"Leap of Faith and into His Will" by Mary LaFrance

Music, had been a huge part of my life since I was born. My parents were professional musicians on the side, and we had music being played in our home 5-7 days a week. I started learning and singing songs from the age of 3 years old. The first song my dad taught me was, “You Are My Sunshine.” The first song my mom taught me was, “Jesus Loves Me. Even though I was quiet and shy, as I was happy to be included in the sing-a-long times with my siblings and parents. Apparently, when I was around 6 or 7 years old, my family noticed that I could sing harmony and my voice often drifted to that part instead of the melody. I would say that an estimated total of songs that I’ve learned over the course of my life is probably around 75,000+ songs! Memories galore have filled my life with the sounds of music, both in playing instruments and singing.

When I was a teenager, my friend Adi Keel, always tried to encourage me to sing a solo at church. No way! It would be to scary for me. She tried patiently to prod me along, remind me of my musical gifts from God and I think she was sure that she could convince me. Nope! Along the way though, I had begun to sing for weddings, banquets, and even funerals, but usually with at least one other person. My dad’s funeral was the first time I sang for such a somber and grievous event. My mom had asked all of us as her children to sing our dad’s favorite hymn, “How Great Thou Art.” It was a powerful stepping stone to building my character, and allowing me eventually to get out of God’s way with what He wanted me to do musically.

From the year 2000 to 2009, I had several moments around 2:00 a.m., where the Holy Spirit would wake me up. It was at this early morning time, that God would lay lyrics and music to complete several original songs.

During these profound experiences, I felt a deep connection with divine inspiration. The stillness of the night seemed to amplify the presence of the Holy Spirit, creating a sacred space for creativity to flourish. As I reflected on these moments, I realized the significance of being receptive to inspiration at unexpected times. The process of receiving lyrics and music during these early morning encounters felt like a spiritual collaboration, as if I were a vessel for the expression of divine creativity. Each song that emerged from these encounters holds a unique and special place in my heart, serving as a testament to the power of faith and the boundless nature of artistic inspiration, that certainly comes directly from God and nothing else could explain it.

Here are some of the song titles of my original compositions:

• “She is a Warrior”
• “Leap of Faith” (The title song to my 2009 CD)
• “A Timeless Friend”
• “My Journey”
• “River of Time”
• “I Found You”
• “Unconditional Love”
• “God’s Amazing Grace Will Cover Me”
• “Have a Heart to Obey”
• “Oh How I Miss You Friend”
• “Captured By Your Heart”
• “From a Mother’s Heart”
• “From Bethlehem to Calvary”
• “Mom, How Can I Find the Words?”
• “Live Like Tomorrow Never Comes”
• “My Sister By My Side”
• “The Perfect Lamb”
• “We Can Stand Strong”
• “You’re the Sonshine After the Rain”
• “The Cry of My Heart”
• “Reign Down on Me

In, March 2009, I finally gave up trying to dig my heels in and I recorded my first solo CD album. I found a studio in Vancouver, WA called, “Downbeat Sounds.” The 2 young men who owned the studio were awesome young Christians and they laid out every detail of how things would go. I told them I had 12 songs to record and would like to get it all done in one session, and return for a 2nd session to record the harmony tracks. Kelsey Smith, was my sound engineer, and he said, “It’s going to be a long day, but let’s do it!” It took me 13 hours to complete the recordings (to my satisfaction). I went back 3 days later and recorded the harmony tracks. I chose to just sing and play my acoustic guitar, and I wasn’t sure how many people would even be interested in purchasing a CD from me.

Discmakers Production Company in New York City, was my production company to press out the CDs, make the master copy of all the songs before every song would become the finished product. One of my amazing and shocking surprises came. A couple I had known since I was 10 years old, Jan and Bruce Campbell, sent me a card. I had baby sat their 2 kids when they were little and we were very close. I opened the card, and it read, “Dear Mary, today is our wedding anniversary. We couldn’t decide what to do, but when we learned that you were recording your 1st CD, we prayed and asked the Lord, so we thought there was no better thing to do, but to send you a check to help pay for the studio time, and processing the CD. Here you go, and we know without a doubt you are making such a joyful noise unto the Lord. Love Jan and Bruce…Well, tears filled my eyes as I unfolded the check inside the card. The money would not only cover the recording studio costs, but also help pay for me to purchase 1,000 CDs to sell. I called Jan that evening and said, “I don’t understand, what are you guys doing?” She laughed and said, “We are just trying to do what God laid our our hearts, so enjoy it and we are so excited for this adventure for you. It will be fabulous!”

Discmakers helped me to network with iTunes, Spotify, Taxi Music News, Youtube and 6,500 advertising markets worldwide and over 700 radio stations. Within the first month of my receiving the CDs to my home, I sold over 700 of the 1,000 CDs I had ordered. Unbelievable and such a humbling experience to say the least.

I was bombarded with phone calls and emails requesting me to sing for different local events, more weddings, funerals and banquets. Some requests came asking me to be a guest speaker, and I felt I would not do well, so many times I declined. When I was a little girl, and my parents tucked me into bed at night, I prayed the same prayer every night…”Dear Jesus, I know you love me and all little children. I know you will never make me sing or speak in front of anyone or a crowd, because it’s just to scary…Amen” My mom told me when I was 30 years old, that she so wanted to tell me, “Be careful how you pray little girl, because those things are exactly what God will end up having you do if you try to put on the brakes!”

On May 19, 2011, I had to have a bilateral mastectomy. The breast cancer was returning, this time to my left breast. I came home the day after the surgery, surprising Dr. Slovic once again with my strength from God, my chipper attitude, and no pain. I was back to work in 3 weeks and life continued on. No treatment was needed beyond the surgery and I was thankful. I did have a short time issue with fluid filling up in my chest and had to have it drained once a week. After that it was good. I found a way to wash my hair in the kitchen sink since I couldn’t lift my arms above my head for 5-6 weeks. You tend to get real inventive during these times…LOL Adi Keel had some up from Arizona to be here for my surgery and stayed through September. She kept encouraging me about my music and singing and convinced me to do a solo concert at my church. On September 12, 2011, I did a full length concert, 2 hours long, memorized 27 songs complete with slide show for each song, and talked about my cancer journey and life in between. I was expecting about 50 people to attend, but God had a different plan. Over 270 people came, and I was able to raised $4,258 for our church music department. What a night and I’m glad I have a DVD video to go back and relive those memories.

God had allowed me yet another sweet time of successfully recording my 2nd CD album in 2015. This time I used several different instruments on each song. The owner of Kingsley Music Garden and I played all of the instruments and we had a blast! On June 2, 2013, I was going through a box of my mom’s things and pictures. I had looked in this box several times since her passing in 1996. This particular morning, I noticed a sheet a paper, folded in half, stuck to the inside of the big box. I unfolded it and began to read the contents. It was a poem my mom had written about my dad the night he died, on June 2, 1973. Forty years to the exact day, and I had never seen this poem before! I sobbed for what seemed like an eternity, and then called Adi Keel to read the poem. Her first reaction was, “I think God allowed you to find this so you can set it to music as a song.” How was I going to do that? Sure enough, at 2:00 a.m., 2 days later, I grabbed the poem and my guitar and went and sat in the living room. I began playing a melody on my guitar that fit perfectly, and here’s the real glimpse of God’s hand, I never once wrote down a single note or chord on paper, I simply played what I heard in my mind and heart. The song is called, “The Broken Thread” and it still gives me goosebumps to this day.

It’s truly a testament to the enduring power of music to be able to celebrate success with another humble album. The impact of music on our lives stretches across time and brings an unmeasurable amount of joy, comfort, and inspiration to so many. It’s through these emotional connections that music becomes a balm for the soul and a soundtrack for our experiences. Here’s to continued success and the wonderful journey ahead!