My goodness, what a journey it has been creating this CD! I started composing some of the songs on this CD when I was just 15 years old. Now at the ripe age of 32, I have finally found the massive amounts of time and energy required to share this music in the form that I had imagined. Each and every song on this CD is the culmination of years of work. Each and every song was created during an important event in my life that inspired the music. This CD is dedicated to my late father John Bailey who always sat in the living room and listened to me play piano for hours on end while reading numerous books on history and philosophy. He sat about 15 feet away from the piano for the first 17 years of my life. When I said that I didn't know how to compose he hummed a few notes of a song that he made up in his head. After those first few notes I was off to the races. Thanks Dad! My most heartfelt thanks to all of my family who have supported me while I took on the biggest project of my life. I have the most supportive wife anyone could ever ask for. My wife Dobrija is the most beautiful soul I will ever meet. I hope that you enjoy listening to these songs as much as I enjoyed creating them. 1 – Dad (7:35) After my father passed away in 1995 the theme for this song popped into my head one day out of nowhere. This has only happened twice in my life to this day - and I knew who the song should be dedicated to. 2 – Emma (5:04) The only other time a theme for a song popped into my head was a couple of days after my cousin Emma passed away. This music is in loving memory. 3 – Dobrija (6:36) My wife Dobrija inspired this song which I composed after we first met. I played it for her after she beat me at bowling on our first real date and I play it for her still. I want a rematch! 4 - Passion (7:30) The year after my father passed was a time of intense emotion and this song was created during that tumultuous time. 5 – Hope (4:18) I started playing Hope while my father was fighting cancer. I shared it with family and friends at his funeral after a courageous battle was fought. 6 - Water Drops (5:41) This theme was inspired by a summer spent close to nature. 7 - Letting Go (5:36) After leaving the rat race to pursue a more balanced way of life, I found it took quite a bit of time to let it all go. This song was a result of finally being able to do so. 8 - Taking Flight (4:12) Taking Flight was written for my father as I picture him continuing his journey in the next life where I will someday join him. 9 - Flirting with the Wind (3:33) This song represents the illusion of control. No matter how much I plan, I never know where the wind will carry me. 10 - Emma Ever After (7:52) After months of playing the song Emma I felt inspired to move into variations of the theme. Emma Ever After symbolizes her continuing journey in the afterlife.