Hasenbalgs and Chapmans sharing in each other's sorrows

I was just over at Kerry Hasenbalg's blog and was reminded that only a short time ago she and Scott lost their precious preborn daughter Isabella Grace. Not that I haven't been praying for them still, but the fresh pain of Maria kind of put them to the side temporarily.

Kerry was visited by Mary Beth Chapman in her time of raw sorrow and pain. Kerry recently returned that grace.

Go there and read about it. Fresh tears and new joy!

Rainbows...
God remembers and is to be praised!

She says it better than I can

I've been trying to come up with ways to express my grief and give some kind of testimony to what the Chapman family mean to me.

I'm just not able to give it my best right now...

I've spent quite a bit of time over at my good friend Kelby's site that she has created over the years as Steven Curtis Chapman's #1 fan (and I really think she is!). She has compiled quite a memorial and testimony over there and I want to link you there so you can read it and use it to help you mourn and pray and celebrate Maria.

Here's the link:
Songtailor

Please, please, please pray for Will Franklin!! The Lord is surely walking closely with this wonderful young man. I pray that he will be able to resist the attempts of the evil one to magnify his grief and cause him harm as Will tries to find the Lord in this tragedy.

Take off your shoes and walk with me on Holy Ground as you celebrate the short life of Maria. According to reports from the Chapmans, Maria did make a decision to trust Jesus as Lord and Savior in the months prior to her untimely death. So she is most assuredly at the feet of her Savior, singing, dancing and laughing with Him.

I know there are a couple of typos, but I found this scrolling lyric thing and wanted to post this song. I'm looking for the music code if anyone knows where to get it...



Steven Curtis Chapman Lyrics
Maria Lyrics

Nothing I Can Do But Pray

I've been out of sorts all day. Kind of walking around in a fog. I can really feel for the Chapmans. I have kids that are exactly the age of his that were involved in this accident.

They have set up a special site In Memory of Maria where folks can go for updates and to leave condolences. As of 4:30 this afternoon, close to 7000 comments have been left. I imagine this will continue to happen for some time into the near future. Steven Curtis Chapman and his family have touched and ministered to millions all over the world and many will want to return the love in some small way if they can.















If anyone would like to honor little Maria they can contribute to Shaohannah's Hope in her memory. I plan to be on that list. I've supported this great organization for many years and can attest to the great work that they do to facilitate adoption and orphan care.

So Glad They Loved Maria...

Photo credit: Tucker Photography, Inc.

Tragedy!

As I sit and type this, I am praying for the family... especially which ever of the boys that was driving. I can't even imagine being in their shoes right now.
Please join me in praying for them.


From SCC's website:














(Left to right Will Franklin, Maria, Steven, Shaoey, Mary Beth, Stevey Joy, Caleb and Emily) Photo credit: Tucker Photography, Inc.




MARIA SUE CHAPMAN, DAUGHTER OF STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN, DIES IN ACCIDENT AT FAMILY HOME

NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Thursday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles.

Softball and baseball!

My daughter's team was eliminated in the first round of the state championship yesterday. Still... it was a great year and they played really well except for a few errors that were the difference in the game.
They had been ranked in the top 5 for most of the year.

Next year looks to be just as good a team. They are only losing a couple of players and will keep their very strong pitcher and catcher and most of the infield.

My daughter didn't get much playing time this year, but it was her first year on varsity. They have said she will most likely start next year.


My son's team just missed getting to the state championship tournament by one game. They were a strong team this year as well. Losing only one senior, so the future looks good for them next year as well.

The year is flying by!

Hard to believe it's already the 14th of May!

Emily, I wish we could arrange to go the whole way to the left coast! I'd love to meet you in person. If I could take the time (and afford the fuel) I think that would make a great vacation. I've always wanted to tour the whole country.

So... speaking of fuel. The cost of a gallon has increased another $.15 this week. At this rate, the gas companies will definitely reach the predicted $4 per gallon by the start of summer. The goal was put before them by suggestive media and they are doing their best to make those prognosticators right. Sure would like to see this same media make them go the other way!


For every dime the cost of fuel goes up, our trip will cost us another $36. So far, we're looking at over $100 in the last couple of weeks. Guess all this overtime is a good thing.

I'm looking forward to getting away for a couple of weeks. We'll be visiting family and just slowing down a bit for a few days. No baseball or softball games. No school or work. I'm not looking forward to the drive time too much, but maybe I'll be able to get in some quality conversation with my wife and kids. That or catch up on my sleep while someone else drives a bit.

One month from tomorrow...

More Overtime!

I just picked up two more nights! WOOHOO!
Looks like we'll be able to take that trip to Minnesota after all.

With current gas prices, it was going to be cost prohibitive to make the trip, but now that I've gotten the extra overtime, not so much. Still, it will probably cost us close to $1400 just in fuel!

It's been quite a few years since we made the trip last. The kids barely remember it, but what they do remember is positive, so I'm hoping that will get them through close to 30 hours of drive time each way.

Obviously I haven't been here much as of late. For some reason, I've been pretty much offline except for very short excursions to a few sites. I miss my online friends. Funny how life takes turns and we get involved in other things. I wonder if John will ever stop in and say hi?

Baseball/Softball season is at full speed. I've only got three kids playing, but that still amounts to 3-5 nights out. The kids are enjoying it, though.

I've got a few kids that are struggling academically this year. Most of the struggle is due to them being lazy and not wanting to do the work. Very frustrating for me and their Mom. Not much time left to get the grades up. Hopefully I'll be able to adequately motivate them so they can finish strong and not have to take summer school.

I've been informed by my doctor that I need to cut out as many carbs from my diet as possible. This is to get my cholesterol under better control. Actually my problem is triglycerides. I've been taken off all my meds except for thyroid. My doc is hoping the low carbs and increased exercise will do the trick. I sure hope so. I'm glad to be off the meds. They were kind of expensive. I weighed myself a few weeks ago and weighed the most ever in my life. Kind of scary! I knew I had gained because my back hurt whenever I walked much. This week I got on the scale again and I'm down 7 pounds. I'm already noticing the difference in my back. 40 more to go and I'll be at a decent weight to manage. I'll take it slow, but am hoping it falls off quickly!

Thats enough for now. I'll try to update more often.