The piano has brought me JOY.

As a child, I remember my mother sitting at the piano playing beautiful arrangements, many of which she composed herself. My father would stand beside her and sing as she played, and often my siblings and I would join along. I enjoyed sitting next to my sister, playing duets, or accompany my brother as he learned to sing new hymns. These moments of my family around the piano brought me joy.

The piano has brought me PASSION.

When I turned eight I began taking piano lessons. My mom never needed to ask me to practice, because it became something that I just desired to do. When I woke up in the morning I wanted to play the piano. The moment I walked in the door from a day at school, I would go and sit at the piano. I would hurry and finish my homework and get ready for bed so that I could play the piano. It was my greatest passion as a child.

The piano has brought me PEACE.

When I became a new mother, at the end of the day I would put my newborn to sleep. I composed my first song for her. With each of my babies, I loved these quiet evenings to unwind from my day. It was a moment that was just for me and it always helped me to feel peace and to recharge for the following day.

The piano has brought me COMFORT.

My mother had passed away unexpectedly. After she died, my family all felt that I should get to keep her piano. What a blessing for me. During my moments of grief, as I sat down to play, I had some tender moments when it felt like she was right next to me playing a duet like we had done so many times throughout my life. If I ever go through tough moments, I know that I can count on feeling comfort when I play the piano.

The piano has brought me LOVE.

As I sit down to compose, I am patient and sit quietly. I hear a tune in my head and I find the notes on the piano. It is a process…one note at a time, or one measure at a time. But the entire time, I feel love from my Heavenly Father. It is a time for me to connect with Him. It is difficult to explain, but it is as if He is there with me and reminds me that this is a gift from Him.

Come to think of it, it isn’t the piano that has brought me all of these feelings…

It is God who has brought me these feelings.

God has brought me joy, passion, peace, comfort, and love. The piano was the conduit to feeling these from Him. M. Russell Ballard stated, “God’s purpose for the artist is to inspire, to give us visions of ourselves that we might not otherwise see, to make us better than we would have been.” My journey with the piano and God has done just this. He is helping me to see myself in new light and to become a better version of myself.

I hope that you enjoy this music. It is a gift from God and I am so happy to share it with you.