Cinderella (4 page)

it's the little things

his way of making me feel loved

Okay, so sometimes I give my
dad
a hard time
for always being under the hood of my car
or freaking out about the
smallest
little things.
But
the truth is
_,
I love the way he jumps to
protect me. I know that's his way of making me
feel
loved and safe
_.
Still, it's hard not to laugh
at how his jaw gets so tense
every time
I bring my boyfriend over to the house.

“Watching your daughter being
collected by her date feels like handing over a
million-dollar Stradivarius to a gorilla. ”

—Jim Bishop

My little girl . . .

She came home today
with a ring on her hand
just glowing and telling us
all they had planned

. . . all grown up

dance with me Daddy

She says, “Dad, the wedding's
still six months away

But I need to practice my dancing

Oh please, Daddy, please”

I'm going to miss her

I knew this day was coming. I
heard
it in their
voices and the way they hinted toward the future.
And still it
caught me by surprise
_.
I'm
confident in them; I know this is a
wonderful
day,
and I really am happy. But there's this tiny little
tug in my heart
, and part of me is only thinking
about how much
I'm going to miss her.

little tug in my heart

My Cinderella

I have a Cinderella in my family…

And by the time this book is in your hands, she will be a Baylor University graduate. Her name is Emily, and she is all grown up. Wasn't it yesterday that she was spinning and swaying through childhood without a care in the world? It seems like a split second has gone by, and now she has spun and swayed herself into being a beautiful woman of God whom her father and mother are so proud of !

I remember my tears on Emily's first day of kindergarten—and suddenly she had twirled her way right through the knee-scraping elementary-school years. Believing that the agonizing and awkward middle-school years would never end, I was surprised that, in a blink of an eye, Emily was dancing herself right on through high school with all of the heartbreaks and amazing memories that come with those teenage years. And then, as if waking from a dream, I opened my eyes one day to find myself decorating a college dorm room in Texas.

Right before my eyes Cinderella was dancing herself into her own life. She would never dance herself out of our hearts, but somehow I knew, as Steven, Caleb, Emily, and I stood holding hands outside of her dormitory to say our good-bye prayers and give our parting hugs and kisses, that life would never be the same. Emily was indeed a grown princess ready to take on the world and become all that God had long intended her to be.

Knowing that our good and loving heavenly Father would be with Emily each moment of her life didn't make the ride home any easier for me. My tears flowed from Waco,Texas, all the way to Franklin,Tennessee. I guess that's just what we moms do….

Now, as I think about Shaohannah, Stevey Joy, and Maria, and all the challenges that come with raising these three little ones, one word keeps me going:
Emily
. The years go by in a heartbeat—and I pray you remember that! On those days when you're ready to give up because you're just plain tired and in those moments when you're absolutely out of patience or even questioning your parenting abilities, remember that it won't be long before you'll be watching your own princesses twirl right through your life and into lives of their own.

Because of Christ,

Emily Chapman

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

fairy wings and pretend

No matter how much we might want
to slow time down and keep our
kids little, change is headed our way.
From a balloon that proclaims,“It's a Girl!”
to a fountain of caps and gowns
to “You may now kiss the bride.”
Seize every opportunity to . . .

“Give your entire attention to what
God is doing right now. ”

—Matthew 6:34

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