Notes

Time Piece: I've always loved the West Minster Chimes. I wrote this song in the same key as the chimes of the clock my husband Phil gave me for a birthday present.
Kiss from a Rose: This song is probably my favorite song from 1990's pop. Its haunting chords and melody appeal to people of all ages.
Innocence: A friend named this song for me, because it sounded like Innocence to her. So much has happened to me in the last couple of years, but I hope this song is evidence that I haven't been completely jaded by life events.
Facing the Music: A young adult from my church was fatally shot by gang members. Though I did not know him, this was more than a news headline, and I felt the problem of gang violence was somehow closer to me. While writing this song, I reflected that as I age, , issues formerly someone else's concern will affect me personally.
Memories of First Love: My husband Phil and I were featured as a blind couple in a Valentine's Day Newspaper story. While we reminisced with the reporter about the highs and lows of our first months of love, this song came to me.
God Bless the World: My priest gave a homily about patriotism. He commented that there are a lot of songs which asked God to bless specific countries. But why don't we have songs that asked God to bless the world?
Upstream: I was walking across the street and was knocked unconscious after being hit by a car. As I wrote this during my recovery, my shoulders hurt and playing the song sounded and felt like I was paddling my boat against the current on my life's journey. Today I play it with joy after arriving upstream.
Entreaty: I heard the melody and chords of the refrain of this piece as I prayed during Phil's quadruple bypass surgery.
Winds of Change: Both in the weather and life, winds of change can be simultaneously welcome and unwanted.
Waiting: We waited six months for Phil's prosthetic leg after his amputation. We continue to wait for a kidney transplant for my husband. Despite its frustrations and anxieties, waiting can have beautiful moments which can easily slip by unnoticed.
Humor: From previous notes, it's probably apparent that we've had a very interesting life during the composing period for this album. Humor has been a major outlet for getting us through some of the difficult times.
Consolation: Someone very close to me had to go through an unexpected and difficult situation. She was geographically far away, and I wished I could do more for her. This song was first written out of anger. However, as I focused less on the situation and more on wanting to console her, the song turned sad and tender.
Calling: I heard a set of church bells before Mass which repeated a series of two notes three times. I expanded the melody and created themes with calls and responses. Michael Malver's flute is the perfect instrument to compliment my piano arrangement.