This is a little insight into each song, either what inspired it or what it means to me now...
Just You and Me
Some times in life you're brave and feel you can take everything on. Other times,
you're that kid on the high dive again and you need someone to push you off.
This song is about being willing to take risks again and again. And allowing
yourself to believe in things that seem impossible. And how you grow and become
courageous in those moments. And sometimes it does require a loving shove to
get you on your way.
Maybe Then
This song was born out of some soul searching about my tendencies toward
perfectionism and putting unrealistic expectations on myself. It's a reminder
that if my worth and my faith is founded on what I can do alone then I'll never
be satisfied. But if it's based on Christ and what he has done for us, I won't
care so much about the details and life will be much sweeter.
Beautiful You
I was fortunate enough to marry someone who is constant in his love and affection
for me, and unfortunately it took me awhile to appreciate it in all its forms.
This song was my "ah ha" moment.
Take Me
This was the first song written for the project and it's a very simple worship
song that has been a great refuge for me.
You Say
I wrote this song on a plane without paper or tape recorder. I almost went into
the bathroom so I could sing through it outloud and make sure I wouldn't forget
it once I got to the airport. Thankfully I was by the window and could sing
quietly into the wall. It just came out like a flood. I had been very sick just
before this time and was scared and frustrated, and just needed to recommit
myself to the fact that I wasn't going to trust in my health or in circumstances
to find peace. That I would hold onto my belief that God is in everything and
would bring me through. This song was a declaration for me that helped to center
me around those truths.
Your Girl
This song has a lot of different meanings really. Now when I sing it I think
mostly about my process of learning to be fearless about who I was, who I am,
and who I'm becoming, not holding on to regrets or being concerned about how
I'll be received. And being willing to share my life with people that love me
unconditionally without holding back.
Wait Another Day
Probably the most intense song for me, this was written following a really difficult
time in our relationship, where we felt a million miles apart and were trying
to right all the wrongs. And I was so cognizant of everything about me that
needed to change and how patient he had been with me. This song is really about
hanging on and walking it out when it's the hardest thing to do.
Center of Me
I wrote the chorus of this song really late one night when it was very quiet
and I was just thinking about how crazy everything around us can be, but we
can still be grounded and peaceful inside. I used my experiences of moving to
California to write the verses, just remembering how scary it is to have your
whole life change and reminding myself that the most important things in life
never do.
Manuel Antonio
This song started as just a lick on my guitar, part of the intro that became
a beautiful classical guitar solo in the hands of my co-producer Craig and guitar
great Federico Ramos. I had always wanted to write a song with a Latin feel,
not because it was a cool thing to do but because I truly love Latin America,
having lived there, and because it's where Ryan and I met. So this song became
about how amazing and beautiful our experiences were there and wanting to be
that close again and to be able to go back to a time when things seemed just
perfect.
Turn to Me Now
Life and relationships always seem so simple from the outside, but once
you step in, can seem overwhelmingly complex. And though it's wonderful in those
early stages of a relationship, there's much to be said for going through some
tough times and coming out on the other side. And the changes you undergo during
those trials. This song was written over a long period of time because I didn't
really want to verbalize those experiences but I'm glad now because the difficult
times are just as much a part of life as the happy ones, and they're a necessity,
so that we become all we're supposed to be.
Grace
My mother-in-law is personally responsible for this song being on the album.
I had written it awhile before even starting the project and it had a special
place in my heart and I pulled it out occasionally to sing to myself. She and
I were talking one day and this topic of grace came up and she was saying things
that were right out of the lyrics of the song. So I grabbed my guitar and played
it for her, and after that time was convinced that it should be more than a
private song. It reminds me that I am so small in the big scheme of things but
still I always have an open ear with God, and am welcome to be completely myself
with him, in all my incompleteness.