, and they have an incredible story of perseverance, trust, and faith. Joe and Jamie are blessed with two wonderful daughters and live in beautiful Point Loma. However, they have faced many heavy hardships.
Their oldest daughter, Dakota who is four, has autism. They have had to fight for her in so many ways in order to get her the quality time, therapy, and loving attention she deserves to make strides towards learning and development. They fight so hard for her, with a fierce love and determination.
But in addition, Jamie experienced two painful miscarriages in a row this past year. This left Jamie and Joe shocked and terrified, as they questioned why they were not able to conceive after having two daughters without any difficulty. After seeing a few doctors with no answer, they eventually got pregnant again. Jamie has had a pretty easy pregnancy up until recently. They found out at their 20 week ultrasound that their next baby was going to have Downs Syndrome.
With all they have gone through with Dakota — the miscarriages and various other trials — this came as a scary surprise. But as they process through their emotions and all that their firstborn son will go through, they show strength, faith, hope, and love with every word and step.
The Kessler Family
Everyone deserves a home. Everyone deserves to feel safe, and to have a family that loves and supports them.
And so, over the last few years, Ryan and Wendy Kessler (and their three boys: Corey, Jordan, and Riley) have joyfully welcomed dozens of young adults and college students into their family. They offer mentorship, support, unconditional love, and, maybe most importantly, delicious food. Their kitchen is usually overflowing with people, and filled with the mouth-watering scents of freshly-chopped vegetables, simmering soups, and tasty treats baking in the oven to share.
On Monday nights, Wendy Kessler hosts a women’s get-together of about 25 people. They read, share, cook, and live life together. On Thursdays the Kesslers host the young men – a group of about dozen rowdy guys, including college students, young professionals, and a couple of the Kessler’s best friends from their own college days. They chat about life, play games with the boys in the backyard, do laundry, watch Seinfeld… and they eat like kings.
The relationships that have formed on these nights are something truly special. There is a rich sense of family that goes deeper than seeing the same people one night a week for food. You become one of Ryan and Wendy’s kids. You get pulled into the family without even realizing it. Generosity comes as naturally to them as breathing, and they never expect anything in return.
The thing that sets the Kessler Family apart – the thing that makes them extraordinary – is love. They live lives of extravagant, deliberate, expressive, unconditional love to everyone they encounter. And in doing that, they change dozens and dozens of lives every week.
~~~
Now it’s time to vote for the family that you’d like to see win our $2,500 portrait package! Thanks for helping us give back to an inspiring family!
