Piano Guys cellist pens heartfelt post to friend Jon Schmidt
Published at | Updated at
Piano Guys cellist Steven Sharp Nelson posted a tribute to his friend and band mate Jon Schmidt in the wake of the disappearance of Schmidt’s daughter Annie.
In the post, Nelson wrote about helping his friend search for his daughter in a vast area where everything seemed to look the same.
“I can’t adequately express the anguish I felt as I watched my friend, my brother, run upriver, fighting against an ice-cold current, shouting his daughter’s name at the stoic riverbanks on each side — straining his voice above the din of the white water,” wrote Nelson in the post.
Nelson said he started to feel angry that despite the diligent efforts and prayers of so many, they were still unable to find Annie, but Schmidt was more calm.
“I’ve known Jon now for over 20 years,” said Nelson. “When you share the stage with someone you learn a great deal about his character. He is a model man, friend, husband and father. His faith is like an endlessly rushing river that carves out obstinate shores of despair and flows around imposing rocks of doubt.”
Nelson said his life has been changed by Schmidt’s empathy and that Schmidt helped him to cope with the loss of his mother a few years back.
“Jon is no stranger to struggle,” Nelson wrote in the post. “It’s how he has earned his empathy. He has also taught me that tragedy shakes off our shackles of petty concern, allowing us to sweat off the small stuff. This softening is one of the enduring purposes of hardship. And as we are softened, our hearts open up to house faith in eternal purposes that can’t readily be seen.”
Read Nelson’s full blog post here.
