Palm Sunday turned out to be Day 7 and was a day of worship (at a small town church that began in 1774) and rest. I hiked up to the top of the ridge, where there is a swing on long cables. When you swing on it it suspends you out over the hillside and you can see for miles into the mountains. This swing was a symbol of keeping alive the child-like faith and joy in my heart as I live each day.

The hymn “All Creatures of Our God and King” was written by Francis of Assisi in 1225. The music first appeared in a Roman Catholic hymnal in Cologne, Germany in 1623. Beginning yesterday evening through this morning and this afternoon, an arrangement of this verse and chorus was inspired that begins in quiet worship and builds to a joy filled dance. It was hard work at times getting all the touches completed in recording the piano, but in the end it was well worth the afternoon hours in the studio. The last minute of the song will symbolize a wedding feast with friends and loved ones in heaven, as vocals, English horn and guitar join the dancing piano. Another amazing day all in all, and such a great feeling to realize that 12 new piano pieces have been created and recorded that will soon offer peace, rest, hope and healing to listeners around the world.

It was a beautiful clear, cool, blue sky day in Vermont. Today was another new experience, stretching my composing to be more improvisational. This happened with two pieces recorded today…the title track A Thousand Years that interweaves original music inspired by Psalm 90:4 with Mozart’s famous Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star melody and the hymn It Is Well With My Soul, and a unique combination of J.S. Bach’s Air on G with the hymn Holy, Holy, Holy. We also listened back and were powerfully moved by the vocals that are being mixed with Amazing Grace / World of Wonders and Bread of Angels.