When the Church called for submissions for the new hymnbook in 2018, I hoped to submit something but I wasn’t sure how it would happen. With five wonderful children, I was completely consumed in caring for my family. I told the Lord that I would like to contribute, but that I would need His help to find the time. Over the next several months I found moments here and there for composing, and a few hymns began to take shape.

Among my envisioned projects was a children’s song about standing in holy places. As a child, when I heard the phrase “stand in holy places” I pictured myself standing in a temple or a chapel. But I knew I couldn’t stand there all day. What about all the other places in my life? What if we have to be somewhere that isn’t holy? I felt we needed a song that would help children understand that our dedicated buildings are indeed holy and important structures, but that they are not our only options for holy places. The Lord can help us make other places holy too, especially our homes and our hearts. I jotted down some ideas for “Holy Places,” but the song was just not coming together. I set it aside and moved on to other projects.

As the hymn submission deadline approached, my sweet husband did housework, cooked meals, and cared for the children as I rushed to polish and submit my offerings. I had never gotten back to “Holy Places.” There just hadn’t been time. A week before the deadline I awoke early in the morning with words and music running through my mind. The forgotten fragments of ideas I had scribbled months before were being woven together into a sweet and simple song. I hurried to the piano and began writing it all down. By sunrise I had my first draft of “Holy Places.” Normally I spend weeks or months revising and refining a song before I pronounce it complete. But there was no time for that now. I fixed it up as best I could and sent it off within a few days.

Less than a year later, we all saw our temples and chapels close due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Without our dedicated buildings, it suddenly became vitally important to have additional holy places in our lives, especially our homes and our hearts. I carried my little song in my heart as I tried to find holiness during that uncertain time.

In January 2024 I received word that “Holy Places” had been identified as a possible candidate for the new hymnbook. Over the next few weeks I worked with text and music editors to prepare my song for further review. Most of the committee’s proposed changes I gladly accepted, including a beautiful extension of the final line. But when they suggested reworking the first half of the melody, I dug in my heels. I loved the current melody and couldn’t see any way to make it better. 

Then the editor sent me a page that included notes from the committee’s original reaction to my song. I learned that while they liked the text of “Holy Places,” they felt the music was somewhat weak. If the existing music couldn’t be strengthened they proposed rewriting it completely. Stunned and humbled, I asked the Lord to help me fix the music. Together we reworked the opening lines in a beautiful way that brought greater resonance with the text. 

Through the process of creating and revising “Holy Places,” I learned some things that have helped me in my efforts to make my own life and home more holy. I learned that the Lord can weave together our many small and fragmented efforts to create something beautiful, even when we feel we have failed. I also learned that our best growth often happens when we are willing to learn from the wisdom and experience of others. Finally, I learned of the blessings that come when we stop resisting the Lord’s invitations to change. In the process of partnering with the Lord to revise and rewrite our lives, we achieve greater beauty, harmony, and holiness than we ever thought possible.