Toni Rypkema is our mother’s name and she bravely battled breast cancer for many years before passing away in the Spring of 2024. During her life, she was quite accomplished and unique mostly in the way she touched the hearts and lives of the people around her. Our personal artwork has taken on many different forms, but everyone in our family can attribute our creative freedoms to her free spirit and her desire for free expression in music and art.

She was a musician from her childhood which was a driving force throughout her life. She also loved to write. Mainly she wrote about Jesus.

A few years ago she began to dream about incorporating all of her passions into one book. A book that would have families listening to and singing along with songs she wrote. A book that would have messages from her favorite book, the Bible, written in simple terms that even young children could understand. And lastly, a book that would allow kids to “do something with their hands” as she would always say.

It was our joy and pleasure as her legacy to ensure that this book was completed. With the help of our brother and a publishing company she had worked with for years, this book was published shortly after she died. The words are all very special to us as they are the same ones she would read to us, sing to us, and speak over our lives from the day we were born. Her life goals were not to raise her 11 children to be successful by superficial standards, to build wealth for herself, publish a book of her own, or have her music professionally recorded. Ultimately she wanted everyone who knew her to know, that Jesus loves them, yesterday, today, and forever. We hope you will read her words, color these pages, sing along with her songs, and that combined they will bring joy to you and your family.