The loss caused me to think long and hard about life and my family. So one night I had a dream. In that dream I was diagnosed with cancer and as Sylvianne and I sat there stunned the doctor told us I had a short time to live.
So we prepped ourselves and our sons as best we could for what was inevitable. In the dream I woke up to go to work and as I turned to tell Sylvianne bye, I was still in bed. As I stood at the door in shock I realized I had passed. At that very moment For you began to play.
That morning I awoke, grabbed my guitar and wrote the song I had heard in that dream. For you was written from the view of standing on the other side of vail watching those who we leave behind here on earth......I remember learning a valuable lesson about songs, that it is felt first. We were in Japan touring and we closed a show with For you.
As we sang this song there was a hush that came over the audience as we were singing, I mean you could feel it. You could hear a pin drop. That night we connected with our audience through a song that they did not understand in language but spirit. This song has been sung for many, many weddings.
We closed all our big shows with this song, as a reminder that families are the core of our lives. To cherish them and hold them close. Because there only few occasions we see all of our families. One is at funerals. As I bid Aloha to my beautiful mother in law I offer this as gift.
My dear wife was named after her. "Toimata" Tetuanui. As we watched by phone the funeral I could feel Sylviannes pain of not being able to be in Tahiti with her siblings as they bid farewell to the matriarch of the family. off of our Can you imagine album the song "For you".
To my family in Tahiti I love you all deeply.