Maria Chapman

What a beautiful family. My heart literally explodes in black, foul grief when I think of the little face that won't be in the next family picture that Steven Curtis Chapman and his family take. The little girl sitting in his lap, Maria, just turned 5 years old less than 10 days ago. And now she is gone.

HOWEVER! Victory over the grave is still given to those with the name of Jesus on their lips. Praise our Almighty God for this provision that makes times like these not crush us with their pain and magnitude.

If you click on the title of this blog, you will be redirected to SCC's website that gives information. But the best part of this site is the page where you get to "meet" Maria. What a darling little girl! I have several friends who have adopted "China girls," as they have decided to be called. I wonder about Maria's birthmother, what she went through as she went through her pregnancy and delivery, and finally the last time she laid eyes on her beautiful baby girl. One of my friends whose daughter is Chinese said that there are "drop off stations," unofficial places where the orphanages know to check constantly where moms leave these babies. We won't even talk here about orphanages. How amazing is it, though, in God's plan, that He chose for this little girl to not fall through the cracks of a governmental system, but to end up in America with a family that loved and cherished her! Think, again, how many women in our own country have children that they never wanted to begin with, have many kids they treat terribly, and then those whose arms ache for children but can't even conceive one.

I wonder what went through SCC and his wife's minds as they held her for the first time, all of the "firsts" that come and go so quickly that we barely get them documented in their baby books before high school graduation. I wonder what each of their other kids thought as Maria became one of the family and what their dearest memories will be of her.

And even though I've been through deep personal loss, I do wonder what raw emotions they are going through right now. Just because one person has lost a spouse, parent, child, etc., doesn't mean that they have the FOGGIEST idea of what another person experiences in crisis. Just in case you're ever wondering what to say in moments like that, let me tell you that less is more. Just a physical presence, and even silence, can be more comforting than a well-chosen thought or Bible verse.

I can't think of any better way to end this blog than in SCC's words in the song, "Cinderella." I think of how close Lil' G and T. were and how R. fits into the future picture every time I hear this song. I also remind myself to live in the moment more with my children.

I give you, "Cinderella."