Last spring, I collaborated with mezzo-soprano Kristin Gornstein to present a Mother's Day recital that included two settings of the 19th century Czech poem, Songs My Mother Taught Me.

The poem got me thinking about the songs my mother sang that shaped my musical and spiritual life, and inspired me to compose a piano arrangement of C. Austin Miles' beloved Gospel hymn, In the Garden. Sentimental, yes, but I remember it as one of my favorite lullabies and it's a tune I will always associate with my childhood. The text has also served as an ongoing reminder that I am God's beloved and invited to an intimate, tender relationship with Jesus.