Hartung House: Just Shoot Me

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Just Shoot Me

So my sweet Megan has been taking piano lessons for almost a year now. She absolutely loves music, and thankfully she got the gift for it from Jason (because I don't have any musical abilities whatsoever - well I can turn on the ipod.) Anyway, she loves to write songs too. Last June she started writing a song about my dad. He passed away from cancer when she was 4, but she has vivid memories of him and misses him frequently. So, she decided she would write a song to sing to my mom on my dad's birthday, September 22nd. She worked on the lyrics for several weeks and then her piano teacher helped her put music to her melody. It was a great process for her. It ended up taking much longer than she hoped, but she finally finished it and was able to practice with her piano teacher (Megan sang while her teacher accompanied.) Yesterday afternoon, she invited my mom over, and she sang this song for her:

You are a Christian

I remember the day, and even the moment

I remember the day God took you away.
I remember the hour, full of His power.
He didn't want you to stay.
But I can still remember you -
even though you passed away.
And I can still love you -
just like you loved Him on that last day.

You are a Christian,
You are a Christian,
You are a Christian,
and I love God for that.

Her words are so precious. My dad did not give his life to the Lord until 18 months before he died. The first time we thought we were going to lose him, we were all very fearful because he had never surrendered himself to the Lord. Megan remembers praying with me that somehow her Papa's heart would be softened and he would accept Jesus as his Lord. It was only days after that first scare that my dad accepted Christ, so it was an amazing answer to 20 years of prayer. We were so sad to lose him only a few months later, but it was amazing to rejoice in knowing we'd see him again. Megan's song came from that gratitude. God is so good to us, and I am so thankful to see Him at work in my little girl.

5 comments:

Worsley Family said...: What a great song. We rejoiced with you when your dad accepted Christ as his savior. Thanks for sharing this post with us.; January 27, 2009 at 5:55 PM
Sara said...: Oh Mary,

I have chills. What a great story and what a great song! I'm sure there wasn't a dry eye in the house. What a gift for you!

Love-Sara; January 27, 2009 at 9:26 PM
Andrea said...: Oh my goodness oh my goodness - what a picture of God's love and mercy and grace through the heart of a babe! wow! This gives me hope as I tire over prayers for unsaved loved ones (I'll admit I get so discouraged sometimes thinking is God hearing me??!!). Oh what a blessing - your family is such a blessing to me! hugs to you!!!; January 28, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Ryan, Kelli, Kiana and Madison Gleeson said...: OH MY WORD! Mary--what a sweet and tender heart she has. I love seeing Megan every Sunday in Children's Worship. I loved this post----but can I make a suggestion? Tell your blog readers to grab some Kleenex before they begin reading. :) SO SWEET!; January 28, 2009 at 4:27 PM
Jen said...: Wow, that made me cry.
My grandfather accepted Christ the week before he died at 97 yrs. old. I wouldn't have believed it if not for the amazing story the couple who led him there had about how it all happened, it was miraculous. My mom had been praying for him for years and years and years and years. He was the most stubborn man I knew, but the seeds planted through the years bloomed right before his death.; March 1, 2009 at 6:27 AM

Post a Comment

Kid Quotes

17. This morning Nicole was up early, and she and Jason were both enjoying a bowl of Lucky Charms. (We really like sugar cereal at our house; healthy, schmealthy. :) ) When Cara woke up, she walked out to the kitchen. She complemented Jason, telling him he smelled good. Nicole replied, "It's not him; it's the Lucky Charms he's eating."

16. Over spring break we took the kids to Disneyland. Late in the evening Nicole and Ty and I were walking to meet Jason and the girls at a ride. Nicole explained to me, "Mommy, I can't walk anymore. My feet have runned out."

15. Yesterday Nicole was getting ready for the day, and she said to me, "Mommy, you know what I like best about necklaces?" I asked her what was the best thing about necklaces. She answered, "Wearing them." :)

14. Cara is my little fashion police. She's always the first one to notice if I change my necklace or wear a new shirt. She's also painfully honest about what she thinks of anything I wear. So, she's very sweet with complements but doesn't really mince words when she disapproves. Last summer my mom had her hair colored and it was more red than usual. Cara asked her in her most shocked and horrified voice, "Grandma, what happened to your hair?!" My mom replied, "I had it colored. Do you like it?" Cara says to her without missing a breath, "Not so much. It's not permanent, right!" Gotta love kids. :)

13. This morning I was getting Nicole and Ty in the car to go to physical therapy. Ty was especially chatty. Nicole said to me, "Mommy, I think Ty-Ty speaks Spanish." I asked her why she thought that. She explained, " I can't understand anything he says; it must be Spanish." There you have it.

12. This morning Jason was brushing his teeth, and he didn't have a shirt on. Cara walked into our bathroom, and said very sweetly, "Daddy, did you know your body shakes when you brush your teeth?" Real nice.

11. When Jason's parents were down visiting, Nicole especially enjoyed wrestling with and climbing on Opa. One morning she wanted him to come play with her. She told him, "Come on, big fella; it's time to play." It just made me laugh -

10. Megan has always enjoyed more fruits and veggies than the average kid. When she was 3 years old, we told her we were going to go out to dinner. We asked her if there was anywhere special she'd like to go. She answered, "Can we can go someplace that serves kale as a garnish?"

9. I was reading through a book of my kids' quotes, and I found this story from when Cara was 4 years old. I was taking Cara and her cousin Jaden to a field trip for preschool. The two of them were sitting in the back of the van chatting. We pulled up to a stop light and there was an older lady in the car next to us. Cara asked Jaden, "Why do all grandmas have poofy hair?" Jaden answered, "I think it must be a rule or something."

8. I've been working really hard at training my kids to complete a couple of simple tasks every morning when they wake up. They're supposed to make their beds and then brush their teeth before they come out to the family room. Yesterday Megan woke up a little early and was laying in her bed reading a book. As Nicole woke up, Megan greeted her with a sweet, "Good morning, Nicole." Coley said, "You're going to have to save your good morning for later; I have to make my bed and brush my teeth." :) Maybe I'm pushing too hard?

7. We recently decided to get rid of cable at our house, and I was explaining to my girls that they could still watch movies; we just wouldn't have regular cable. Nicole was clearly not understanding, so I told her it would be just like it is at our cousins' house. She seemed to understand. The next day we had a babysitter come and she told her, "We're not going to have TV anymore; we're going to keep the television at our cousins' house." So much for understanding.

6. My girls love playing charades. We were playing a few nights ago and Jason was acting out the word "shower." After a couple of minutes, Cara guessed, "Turning on the TV naked." (I can't remember the last time I laughed that hard.)

5. Nicole has been full of questions lately. 4 is such a fun age. Last night she asked me, "Mommy, how old were you when you were my age?"

4. Last Tuesday Nicole and I took a field trip to Olvera Street with Grace Kids. While we were there I bought some Mexican Jumping Beans. Megan was showing them to Nicole and explained that they were called jumping beans. Nicole asked, "So you eat them, and then you jump?"

3. When Cara was about 3, she and her cousin Jaden were playing super heroes. Jaden asked her if she was ready to go capture the bad guys and save the world. She answered, "Yes, but do you think we should stop and get a mocha on the way?"

2. Nicole and I were chatting a couple days ago about all the beautiful flowers and plants. Nicole was perplexed that all the plants didn't get flowers. After a long explanation on my part, she finally said, "I think the plants that didn't get flowers should have at least gotten purple sparkles."

1. Earlier this summer Jason and Megan were out running errands. On the way home Jason commented that the gas light was on and he had forgotten to stop and get gas. Megan reassured him, "It's okay, Dad. You gotta see what she's capable of?"