By Ear — A Short Film About Starting Over at 59

In 2021, my life broke open in a way I never expected.

For years I stood behind pulpits, in front of microphones, and inside rooms where my voice carried weight. I fought for people. I served my community. I spoke for a living. And then, almost overnight, all of that fell silent.

My wife’s health declined, and I became her full‑time caregiver.

The days got long.

The nights got longer.

And somewhere in the middle of loving her through the hardest season of her life, I started losing pieces of myself.

Grief has a way of hollowing you out quietly.

Anxiety has a way of stealing your breath without warning.

And one day, I realized I didn’t know how to speak anymore — not the way I used to.

Then one afternoon, with nothing left to hold onto, I picked up a guitar.

I didn’t know a single chord.

I didn’t know what I was reaching for.

I just needed something that didn’t ask me to be strong.

And somehow, in that fragile moment, sound found me.

One note.

Then another.

Then a rhythm that felt like breathing again.

What started as survival slowly became a ritual… then a refuge… then a new kind of ministry. I played in nursing homes, at bike rallies, in quiet corners where nobody knew my story. And every time I touched those strings, I felt a little more human. A little more alive. A little more like the man I was trying to become.

By Ear is the story of that rebirth — a film about grief, courage, and the strange, beautiful ways healing finds us when we think we’re done.

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What I’m Raising Funds For

I’m raising funds to bring this story to the screen with honesty, tenderness, and the kind of care a journey like this deserves.

Your support will help us:

• Capture the raw, intimate moments that shaped this transformation

• Craft a film that feels like healing — slow, quiet, and deeply human

• Create original music and sound design that reflects the role frequency played in my recovery

• Travel to the places where this story actually unfolded

• Share the film with festivals and audiences who need to be reminded that starting over is still possible

This isn’t just a film.

It’s a lifeline — for anyone who has ever loved deeply, lost deeply, or had to rebuild themselves from the inside out.

Your support, whether it’s $5, $10, or simply sharing the campaign, helps carry this story into the world. It helps someone out there feel less alone. It helps remind people that healing doesn’t have an age limit.

And it helps me honor the journey that saved my life.