The recent hit by Christian singer-songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman was about embracing every moment of life with his daughter.

The refrain goes:
So I will dance with Cinderella
While she is here in my arms
'Cause I know something the prince never knew
Ohh-oh ohh-oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't wanna miss even one song,
Cuz all to soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone
She will be gone.

It's beautiful, haunting, and oh, heart-breakingly true. We can cling to the moments, but we can't stop time. Sadly, Steven and Mary Beth's youngest daughter was gone from sight much sooner than anyone could have predicted.

Maria Sue Chapman (2003-2008)
Maria Sue Chapman, adopted and youngest daughter to Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman, was killed Wednesday night in a tragic accident in the family driveway on Wednesday evening. She was LifeFlighted to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital but for only reasons God can explain she went home to Him... not to Franklin as we all so desperately wanted.

Your prayers are needed for all in the Chapman family. This is a family who has so generously loved and given to so many. Just hours before this close knit family was celebrating the engagement of the oldest daughter Emily Chapman, and were just hours away from a graduation party marking Caleb Chapman's completion of high school. Now, they are preparing to bury a child who blew out 5 candles on a birthday cake less than 10 days ago. These words are unthinkable to type. And yet we trust in a God who was not surprised by this and because of Jesus I am certain through faith in Him we will see Maria again. - Jim Houser (Manager)

Oh Lord, I just don't understand. I pray for the family every time I hear the song on the radio, and invite you to do the same. How could this be God's "A" Plan? Was a mistake made? Am I missing something?

Yes, I am. I still believe the lie that death is the enemy, not the reward. Scripture assures me that leaving this planet is the beginning, for believers, not the end. I remain confused. Yet I'm encouraged by another promise from the King I found while studying today. Jesus said at the Last Supper, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." (John 13:7).

Later I will understand? I'm counting on that, Lord, I'm counting on that....

As Seen in the June 2008 Bella Magazine

I met my husband, Dave, on a plane. I was sitting in his seat but instead of telling me to beat it, he said, “Are you sitting there?” That suave pick-up-line has lived in infamy. Over time he said, “You’re in my seat, you know.” I told him that was impossible since I don’t make mistakes. Famous last words. Comparing our boarding passes showed that he was actually correct. I had indeed made a mistake…my first. I still maintain that the seat numbers were askew and there was nothing I could have done. (Blurred vision due to free margarita bar the night before perhaps contributed to this first error.)

A week later, Dave drove from his home in Annapolis, Maryland to my shabby rental in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to take me out to lunch. From this I concluded that he was very hungry for a cheese steak or he actually liked me. Later that same day he asked me The Question: “How many children would you like to have?”

Note, it was not “Do you want to have kids?” but “How many?“ I figured it out. He was looking for a breeder. A staunch feminist, I still went out with him again. What the heck, he was cute...and he drove 120 miles to see me. We met at Thanksgiving, got engaged that St. Patrick’s Day, and married just after Labor Day. His biological clock was ticking and we didn’t have any time to waste.

Dave was one of those guys who always knew he wanted to have kids. It’s simply took him a few year to find the perfect person to have them with. He waited 36 years to meet me. (The year he enlisted in the Air Force, I enlisted in 4th grade.) Due to advanced paternal age, we started our family as soon as was decent.

A natural father, Dave has always been a master of rough-housing, funny voices and “sure, you can stay up later.” Not a big one for rules, he’s long on fun. We had our three sons in our first two years of marriage. Big brother Alex was joined by twins Danny and Trevor and that got the party started. By then Dave and I really knew each other…for better or for worse.

I was a severely Type A mom who alphabetized my spices, kept a freezer inventory, and labeled all the toy bins. Race cars, Duplos and plastic dinosaurs each had their own bin. My kids could not open a toy bin without my permission. I refused to allow co-mingling of toys. Back then, I didn’t realize that Dave was one of the boys…and that he had every ability to open the bins.

The first time I left him alone with the 3 boys, I came home to a huge mountain of toys. Dave had opened ALL the bins! And dumped them out in the middle of the room! When I started crying, he said, “We’ll pick them up.” He went into the garage, got a snow shovel, and proceeded to scoop the co-mingled toys back into the bins.

I wondered if perhaps we should have dated a wee bit longer before starting a family together.

I am a planner. Dave is spontaneous. I am an organizer. Dave is relaxed. I am a driver. Dave is a napper.

I thank God for Dave. If it weren’t for Dave…our kids wouldn’t have had any fun at all!

Now that we have a houseful of teens, they thank God for their dad, too. If it were up to me, I’d still be choosing their clothes, brushing their teeth and reading them bedtime stories. Dad is the one who takes them white water rafting and skiing on Black Diamond slopes. Dad lets them stay up until all hours watching TV. He snuck the first game system into the house and got them cell phones when they turned 12. In short, he’s the cool one.

But he’s not just fun and games. No, Dad teaches them to finish what they’ve started. He’s modeled devotion to our family and faith in God. Most of all, Dad helps them with math homework.

Where would we be without Dad? So Happy Father’s Day, you crazy dude. I’m thankful to U.S. Air for bringing us together. I appreciate your humor and the fact that you’ve helped me to loosen up. I know the kids appreciate it, too. To celebrate your big day, go ahead and take a nice nap. We’ll wake you up when it’s time to grill.


Martie and Dave Byrd had 5 kids in 6 years. Now that the kids are all teens, they wonder what on earth they were thinking! Martie is a freelance writer and speaker who lives in Roanoke. To contact her, visit martiebyrd.com.