Message to heaven...up up & away...

In honor of Maria's birthday today, we were invited with some family and close friends to celebrate!  From decorating butterflies to cupcakes to writing messages on these helium balloons..it was bittersweet!!!!  Each of the kids present took a balloon and wrote a message to Maria along with their impressive artwork, that is!  We said a prayer together and then all at one time released the balloons.  We watched, cried and smiled as they floated heavenward!  We miss you Maria!  And, we know that you were with us today even though you are up there in heaven.  By the way Maria...you would've LOVED the cupcakes today--VERY YUMMY and they made my tongue blue! 

Comments

[June Vendetti]

Hi Grace,
I still have the postcard you sent out last year, and everytime I look at it, I remember how life always brings us unexpected journeys; some that we wish we didn't have to make. But, God has his reasons, and if we grow closer to Him in the process, that is a good thing. Or perhaps, we realize just how precious life is, and that we must live it to the full. Maybe we learn how to appreciate the little things along the way, and treasure them in our hearts.

With grace and blessings,
June Vendetti,
Bpt., Ct.

[stephiegdalyrist]

Had a daughter named Maria?Oh,Im sorry,hope for healing in your lives.You are a sweet family,so sorry you are going thru this.Take care,your new friend.

Jennifer J
Charlotte,NC

[stephiegdalyrist]

Love you so much.Can seem to write,find the right words of comfort.Just know I'm here praying for yall always.

Maria would have loved the cupcakes yes.Thanks for sharing as my heart is heavy for you all now.

May the Son reign down on you in this time of need,.....and always!He will!

Love forever,
Stephanie G
Charlotte,NC

[Christine Gordon]

so glad we got to the SEE the sweet in remembering the most bittersweet day of the Chapman families lives. So thankful to know they were surrounded by loved ones.

prayin' on and remembering you all; thanks so much for sharing.

Christine Gordon and Family in MA

[Cindy Koester,Byron,MN]

Thanks so much Grace for sharing when you can...and when its right.
This is precious...to see and hear. I bet it was beautiful.
Its so nice to know you celebrated her together.
Prayers are with you all!
Hugs,
Cindy K,
MN

[Jocelyn]

I LOVE this idea. It would definitely be bittersweet. Continuing to pray.

[Valerie]

What a fantastic idea!!! I'll bet it helped to release some of the grief. I can't imagine the pain this time is bringing....I've been praying and will continue to pray. I feel so powerless, but I know that God is completely faithful.

[Brenda Adrian]

Awesomely Awesome!!!!

Thank-you for sharing!!

Consider yourselves hugged by Jesus and sweet Maria!!!!

Love, Hugs, Prayers, and Praises to Our God!!!

[Candy]

This photo brings such a tear to my eyes. Thank you so much for sharing this with us, and for showing the joy that can come from memories with the love and comfort of God in your heart.

Since my daughter was very little, she would always let her balloons go, and state that she was sending them to Heaven for her sister to enjoy. She somehow did this on her own, and it touches me very deeply.

[shannon blake]

This is something we do every year for my beautiful little girl also. Usually it is raining as her birth/passing day is in Feb. but regardless they take flight. We always celebrate with cupcakes & prayers. So glad you were able to gather your loved ones & share with them the honor of letting Maria know how much she is loved & missed in this special way. I continue to pray for you & the Chapmans every day through these difficult times. Know that you all are loved.

[Melody M]

What a great way to honor sweet Maria. You can look at that face and tell she was a sweetheart.

[Isabelle]

Thank you for sharing. Again, I'm amazed at the strength this family has to continue on. I know it's Our Heavenly Father holding them up and all those prayers that have been sent to Him on their behalf. I thought that was such a beautiful way to acknowledge this awful reality. Yet, as you posted, it was bittersweet. Praying.

[Patricia]

A celebration with balloons, artwork, and yummy cupcakes that make your tongue turn blue sounds like a wonderful celebration of the day that Maria was born. May she always be remembered with such love from family and friends on her earthly birthday.
On a totally different tone, I know that the hurt and hollowness caused by Maria's physical absence will always be just a teardrop away from the surface. Therefore, I pray especially hard for the Chapman's and staff during these rough rough days of remembrance. Share extra hugs and know that one day a sweet reunion will happen.

[Debbie from Ohio]

That is really cool. Thanks for letting us have a glimpse of the celebration of Maria's short lived life here on the earth but truth is, we Christians know she's really living life to the fullest and forever in Heaven. Prayers still going up for the whole Chapman family and their staff.

[Kelly]

What a beautiful way to honor Maria. Thank you for sharing that with us.

[Amy]

Grace...
Thank you so much for letting us SEE what this amazing family has done to honor and remember their sweet Maria. The Chapmans were on my mind all day and I played Cinderella in the car many times (and of course right after Cinderella is Yours...and has anyone ever noticed that the very last words you can hear (if you turn the volume up really loud b/c it's fading out)on Yours is "All that is in the Heavens"...). I prayed for you all yesterday and asked God to hold you all closely and tightly.

Please...keep us updated (when appropriate) on this amazing family so that we may know how to pray for them.

Blessings,
Amy

PS - give Mary Beth extra hugs from us...

[WendyJoy]

Thank you for sharing with us the photos and updates on the Chapman's during this difficult month.

I also do the balloon sending to heaven thing. In the summer months I keep a helium balloon on my daughters memorial stone. It lasts only for about 4 days and on the 5th day, I kiss both sides of it and release it up to the heavens to her.

Thank you for all you do in supporting the Chapman's and being the "hands on" love for us.

Remembering that God is STILL God,
WendyJoy
New York

[Heidi]

Janele,
your post gave me the chills--good ones! What a sweet thing for your daughter to say!! She is right, I bet it was the best birthday! Can you imagine, celebrating with the Lord of Lords!

[Jen]

Was this around 5:00? If so, I might have seen them floating off in the sky. That would be incredible if this was the case, as Maria's birthday has been on my mind and prayer list all day today.

[Janele]

What a wonderful idea! You know, some of the most profound things come out of the mouth of a child. This morning, my 12 year old daughter said "Mom, I bet that Maria is having the BEST birthday party this year!"

The prayers for all of you continue without ceasing!

[Vanessa Schaecher (from Nebraska)]

What a special way to honor Maria's memory & the joy of her life. Thank you for sharing.

[Jennifer Scruggs]

THANK YOU for sharing--- SO MANY of us are praying!
Love in Christ,
Jennifer Scruggs

[Kim]

I figured that something like that was going to happen today. I'm glad it did. It actually was very similar to what my friend did that summer on her daughter's first birthday in Heaven. They wrote birthday messages on balloons and 20 of us released them at the same time too.

[Rick Orrell]

Wow.......thank you so much for allowing us a behind the scenes look at dealing with a tragedy....this is such a sweet tribute to a beautiful girl and her strong family who loved her so much.....

[Dana]

What a beautiful way to honour Maria! I've been thinking about the Chapmans a lot today - praying for them throughout the day - and asking God to hold them tight and that they will feel his embrace.