A song for Maria Sue
By glblguy
On Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 year old daughter of Christian singer and song-writer Stephen Curtis Chapman and Mary Beth was killed in a tragic accident at their home in Franklin, TN. Maria Sue was one of 3 daughters the Chapmans adopted from China. Making the event even more tragic, police reports say that she was accidentally struck by one of her teenage brothers in the Chapman’s driveway. Several children were playing, and he didn’t see Maria in the driveway. Maria was laid to rest yesterday at 11:00am.
As a long time fan of Stephen, my heart goes out to the family. If you have ever spent anytime listening to Steven’s songs, reading about him, or listening to interviews with him, one theme that is always clear is the importance of his family and his children in his life. You can read the official press release on his website along with information about where to give gifts/donations in Maria’s honor.
Please keep the Chapman family, and in particular their teenage son, in your thoughts and prayers. Update: Here is a video my wife found, recorded by Stephen, of him and Maria washing dishes one evening.
In honor of Maria, today’s Sunday lyrics post will be a re-post of the song Cinderella, written by Steven for his 3 little adopted girls. You can listen to Cinderella courtesy of the YouTube video.
She spins and she sways
To whatever song plays
Without a care in the world
And I’m sitting here wearing
The weight of the world on my shoulders
It’s been a long day
And there’s still work to do
She’s pulling at me
Saying “Dad, I need you
There’s a ball at the castle
And I’ve been invited
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?”
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t want to miss even one song
‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone…
She says he’s a nice guy and I’d be impressed
She wants to know if I approve of the dress
She says, “Dad, the prom is just one week away
And I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?”
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t want to miss even one song
‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone
She will be gone
Well, she came home today with a ring on her hand
Just glowing and telling us all they had planned
She says, “Dad, the wedding’s still six months away
But I need to practice my dancing
Oh, please, Daddy, please?”
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
‘Cause I know something the prince never knew
Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don’t want to miss even one song
‘Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she’ll be gone
May 25th, 2008 at 9:53 am
I know. It’s just too, too sad. There are no appropriate words. My heart goes out to them.
May 25th, 2008 at 10:01 am
My prayers are with them, I cannot imagine the grief their son will carry with him……
May 25th, 2008 at 10:15 am
They have been in my prayers all week. I cannot imagine the grief they must feel right now. :(
May 25th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
I was just heartbroken to hear of this tragedy, and the entire Chapman family is in our thoughts and prayers. As a parent I don’t know how one could ever get over something like this, but I pray that in time God will comfort them and that He will help us all learn from this tragedy.
May 25th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
@Kim, I think of that too. But I hope he knows and they’ve told him that no matter how his parents are feeling right now, the last thing they’d want is to lose him too.
May 25th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Yes, my heart hurt when I heard this on my local Christian radio station. I was in shock. My heart and prayers go out to the whole family.
May 25th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
My two young daughters and I love this song. It brought tears to my eyes before. . . now. . .it is just too much.