Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Background Story for the 2015 Sheet Music Song

From Tami Creamer's website:

"The story behind the song I Know That My Savior Loves Me:

While living in Ogden Valley in Utah about 14 years ago, I was asked to write a song for a Primary Choir for our Stake Conference. They wanted a song about the Savior. As I thought and prayed about this assignment, I decided to write a song about one of my favorite scripture stories, 3 Nephi chapter 17, where Christ visits the American continent and blesses the little children. This is such a tender story.

As I started writing, I was thinking about what a beautiful place those people of Nephi were in, and how wonderful it must have been for them to see the Savior. What an amazing experience for each of them, especially the little ones, as He let them sit on his knee and blessed them and wept openly for them. Then as I was looking out my sunroom windows at the beautiful valley we lived in, I realized that we are in as much of a beautiful place as they were, and even though we can’t see the Savior face to face and have him minister to us and bless us, He still does that through our loved ones. That was the basis for this song.

As I began writing, I realized that this was a much greater task than I had anticipated. Some of my songs have come very fast, but this one took a lot of time. I think it was because I knew that writing about the Savior had to be just right. Thank heavens I have a dear friend, Derena Bell, who helped me complete the lyrics. She has such a beautiful way of expressing things and she has such an amazing testimony. I couldn’t have done it without her. As I continued to write, I felt the Spirit of my Heavenly Father helping me in the whole process. How grateful I was for that.

In February of 2001, our Primary choir was able to sing it for Stake Conference. The children loved singing it and it brought a sweet spirit to the meeting. We decided to enter it into the Church Music Competition that year, and it won first place. Then a year later, I was contacted by The Friend magazine and was told that they wanted to publish it. I had hoped that one day it would be in a Primary program but never thought that day would come. In 2010, I was notified that it would be the featured song for the Primary Sacrament Meeting Program that year. How humbling that was for me. Since then, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has sung and recorded it, and now it will again be the featured song in the 2015 Primary Program.

I am very humbled and grateful to have been an instrument in the Lord’s hands to be able to put down on paper a song that children all over the world will sing. I pray that through this song, they will be able to learn more about our Savior and His love for them."

1 comment:

  1. Hi Tami, I just wanted to thank you for posting the backstory to this song. Since openly weeping as I first listened to my young children perform it in the 2010 Ward Primary Program, it has been one of my favorites. I am serving in my ward R.S. Presidency & was asked to base my thoughts for the first Sunday lesson upon a message from the October 2014 General Women's Meeting. Immediately I remembered my favorite part, the medley of your song & "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." The combined testimonies that song shares were so overpowering to me! Whether the simple, pure testimony of a child or the seasoned testimony of a grown sister, they are equally impactful as the medley portrayed. This medley was especially important to me when it was sung because my brother & some close friends have recently left our faith & I had been mulling over/contemplating their reasons for quite some time. As I heard this song, I was overcome with a firm knowledge of the truth of the song being sung -- by the fact that I KNEW these things for myself. It was very enlightening to me & put some complex feelings I was having into a simple perspective. Again, thank you as I prepare for my lesson that will be based on the important foundation our testimonies must each have -- that our Redeemer lives and that He loves us. Sincerely, Rachelle Koch

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