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My name is Sharon Martin. 

The idea behind this website was initially sparked by my continual discovery of songs or psalms of praise neatly nestled within the sacred text of Holy Writ, also known as The Holy Bible.  I am a lover of music, words of prophecy and expressions of faith in the form of hymns and prayer - all these elements combined in my mind, have produced through the workings and inspiration of the Spirit, the Songs of Praise that I have come to delight in.  I have found the Bible to be a rich source full of references to song, praise, and music as expressions of joy and gratitude towards God.  As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I also delight in other subsequently revealed canon of scripture, namely the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price and the Doctrine and Covenants.  My eyes have been opened to discovering even more rich references to songs, worship and joyful praise within these cherished and sacred books.  

Naturally, this spurred within me, a desire to create my own personal online vault to house a collection of these inspired treasures.  It would be a place I could come to read, reflect and be edified at the click of a button!  But I have also felt it should be a place accessible to others who share in my joy of worshipful prayer and music. 

My hope is that this site will be like a 'breath of fresh air' - a reminder, that despite the challenges of life, there is always a reason to rejoice and give thanks with a prayerful

Psalm of Praise! 

Also here to join me on this small yet delightful project is my creative, inspired and wonderful friend, Janneke Tata.  Her insights, wisdom and faith in Christ inspires me daily and I know she will shine her unique light on this project in a way that will uplift and illuminate the soul.

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Tena Koe, I'm Janneke (Ya-ni-ka).

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Sharon and I met years ago through our younger sisters friendship. Later, Sharon and another sister were the first to welcome me to Brigham Young University Hawaii via a note at my Hale. It was warm and assuring to me that this new venture in life was going to be alright, possibly even really good, despite the quiet fears and homesickness I was experiencing - in only the first day in a new country, a new hemishpere and a new university. Sharon also happened to be with me the day my at the time my yet to date and future husband realised that I might be the one. Quiet milestones in my life have come and gone, somehow, Sharon has been part of them.

When my first real experience with grief, loss and mourning came, Sharon had already been down that road with the same sister that welcomed me to my new young adult life, here they were again welcoming me; to the intense journey of reaching my roots deeper into Christ, finding reasons for joy, rejoicing and praise for my God, despite my tender, weakened, shell of the self I used to be.

During the last two years, Sharon and I have amassed over a thousand pages of conversation of daily life, tutu children, Mama fails, beatiful insights into the purpose of life; and how to fail and keep trying day after day after day (even when it seems like monotony). 

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One day I felt like I could arrange a hymn (it's still not finished) and Sharon thought she could add to its beauty (she really did). Another day I felt like I could make a journal out of our messenger conversations (hence knowing about the thousand plus pages of conversation). Sharon felt like a website would be a good thing for her to do, she thought maybe I had something to contribute. Now here we are doing things we are both a little nervous about but having a space to voice our faith, our fails and our source of light & strength. Beginning to create content to share fills me with a sense of happiness.

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The cynic in me says "life should be full of praise ...should be", follwed by an eye roll and a sigh. Truly though, Sharon and I have come to and are continuing to understand that life should and can be full of praise, and praise is a joyful thing - even when we are feeling weak, broken, heavy and down trodden. The ability to find something joyful has not been kept from us in those moments and the necessity to praise our creator, the God of light in our darkness has been entirely possible so that we have functioned and began to thrive.

We are women and Mama's who want to and do experience joy, who want to and do pass it on to our families, and to our friends, and to anyone who will take time to

stop read, hear, sigh and then try.