Cinderella Read online

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  Cinderella

  Copyright © 2008 by Steven Curtis Chapman

  All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Published in Nashville,Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

  Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

  Published in association with Creative Trust, Inc., a literary and entertainment management company. www.CreativeTrust.com

  The Scripture quotation in this book is from The Message (MSG) © 1993. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

  Personal testimonies appearing in this book are used by permission of the authors.

  Project Editor: Jessica Inman

  Project Developer: Lisa Stilwell

  Design by Koechel Peterson Design,Minneapolis,Minnesota

  Photos on pages 5, 26 (Caleb Chapman and Julia), Emily (age 13) with Steven Curtis Chapman on

  page 30, and sillouettes on page 39 courtesty of Mary Beth Chapman

  Photo on page 7 courtesy of John Price Photo / www.johnpricephoto.com

  Photos of Emily (age 20) on page 30 and sheet music on page 39 courtesty of

  Jason Tucker / www.tuckerphotography.com

  Photo on page 51 courtesty of Austin Mann

  Photo on page 63 courtesty of Mark DeLong / www.delongphoto.com

  ISBN–10: 1–4041–0522–0

  ISBN–13: 978–1–4041–0522–5

  Printed and bound in the United States

  www.thomasnelson.com

  Introduction

  Maria and Stevey Joy

  One night as I was trying to do some writing for my album This Moment—“trying” being the key word in that sentence—I took on bath duty with my two littlest girls. Stevey Joy and Maria were both three years old at the time, and they did not at all share my concern that bath time should run efficiently. In fact, quite the opposite: every time I turned around to get shampoo or a wash cloth, I looked back at the tub and saw only ripples in the bathwater, no girls. Where did they go? A few moments later I heard the giggles and saw the two princesses, Cinderella and Snow White (with a little help from Disney costumes), cheering,“We’re going to a ball, Daddy!” I was stressed with my workload, frustrated, and tired, and it was already late—well past an acceptable bedtime.“No,” I corrected,“you’re not going to the ball, you’re going in the tub.”

  Finally, after foiling two or three of their attempts to escape, I managed to get them dried off and hurried them to bed.“Dad, read us a story,” they pleaded.“No, no stories tonight! It’s too late,” I said.“We’re going to pray, pray quick, and go to bed! Pray a short prayer, immediate family only! Just pray, fast.” I was so frustrated. I had to go back to work—I was trying to write these songs and make some progress on the album. And finally, I got them to bed. “No, no more drinks of water! Nothing! Go to sleep! I love you. Good night. Lights off. Kisses. Good night.”

  I closed the door, and it hit me. I felt as if God leaned down and whispered this name: Emily Chapman. And I knew immediately that He was speaking to my heart. You see, my daughter Emily is now twenty-one years old, and she’s grown and gone off and is changing the world herself. And God was saying to me,“Steven, you big knucklehead, are you really going to rush through these moments like this and miss these priceless snapshots in time? Because you know how fast they’ll go by. Remember little Emily?”

  My wife and I have had the luxury of seeing our kids grow into wonderful young adults—and seeing with our own eyes how quickly these times really do go by. Thinking about this was very convicting and I thought,

  You know what? I do this so much. I do a lot of rushing through the moment that I’m in, and I miss some important times. And I think I’m probably not alone in this. I have to write a song about these priceless moments so that I won’t forget, and maybe I can help someone else remember it too.

  That’s the story behind the song “Cinderella” and the book you hold in your hands.

  I worry about the five minutes or five days or five years ahead. Or I look over my shoulder and say,“Boy, that was great back there,” or “I should have done this back there.”God’s really been teaching me about making sure I’m showing up in the moment He’s placed me in—the good ones, the hard ones, the happy ones, the sad ones—every single moment. The moments on stage with my sons as the proudest dad on the planet, thanking God for this gift of getting to tour with Caleb and Will in my band, as well as that moment at 3:00 a.m. when the baby’s screaming and I’m wondering,What’s going on, God, and how do we deal with this?

  I believe God wants us to be engaged in these moments with our children, and all of the moments in between. I often hear talk in our circles about “God moments,” times when something particularly amazing happens and we know God is involved. While I’ve experienced plenty of those and am so thankful for those times, I believe every minute we’re drawing breath is really a “God moment.”God is showing up in every moment and revealing something about Himself to us if we just have eyes to see it and ears to hear it, and most importantly a 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 I’m 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 I’m walking on sacred ground.

  Everything is so small and delicate, including

  the princess who’s climbing under the covers. Ever

  since she was a baby, she’s had me mesmerized.

  One thing is for sure: her sweetly spoken

  “Goodnight, Daddy” is the very best part of my day.

  Little-girl giggles

  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

  Kids: they dance before they learn

  “there is anything that isn’t music. ”

  —William Stafford

  She’s 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 you’re her number one fan.

  her dad’s

  favorite girl

  It doesn’t matter that her crown is lopsided

  or that her dress has a chocolate milk stain.

  It doesn’t 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—in a moment

  that will last in her heart forever—she is

  her dad’s favorite girl, t
he center of his world.

  dance with Cinderella

  So I will dance with Cinderella

  while she is here in my arms

  ’cause I know something

  the prince never knew

  in my arms

  all to soon

  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’ll be gone

  teach me daddy !

  Sometimes the best memories aren’t planned—

  a skip in the rain

  a kiss to heal teddy’s torn paw

  a hug “just because.”

  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 Shaohannah’s 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 Steven’s 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 “Cinderella” 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 bedtime prayers are like. I, too, tend to rush through these daily rituals just to get to something that seems so much more important at the time.

  “Cinderella” reminded me that nothing is more important in my life than my two angels. Right now is an incredibly important time in their lives, and nothing I do matters quite as much as being their dad. (And maybe the reason behind some of my tears was that I could so easily visualize my daughter dressed as Cinderella, just as the song describes.)

  Because of that song, because of that moment as a fan in the crowd, I made time this morning just for my kids. They love to throw the football with me. They love it when I teach them how to hold the ball, stand, aim, and throw it in a perfect spiral. They love to try and catch my throws. They just love the chance to hang out and play with dad, since I tend to work a little too much, a little too often. I was three hours late for work today because of this planned time, and it was worth every minute of extra work I may have to do to make up for it.

  I’m grateful for another wonderful song from one of my favorite artists, and for the way this song touched my life—as well as the lives of my kids.

  Altamonte Springs, Florida

  Caleb Chapman and Julia

  headed to the prom.

  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”

  Do you like my

  dress, Daddy?

  Dance with me …

  Wait a minute—suddenly she looks so

  grown up. Is she wearing makeup? And are those

  her mother’s shoes? Just how tall is she, anyway?

  It seems like five minutes ago she was just

  getting her first haircut. Now she’s asking for

  her first cell phone. It all went by so fast—

  she’s a young lady now.

  “It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints

  on the wall appear higher and higher. Then suddenly

  they disappear…”

  —Dorothy Evslin

  He’ll always …

  Steven and —

  Emily Chapman,

  Emily at age 13 and then age 20.

  I remember several years ago hearing a good friend

  say that he made a commitment to try to make sure his

  voice was the last one his daughter heard every night

  before she fell asleep. That sounded like great wisdom,

  so, from that night on, whenever it was physically possible,

  I would climb the stairs to her bedroom, tuck Emily in

  —Queen Tuck, as I called her—pray with her, and let

  the last thing she heard before she fell asleep be the voice

  of her dad saying, “Goodnight, Em.I love you.” Those

  little moments are priceless to us now. —

  be here for me …

  remembering special moments

  The first time I heard the song “Cinderella,” I was listening to a radio station online during GMA week. I remember laughing when I heard the introduction to the song, a story about bath time with Mr. Chapman’s little girls. When he began singing a beautiful acoustic version of “Cinderella,” a wave of memories flooded my mind.

  I think this song is a wonderful reminder not only for parents but also for children. Sometimes, we teenagers need to slow down and take the time to remember that being a child will not last forever, that our quality time with Mom and Dad will soon be spent. At this point in my life, it’s almost time for me to start my own “great adventure” and leave home to go off to college with huge dreams to impact the world in some way that is still unknown. I can’t listen to “Cinderella” without remembering special memories from when I was a young child and wishing that time hadn’t passed so quickly.

  I truly hope that “Cinderella” will bring back those memories for everyone who hears it, parents and kids alike. Cherishing memories can help us stay close to our parents, no matter where our dreams take us. Nothing can break the bond between parent and child, and memories can only strengthen that unbreakable bond.

  Brandy Hensley

  Corpus Christi,Texas

  My hero

  “I’m here whenever you need me.”

  “Please call when you get there…”

  “Don’t be scared—I’m just down the hall.”

  “Being your dad is one of the absolute greatest joys.”

  “You’re so important to me.”

  “You’ll always be my little girl.”

  “Thanks for always being there, Dad.”

  “You don’t need to worry,”

  (but I love it that you do).

  “Thank you for always being ready to listen.”

  “I really do appreciate everything you do for me.”

  “Dad, you’ll always be my hero…”

  My little girl

  I will dance

  So I will dance with Cinderella

  while she is here in my arms

  ’cause I know something

  the prince never knew

  little princess

  don’t want to miss a moment

  Oh I will dance with Cinderella

  I don’t want to miss even one song

  ’cause all too soon the clock

  will strike midnight

  she’ll be gone

  basketball shoes and

  little girl bracelets

/>   Funny how things that used to annoy,

  now seem adorable…

  Strawberry shampoo in the bathroom,

  basketball shoesin the middle of the doorway,

  bracelets left on the coffee table.

  These little things make me hope the bathroom

  counter is always cluttered, the refrigerator door

  always covered with schedules, and the

  room down the hall always (a little) messy.

  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.