I was playing for an adoption benefit, and Emmylou, who had just turned 3, kept asking if she could come sing a song on stage with me. I felt nervous about this for her, so we walked her through when and where she would come on stage to sing. We had a little stool set up in front of a mic for her and the plan was for her to sing the first song of the night with me. As I was introducing her and getting her all set on the stool, she leaned up to the mic and said, “Actually mom, I’m gonna drum.” My heart started beating REALLY fast. This is not what we had planned... I was both a mom and an artist performing, and I had NO idea how to handle the situation…

I wrote this song after a conversation with my little sister. We were talking about the power that comparison has to steal our joy. The struggle is real. Whether it’s flipping through a magazine, walking down the street, or scrolling through an Instagram feed, comparison calls to us. We see the way a girl is wearing her hair, or who she went to the party with, or the job promotion she just got/vacation she just took/meal that she just made, and all of the sudden we are “not enough”. We don’t measure up, and what we have been given… our bodies, our jobs, our friends, our gifts and talents, our homes, our everything is not enough…

Have you ever been sick while traveling? It is my least favorite. I was on a radio tour up north when I started writing this song. We were visiting 3-4 stations a day in different cities to connect with radio stations and the incredible people who run them, and about halfway through our trip, I started feeling TERRIBLE. My throat was killing me & I tried to shake the feeling of fever creeping across my whole body by downing Advil every few hours. I rarely go to the doctor, but finally, on the third day, I told my husband and our radio promoter, Matt Ingle, “I need y’all to take me to a clinic.” It was a bad case strep throat. I cried. I was so bummed…

I’ll never forget the day I saw the email. I’m casually scrolling through my inbox, and my eyes settle on this subject line from my manager, Sam: “Ellie’s Opry Debut”. I couldn’t believe it. Plus, the date it was scheduled for was April 1st, so I thought, “This must be an April Fool's joke! There is NO way I am getting to play the Grand Ole Opry.” After quickly calling my manager to confirm that this was true, I celebrated with my precious husband over the phone! It’s the kind of news you get that makes you hold the phone above your head and dance! “Babes! Did you see the email? I’m getting to play the Grand Ole Opry!” Cue sweet congrats from my husband, squeals from me, and a small phone dance party…

I was on a jet bridge waiting to board a Southwest flight to when I got the text. Scrolling through instagram, drinking a coffee, & this long message popped up on my screen. It was from my dad to our whole family, and my heart sank as I read the words. The tests had come back, & it was cancer. The tears welled up, I tried to hold them back and breathe, as I found my way to my seat on the plane. I couldn’t talk…