After the Pain, Craig Morgan Finds Joy in Life and Music on New Album God, Family, Country

In the summer of 2016, Craig Morgan buried his 19-year-old son Jerry on a hilltop cemetery on the grounds of his 600-acre farm. A year and a half ago, Morgan returned to the bottom of that hill and started building a set of steps that would eventually lead to his son’s gravesite.

But he never ended up finishing those steps.

Morgan was always too busy with tour dates and concerts, appearances and appointments that filled his calendar and distracted his heart from the pain of his son’s untimely death. But then, in March of 2020, coronavirus took hold of the world and gave everyone, even country music superstars, an unscheduled break.

Morgan knew what he had to do. He had to go finish those steps.

"My wife had been begging me to finish it," Morgan, 55, said quietly during a recent interview with PEOPLE. "I just refused to let anyone else finish it, because I felt like they were mine to finish. So to finish those steps now is a good thing."

The importance of grasping the good things in life has not only become a priority in Morgan's day-to-day during these rather uncertain times, but also serves as the lyrical cornerstone of his new album God, Family, Country, which was released Friday.

Focusing in on the importance of finding the good in the bad, the five new songs included on the 10-track album were written in the span of the past four years — four years that tested who Morgan was and what he stood for, both personally and professionally.

"There were days when I didn't want to write songs, but then there were days that felt really good and I was inspired and I could feel God's spirit telling me to get off my butt and be grateful," Morgan admitted about songwriting for his ninth studio album, which also includes remastered versions of some of Morgan's songs of the past. "Rather than worrying about how much time I was missing out with my son, I started focusing on all the blessings I had with him. That's what we should all celebrate."

And while releasing an album during a pandemic may not have allowed for the celebration he once envisioned, the Tennessee native has found a multitude of ways to find joy in the unexpected.

He calls it "God things."

One of those"“God things" happened the night Morgan met up with active-duty Army Airborne Rangers Justin Wright and Andrew Yacovone to write the summer anthem "Sippin' on the Simple Life." Or the time God allowed him to finally pour his heart out on the page for "The Father, My Son, and The Holy Ghost."

"My whole life has been a God thing … I truly believe that," said the 17-year Army and Army Reserves veteran who made a career out of hits such as "International Harvester," "This Ole Boy" and the four-week No. 1 "That's What I Love About Sunday." "When we were thinking about releasing this album at this time, [and] once the coronavirus hit, I did think about holding off. But the reality is that people do need this music, now more than ever."

And while the Grand Ole Opry member awaits a time when he can get on the road to truly celebrate this masterpiece of an album, Morgan says he doesn't mind having a little more time to enjoy life's simple moments.

"I bike around the farm, I chase turkeys, I mess around in my garden, I read my Bible and I do all the things on my wife's to-do list that I just have never had time to do,” he said. "It always feels good to get things done."