heart to receive it. I hope this book is your reminder of that today, right now.
God moments
Shaoey, Stevey Joy,
Steven, and Maria
spins and sways
She spins and
she sways
to whatever
song plays
without a care
in the world
And Iâm sitting here wearing
the weight of the world
on my shoulders
Look at me Daddy !
Bedtime rituals
At bedtime,when I walk into her room, I always
feel a little awed, like Iâm walking on sacred ground.
Everything is so small and delicate, including
the princess whoâs climbing under the covers. Ever
since she was a baby, sheâs had me mesmerized .
One thing is for sure: her sweetly spoken
â Goodnight, Daddy â is the very best part of my day.
Little-girl giggles
Itâs been a long day and
thereâs still work to do
Sheâs pulling at me saying,
âDad, I need youâ
Thereâs a ball at the castle
and Iâve been invited
and I need to practice my dancing
Oh please, Daddy, please
Kids: they dance before they learn
âthere is anything that isnât music. â
âWilliam Stafford
Sheâs standing in the kitchen in her princess
outfit, looking very much the part.
The barefoot princess twirls, her feet make tiny slaps
against the tile, and she laughs as her skirt
billows and falls. This is her favorite afternoon activity,
and youâre her number one fan.
her dad's
favorite girl
It doesnât matter that her crown is lopsided
or that her dress has a chocolate milk stain.
It doesnât matter that the post office closes in an
hour; the tax forms can wait a few more minutes.
All that matters is that right now â in a moment
that will last in her heart foreverâshe is
her dadâs favorite girl, the center of his world.
dance with Cinderella
So I will dance with Cinderella
while she is here in my arms
âcause I know something
the prince never knew
in my arms
all to soon
Oh I will dance with Cinderella
I donât want to miss even one song
âcause all too soon the clock
will strike midnight
and sheâll be gone
she'll be gone
teach me daddy !
Sometimes the best memories arenât plannedâ
a skip in the rain
a kiss to heal teddyâs torn paw
a hug âjust because.â
These spontaneous moments make
a permanent place in our hearts.
this song touched my life
I attended my first Christian concert years ago at Samford University in Birmingham, and that was when I first saw Steven Curtis Chapman. Here was this very young, very energetic singer-songwriter that blew me away. Since then, he has continued to impress me with his ability to evolve and stay relevant not just in the sound of his music but in the message.
As his ministry expanded to include Shaohannahâs Hope and his three personal international adoptions, he really did become my hero. He and Mary Beth became an inspiration to my wife and me as we adopted our two children. We adopted our son, Eli, domestically, and the three of us traveled to China to adopt our youngest, Naomi, when Eli was just three years old. We are so very thankful for all that Steven continues to do to make people more aware of the process of adoption.
Obviously, I have been a big fan of Stevenâs for years now, so I was thrilled to find out that this year he would be performing at Night of Joy at Disney World. I have seen him perform many times over the years, and I love the fact that his sons are now performing with him. I always enjoy hearing new versions of his greatest hits, but that night at Disney World, he sang one new song that absolutely knocked my knees out from under me.
He told a story about getting his youngest kids ready for bed, and then he sang âCinderellaâ from his new project. As manly as we guys try to be most of time, I could not stop the tears from streaming down my face. My son and daughter are five and four years old, so I know the preschool years well, and I know what bath time, story time, and