Still Remembering The Chapman Family

It has been a month since the Chapman family lost their daughter. I actually started this post the week that she died but never posted it. I decided I was going to wait as lots of emails and blog post about the Chapman's were going around 4 weeks ago. Why did I decided to wait you may ask - because even though the "shock" maybe over for everyone on the outside, this family is still dealing with the loss. They will be dealing with it the rest of their lives - not having their precious little Maria with them. It seems that we all get back into our day to day lives and may not think that someones life has been changed forever. After the death of a child you find a new "normal" life. Life will be different. Many people have heard me say that I have made it this far in my grieving process only by the grace of God. Please remember this family in your prayers as the loss of a child is a very difficult journey that they will be traveling the rest of their lives. He has some wonderful songs....here is the link to a song that he had written about his daughters....the name of the song is Cinderella. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLYxtuC0oRk, first is the video and then he talks about how he decided to write this song.

After hearing about this tragedy I asked Hubby if he had heard about it and mentioned to him how we had used a Steven Curtis Chapman (SCC) song in our wedding and another SCC song at Kate's funeral.

Since Kate's death I have often thought of the song from our wedding, "I Will Be Here". This song was sang as we lit the unity candle....

Tomorrow morning if you wake
up and the sun does not appear
I will be here
If in the dark, we lose sight of love
Hold my hand, and have no fear
'Cause I will be here
I will be here
When you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen
And I will be here
When the laughter turns to cryin'
Through the winning, losing and trying
We'll be together
I will be here
Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the future is unclear
I will be here
Just as sure as seasons were made for change
Our lifetimes were made for these years
So I will be here
I will be here
And you can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we're older
I will hold you
And I will be here
To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here
I will be true to the promise I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me
Tomorrow morning, if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I will be here
Oh, I will be here

In the past 2 1/2 years especially, so much of that song has come true for us....he has been there so much for me....the days that the sun do not shine for me.....he has been there......when the laughter turned to crying....he has been there....when the future has seemed so unclear.....he has been there.....we have definitley seen many seasons in our life, and he has been there.

Almost 4 years after that song was sung at our wedding another SCC song was sang at Kate's funeral. This time the song was "With Hope". Below are the lyrics to that song.

This is not at all how

We thought it was supposed to be

We had so many plans for you

We had so many dreams

And now you've gone away

And left us with the memories of your smile

And nothing we can say

And nothing we can do

Can take away the pain

The pain of losing you, but ...
We can cry with hope

We can say goodbye with hope

'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no

And we can grieve with hope

'Cause we believe with hope

(There's a place by God's grace)

There's a place where we'll see your face again

We'll see your face again

And never have I known

Anything so hard to understand

And never have I questioned more

The wisdom of God's plan

But through the cloud of tears

I see the Father's smile and say well done

And I imagine you

Where you wanted most to be

Seeing all your dreams come true

'Cause now you're home

And now you're free, and ...
We have this hope as an anchor

'Cause we believe that everything

God promised us is true, so ...
We wait with hope

And we ache with hope

We hold on with hope

We let go with hope

So, as you can see these songs are about "REAL" life.