“You Care For Me” New Release date:

Sunday, March 2nd, 2025

“You Care for Me” was slated to release on February 15th, right after Valentine’s Day- And this was perfect because, gee, Valentine’s Day can be a drag if you don’t have a Valentine of your own! But “You Care for Me” reminds us that God cares for us more than any human valentine ever could!

In fact, this is such a deep love, God exclaims:

King David claims of God’s love:

You are never alone! Even when you feel lonely in a crowd! When you feel that nobody gives a hoot about your life’s work or even your life- God Cares! HE CARES FOR YOU!

And do you know why I know this? Because He cares for me!

As a little kid I experienced some rough rejection, as many of us do. The most popular girl int he 4th grade caught me picking my nose (you laugh but this was serious!) and decided I was gross and no-one should be my friend. I became a social outcast and felt so unloved! I started doing things to prove I was worth something; I was someone worth liking. I started doing gymnastic and became an advanced competitor; I started playing guitar and writing songs. Though I loved those pursuits… I was always hoping people would like me more because I was good at something. I got lots of attention singing. And it became a driving force to be famous. To be really loved!

This experience inspired the part about bullying in verse 2:

“As a kid of 12
I learned of pain and bullying
When I cried for help
My friends weren’t always coming”

Though it really happened at age 9 in my life, I just thought 12 sounded better.

It didn’t help when my father left my mother when I was 15. Again I felt rejected and wanted to prove that I was worth loving. I didn’t understand how much my Heavenly Father loved me!

Backstory of “He Cares For You”

As this picture above shows, I’ve been doing this music thing a few years! This is little young teen me singing for the I Love NY campaign at NY state parks. We had this show and the other singers would sing Barry Manilo’s “I write the Songs” and then I would come out and sing one of my original songs with my guitar! It was a pretty cool moment!

Of course, I assumed I’d be a giant star by the time I graduated high school… but I had to wait a bit! But God had a plan!

Incidentally, I was not following Christ at that time… in fact, by the time I left high school and headed off for a busking tour of Europe, I was quite the wild child!
And OH the things God protected me from on my travels!!! He really does care for me!

Some of these experiences inspired verse three:

“At last I was 18
On my own, making my way
Going after dreams
Hitting walls- making mistakes
Whether studying or working 
Or chasing after sin
Meaningless as the wind!”

After an “Almost” record deal with Richard Gillinson of ABBA fame in London and some time at Oberlin College in Ohio, I finally landed in Boston at Berklee College of Music… Still the headstrong, self-absorbed star to be. I was competitive and hard-working. But I was also very independent. I didn’t make too many real friends there- except this guy Jim, who played really great guitar,  but kept inviting me to church (I wasn’t interested)  and another guy I dated most of my Berklee lifetime, we’ll call him “Tommy.”

Tommy and I had this understanding; he was an actor and I, a singer; we wouldn’t let our relationship get in the way of our careers. Our selfishness pretty much wrote the story of our time together. When that was over shortly after my graduation I rebounded to another relationship with my keyboard player, we’ll call him “Jeremy”, which led to a too quick engagement, he 20 and I was 25. I proposed to him (Feminist in control woman that I was) and he wasn’t ready. I was just impulsive and loving that he was so different from Tommy (And longing for true commitment.) Honestly, I was trying to fill that empty space inside that only God can fill! 

But despite my lack of interest in God, He still blessed me. I prospered at Berklee and got to record and sing in many big shows. This picture was from my senior recital at the Berklee performance center, Boston.

But I still wasn’t giving the credit where it was due

After Berklee, I was more determined than ever to make a name for myself. Jeremy and I were gigging like crazy with my band Centerpiece.  I burned the candle at every end possible. I was GONNA MAKE IT!!!! A few years later, and hundreds of club gigs at smokey bars, I found myself with nodes on my vocal cords! For those of you not in the vocal world- that’s calluses on my vocal cords- BAD NEWS! I couldn’t talk, my band broke up, my fiancé, Jeremy, took a hike (WHAT?!) – ON Valentine’s Day! I was scared my career was over… My LIFE was over!  Who was I-  if I couldn’t sing? My friends were all people in my bands; and when I had no gigs they scattered like mice from rat poison… On top of it all, a roady/ fan of mine turned from fan to stalker and started harassing me and insisting I should marry him! That later led to court cases… eek!

The only people that seemed to care for me during this dark time were that guy Jim, from my Berklee days, the one who used to invite me to church,  and these Christians he hung out with from this arts ministry he was a part of.  Sometimes we have to experience some deep lows to open our eyes and see God. It was at this time, when I could neither sing, nor even speak, that God first really reached me, though he had been there all the time. He used Jim and his then girlfriend, now wife, Jean, and their friends to open my eyes… I studied the Bible and came to a faith in God and started making music for His glory.

The pain and glory of this journey was the life behind verse four:

I was baptized on January 6th, 1991 by Bob Tranchell in Lexington, MA. I was so scared before I went down in the water because I knew my life would forever change… and it did! But I came up out of the water with a wide smile of joy as the disciples sang “Lord of All” ini beautiful harmony! God knew what was needed to reach me, He had to take away my security, my voice, to help me see that He is what I really needed! Then, six weeks after baptism, my voice was finally healed enough to sing and share my story for 4000 people at the Wang Center in Boston! God truly cares for me.

Later, I fell in love with my husband, Ralph (another Berklee grad who I was not friends with while at Berklee… another long story there!) and we married… Before Christ I never could have had a good marriage- I was too selfish. But God saved me from my messed up relationships in the world. He cares for me.

When I had all but given up hope of ever having children, after 8 years of fertility treatments, prayers and tears, God gave me our twins, Caleb and Hannah. He cares for me!

God healed my husband of fibromyalgia. He released me from the sins of jealousy and envy. He protected me serious injury in way too many car accidents and a nasty ski accident: He cares for me! He has always pulled us through our financial struggles and given me a life in music that I love: HE CARES FOR ME!

When I sat down to write some new songs for my new album with producer Neal Merrick Blackwood, I found myself in awe of the blessings in my life, my husband and wonderful kids, many friends and hopes and dreams… and I have always loved the mountains and His creation- the chorus started to fall out naturally:

“You made the mountains rise
Yet still you care for me
You made the stars that shine
Yet still you care for me
You paint the sunset skies
You knit each unborn child
You filled the mighty seas
Yet still you care for me!”

When you mix in the smooth bass of Zack Page, tasteful drums of Neal Merrick Blackwood, almost Steely Dan-esk guitar and piano stylings of Chris Rosser and AWESOME saxophone solo of Juran Ratchford… expertly recorded and mixed by Neal Merrick Blackwood… something absolutely anointed was the result!

The bridge, with backing vocals by two talented young singers Max Dasher (American Idol) and Payton Adkins,  is where the hook really drives home”

“You Care for Me” – is contemporary Christian and yet pop, but influenced by my own folk-rock roots and jazzy vocal stylings making it feels familiar and yet fresh. But most importantly, this song tells my story of coming to faith and gratitude to be hear because of the great and loving God who calls us individually and cares for every one of us!