by on

Part of my journey was losing the hero of my life—my father—in a plane crash just after my first semester in college.  And though it’s taken a lifetime for the healing to come, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.  The love of friends and family helped me find wells of thankfulness, faith and hope to dream again.  

From those wells comes Rest, Vol. 2 — a collection of peaceful instrumental piano music that we released on Thanksgiving. 

One of the heroes who inspired my music and helped me find healing was my precious sister, Nancy. (Henceforth Nanny—though we still call each other by our childhood endearment, Hashimoto… okay, now everyone knows!) She has always been a mirror image of my father’s strength of character, kindness, and love… a model mentor in music and life. 

After graduating from Spring Arbor College, Nanny married Tom Sharpley. Together, they became an anchor for our family, and their home was a peaceful harbor. Nanny taught piano lessons while playing faithfully at church, and Tom sold insurance and coached successful traveling baseball and high school teams (having been an All-American in college himself).  A few years after my father’s passing, my younger brother Tim went to live with Nanny and Tom. That was an immeasurable gift to me, knowing Tim was being so well cared for and raised in a safe home.

Fast forward to just a few months ago, October 13, 2025 — Tom lost his battle with Parkinson’s disease. Everyone gathered in Marshall, Michigan, to comfort each other and remember a life well lived. Family, friends, clients, and players he’d coached through the years came to support Nanny and their children: Evan, Ryan, and Kristen. 

Evan and Ryan each shared beautiful tributes and stories of their father’s life — how Tom invested his time in both his family and the young men he coached, on and off the field. How he taught the value of respect and honor, working hard, and playing hard. We laughed and cried… and then laughed some more. 

Ballplayers from years past came and shared with Nanny how Tom had impacted and changed the course of their lives. Many still carried with them a pledge that Tom gave all his players — The Battle Kid’s Pledge:

Dear God,

As the battle goes on in life, we ask for a playing field that’s fair and for a chance that’s equal as we strive for the courage to do and to dare. If we should win, let it be done by the code with our heads humbly held high, and if we should lose, let us stand by the road and cheer as the winners pass by.  

Amen.

So to my dear sweet Hashimoto, Nanny, and her husband, Tom Sharpley two heroes who helped heal my heart — I dedicate Rest Vol. 2.

And as you listen, I hope you too can draw from those timeless wells of thankfulness and faith: that you find hope to dream again, that you feel the strength from those who have loved and sacrificed for us.  I pray for you — as I do for Tom, now in Heaven — to find Rest, in Peace.

by on

Peace, joy, and rest to you all, my friends… and hope for new beginnings in 2022, as this last year was one of incredible challenge and loss for so many. 

In some ways, it feels like life has repeated itself for me in the last few months. I lost three of the greatest people I’ve known in quick succession: Ricky Texada, my pastor, role model, and counselor of thirty years; Jeff Morris, a very close friend of twenty-five years; and Marcus Lamb, a great visionary I served with for twenty years. All suddenly gone, leaving a vacuum in this world that seems impossible to fill. 

It reminds me of the loss of my father some 40 years ago, when I was a freshman in college. The pain of losing my hero was immeasurable. How does one find life again—with it’s amazing, beautiful, priceless pulse—when it’s so powerfully fragile? How can one find joy? At that time, the only thing I knew to do was find a piano somewhere. I’d play and cry. I’d play and reminisce. I’d play and dream of beautiful days past, and hope for better days to come. Music was my therapy, and ultimately, it helped me heal. 

Years later, I still find myself returning to my piano for comfort: slowly expressing whatever life has brought—sunshine or rain, joy or pain—into melodies and gentle phrases that bring the gift of rest. Even more beautiful is the fact that my comfort is one that I get to share with the world. With the encouragement and support of my family, I finally began to release some personal projects in the last few years: first with The Healing, and most recently with the Rest series. 

And as we go into the new year, I want to officially dedicate the Rest series to the families of Ricky, Jeff, and Marcus. Each man had a profound impact on my life, and I pray their families are able to find peace as they mourn for their departed.