It’s been five years since the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012, in Newtown, Conn., when Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 students and six adults. The tragedy shook the entire nation, including George Strait, who lost his own daughter, Jenifer, to an automobile accident in 1986, when she was only 13 years old.
“I’m just shaking my head,” Strait recalled of first hearing the Sandy Hook news. “It’s so sad. And I’m thinking, I know what these parents are going through. It’s just the worst thing that can happen to you in your life. To lose a child, there’s nothing worse than that.”
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The King of Country started writing down his thoughts about Sandy Hook, before inviting his son, Bubba, to collaborate with him.
“He said, ‘Dad, I’m thinking the same thing, and came up with this idea, ‘I Believe,’” said Strait.”We started talking about it and writing a few things down… The whole time, I’m concerned, because I don’t know these people, and I’m concerned about it offending them. I don’t want to cause them any more misery than what they’re already going through.”
The song, which says, “There’s twenty-six angels looking down from above / resting in His mercy, grace and love / Time may never heal / The sadness that we feel / But I believe / There’s someone who’s looking after me / Someone beside me night and day / To light the way,” was Strait’s way to share his faith with those grieving.
“I hope they take it the way I meant it, because it’s a statement of faith,” Strait explained. “That’s really what it is.”
“I Believe” was included on Strait’s 2013 Love is Everything record, which is available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes.
