Yesterday was a beautiful day. My little girl woke up in the middle of the night with a high fever; so I spent the day taking care of her. It is one of those things that just happens, so you conform to it and forget your previous Mother’s Day plans. At one point yesterday she was so uncomfortable, the only thing I could do to soothe her is sit in the rocking chair, sing and rub her forehead. My husband was a total help, but she just wanted her mom.

I think for me, I needed that kind of Mother’s Day. It helped me remember what our great job on earth is — motherhood or whatever — and why we commit to doing it. It surely doesn’t making the struggles in life easy, but it does make it easier. I’m again grateful for the moments where music makes everything better.

And a shout out to my mom and all the other women in my life that have taught me and helped me whenever I need it. <3

My calling is a little different. I am the “Stake Social Media Specialist” and I manage our stake/community Facebook page (an unofficial page of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). In California we have a day set aside to do good — we call it “Mormon Helping Hands” and we get out in our cities and serve. It has been a great experience learning about how we can better serve our communities while also giving The Church a good name. You can read more about Mormon Helping Hands here and here.

Yesterday I posted a link of a new rendition of the Hymn “Have I Done any Good in the World Today?” performed by Alex Boye and Carmen Rasmusen Herbert (watch it here). Since watching that great version, I have found myself not just singing the song throughout the day, but really trying to put forth an effort and do some GOOD around us. I have two small children, so I decided I am going to start by letting them know how to serve. To start, we made cookies for the missionaries!

Anyway, I just wanted to pass along my vigor to stop dreaming and do some good!

We have a great learning tool to help you understand our four books of scripture: Gospel Doctrine by Donna Max. These originally aired on KSRR in Utah, these weekly lessons have helped teach from these books at an in-depth level. You can purchase all four gospels together, one book at at time (Old Testament/Pearl of Great Price, New Testament, Book of Mormon or Doctrine and Covenants/Church History), or as individual lessons on the individual pages. There are 209 individual lessons that are 55 minutes each. You can hear an audio introduction by Donna Max by clicking here.

I ran across a great article from the LDS Newsroom titled “Sacred Anthems: Why Latter-day Saints Worship with Music”. The article highlights Music in Church Meetings, Music in the Home and Music in Personal Life. I loved the beginning of the article that stated “Thomas S. Monson, then of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said, ‘My prayer is that we will learn once again in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to really sing. We simply must do something with our congregational singing to bring out the spirit of music in the heart and soul of every boy, every girl, every man, and every woman.’ ”

I just love how this article highlights music as being a part of our every day situations. Enjoy this great read — I am so glad music is all around us.

I have been telling you that my new favorite part of Church is the music. I have two small children, so I appreciate that I can focus on the sound and messages the sound of  music brings at Church. The music of General Conference is no different. But I have to say that I STOPPED IN MY TRACKS when the Mormon Tabernacle Choir started to sing “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” on Sunday morning. There was an overwhelming rush of the spirit and a great appreciation for my blessings.

What was your favorite song during Conference? You can watch mine below:

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Did you know that we have a radio feature here at LDSMusicNow? We know you are all fans of our songs and our weekly free downloads, but there is always room for more! Check out our radio channel by clicking here.

Just as we say on the website:

“If you’re looking for some great music to listen to during the day, you’ve come to the right place. LDSMusicNow’s radio features great music from our catalog of popular and not so known LDS artists. Experience the taste of fresh new music throughout the day.

Unlike a regular radio, our player also features the ability to simply add the song to your cart, and purchase with ease. Give it a try by simply clicking the listen now button below. Enjoy!”

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I have a friend who joined the Church in her early 30s. Now, five years later, she was called into Primary. She was so confused the first time she sang the song “Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree” — “What are they singing about?! Are y’all crazy?”

I totally know what she means. In the Church, you grow up singing this song on a regular basis and when you’re young, you really have no idea what the song is talking about. I am not going to publicly announce my age when I figured it out… so I make sure that I point out to my kids that the blossoms on the trees look like popcorn!

I saw this on a friend’s Facebook feed (source) and just laughed out loud! When did you figure out the meaning of these popular song lyrics?

You can download a version of this great song by Marvin Goldstein on our site by clicking here.

We wrote about Jenny Oaks Baker and her Grammy nomination (congrats to her again!) and were excited to hear about another LDS artist, Thomas Glenn, who also received a nomination as part of the cast from the Met Production recording of “Doctor Atomic”. They ended up winning a Grammy for Best Opera Recording. This didn’t air during the prime time broadcast, but earlier in the day.

Thomas is another great example of how we can use our talents to share the gospel. He is frequently participating in church functions and out with the missionaries. He has two daughters and a son and lives in Calgary. While he is required to spend time away frequently, he uses Skype to connect with his family during family time.

Congratulations to Thomas and his accomplished team. We wish you the best throughout 2012. Read more about this here.

This week we are here to help those in search of an Easter Choir song. Our free downloads of the week include the song and sheet music to the first song in the book “He is Risen: Musical Easter Celebration” that is “I Stand All Amazed” (piano and violin). Hurry and grab these downloads before next week! They’re free! You can find the print version here and the MP3 version here.

Please take note that the free editions are a free sample for your own use. Should you need it for a ward choir, we encourage you to purchase the amount of copies you need.

Are you already decided on a song for your Easter program? Which one?