This five song EP is brimming with stories of love, loss, and starting again. Teressa Mahoney, a mother of four from Colorado spent the last couple of years penning these songs and recorded in Nashville.
"I Will Listen" is a tale of new friendship and breaking down barriers in a world where we find ourselves separated by walls from past hurts. It echoes Galatians 6:2's instruction to carry one another's burdens, "this is how He's loving me right now. You carry mine, and I will carry yours."
The lyrics of "Glimpses and Shards" are steeped in Narnian imagery, with the refrain, "further up and further in," kicking off the bridge. It's a song about home, but also touches on the idea of safety. Teressa says, "I'm now at a point in my life where, even though I naturally gravitate to safety, I'm learning to value vulnerability even more."
"Sing out Your Song," released as a single in August, was written as Teressa experienced middle school all over again through her daughter's eyes. It paints a beautiful image of someone hurting and broken but continuing to "sing out" in the midst of the pain and being transformed, made new, in the process.
Difficult marriage circumstances lead to the writing of "Let's Start Again." The lyrics recall the beauty of reconciliation with lines like, "we will put on compassion and kindness in action and dance in the mercy of love." The waltz-like feel of the song conjures images of a couple coming together for a dance after nearly giving up on the relationship.
The final song, "Me Too," is based on C.S. Lewis' idea that friendship begins the moment one person says to another, "You too? I thought I was the only one." This song feels a little bit like a modern day Paul Simon song, and the message of us all belonging to something larger than ourselves comes through in story form.
Track List:
1. I Will Listen
2. Glimpses and Shards
3. Sing Out Your Song
4. Let's Start Again
5. Me Too
These are honest songs, written from one friend to another. They are encouraging and hopeful without denying the reality of pain and suffering.
