SCC…Part 2

So then there was that time we hung out with SCC for a couple hours…whatever.

Background: 

Like most 80's church kids, I grew up listening to Steven Curtis Chapman…but I, admittedly, lost track of him in the heavy digital age when all the latest worship music was at my finger tips. Then I married a non-musical person…God's sense of warped humor…so SCC completely fell off my radar. 

Until I got the phone call saying that good ol' SCC was coming to Harmony (where we typically do not hold concerts), and we would be spending a little bit of one-on-one time with him. Excuse me, what?!? They also dropped the formidable bomb that Laura Story would be performing with Chapman. Many of you will remember that her song, Blessings, has been especially meaningful to our family as we included that thought-provoking song on the memorial video for Zoe's funeral. Holy smokes, Batman.

It's a long story about how this all came to be, but suffice it to say, we were moved. After we explained to our 2000's kids who SCC even was…apologies to the big cheese…everyone in the family began to look forward to November 21st. In full disclosure, I struggled with my response every time someone asked me if I was excited to meet him. Sure, it would be a special time, but I knew the thing that was drawing us together was the loss of both of our baby girls. Call me crazy, but that did not leave me throwing down some cartwheels. Yea...I was right.

As I prepared for our time together, I covered up my own skunk line (if you don't understand that, you're dead to me), I made myself throw up over and over so I wouldn't feel the need to spew all over SCC (figuratively, of course), and I cleared our schedules for all the family and friends coming into town…there were 24 of us!

After much ado, we headed to the church to have our face-to-face. I'm sure you'd be intrigued to get the 411 on what happened next, but it felt…and still feels…very personal, so I'll just highlight a couple thoughts. It didn't take long before the guys acknowledged that SCC's wife, Mary Beth, and I were separated at birth and probably should be kept separated. That much transparency and honesty in one room might just result in unspeakable chaos…best to be safe. We talked about church and shared tears and memories of our baby girls…all in all, a very sweet time. There were no ah-ha moments where we said, "Well, we feel so much better now that we've talked to Steven Curtis Chapman!" No big windfall of spiritual wisdom about dealing with grief…just more grief shared with someone who gets it. 

I will tell you the biggest realization of the afternoon…no matter how much time passes, this will stink for all time. Steve's tears, although tempered by time, were fresh…even though it's been 5 years since their sweet Maria passed away. I don't know when I've ever cried so hard…for both the Carr and the Chapman families…and all the other families out there that have come to live through this torture. So much pain…so many years to endure. It's nice to know someone understands and that you're not alone in your suffering, but you'd never wish this pain on anyone, for any reason…so it's only mildly helpful. 

Pretty sure I reapplied the barn paint (thanks, dad) 3 times that day, trying not to look like I needed to be admitted…which I clearly felt would improve things anyway. 

I also had some sweet moments of one-on-one time with Laura Story, sharing OUR story…and the part she unknowingly played in it. We talked about our mutual friends, the Ford's, who'd moved down to Georgia and found themselves sharing a Sunday school class with the singer/worship leader. For a minute there…as we shared some Darryl stories…everything felt normal. (Thanks big D!) 

Then it was time for the VIP Q&A and the arrival of our entourage. It was very special sharing this memory with so many family members and friends…I'm forever grateful that they made the 4 hour trip for this special night. There were a couple moments that I'll never forget. First of all, our longtime family friend, Jeff Anderson, reminded SCC about him praying with a friend of Jeff's at a concert many years before and how meaningful it has continued to be for his friend…and now here he was, ministering to yet another good friend…and thanked him for it. It was very poignant. Secondly, we met an amazing momma and daddy who'd also had to say goodbye to their sweet baby Vinny, only 18 months old, I believe. One moment, he was a healthy baby boy…the next, he didn't wake up. And there they were, proclaiming God's faithfulness in the midst of the excruciating pain in which they fought to catch a breath. I hugged her neck at the break and tried to encourage her out of the depths of our shared sorrow. Heavy stuff, peeps.

The actual concert was fantastic with Jason Gray rounding out the lineup. I was a sobbing mess but all for good reason. I thought I'd pass out or puke a couple times…like when SCC sang, Beauty Will Rise, and Laura sang, Blessings…but other than that, we just enjoyed rocking out on the FRONT row for several hours. (In case you're wondering…yes, it was loud…yes, we are way too old for that now…but whatcha gonna do?!?) 

We felt, on more than one occasion that night, that they were singing straight to our hearts…really hoping the other 1000+ people got something out of the concert too! Christ was definitely a big deal…that's what I remember most.