Hello everyone. October is now ready to depart. I have gathered some wonderful tributes to John for you over the past month. October was a very bittersweet time for all of us. Not only was it the anniversary of Johnıs passing but it was a time of growth and beginning for those of us that have been joined together by our love for him.
This past year has brought about incredible growth within IAT. We are no longer "a small group of fans in the New England area". We are International organization that has been able to provide funds for two of Johnıs charities to date: The Hunger Project and The Windstar Land Conservancy. We have provided support for each other through some very difficult times. We are truly carrying on John Denverıs vision. As Tom Crum told me a few weeks ago, we are doing exactly as John would want us to be doing. We can all feel proud of that fact. Each of us contributing in our own little way has created a larger whole that will continue to grow in the future.
Thank you John for being our guiding force. You are definitely missed here on Earth but your presence is felt by us everyday. Thank you for planting the seeds that have become the "one world family tree" that connects all of our hearts. We are so blessed that you lived! Soar with the eagles John. We will love you forever!
This newsletter is not the typical one. It is a tribute to John by all of you for all of you. Enjoy.
*************************************************************************************
During the summer, I had the opportunity to meet a remarkable person. Her name is Val Cooper. She has written a wonderful song that I would like to share with all of you. This is what itıs all about folks!
*************************************************************************************
From Ken Davies of the DMA (Denver Music Association):
*************************************************************************************
From Carole Romanowski, Yonkers, New York:
*************************************************************************************
From Pat Filkins in CA:
John, ascension, wind, energized by mornings' first rain, while lingering on God's barren terrain. Drifting upward, through the fragrant sage and weed. Careening through rocks and canyons while noting all of the makers' wondrous works. Still energized by the eternal source. You touch the dancing grass and swirl with the never-ending flutter of pines, aspens and birch. Ascending beyond and caught by the eternal winds, you bid farewell to the shrubless rock to the alpine lake to the eternal glacier and finally to the convergent peak The azure blue of the Pacific welcomes you to your eternal home and your being will once again energize that which is you." Patricia Anne Filkins - Bakersfield, Cal.
Some additional personal thoughts: John's legacy is the celebration he brought to our hearts as a result of the complete life he lived. That legacy, which will never die, has now extended well beyond those who personally knew him and loved him. The only traits he had No tolerance for were apathy and indifference. Like a comet, you streaked across my life, bringing poetry, light, majestic music, incredible joy and laughter. Gentle soul, you made so many people happy. God Speed!
*************************************************************************************
From Peggy D. in IL:
To my dear friend John.
I cannot find the words within myself that can begin to describe how I feel about you and the joy, wonderment, and , yes pain as well, that youıve brought into my life over the last year. The discovery of you and all that you are has been glorious, while the sorrow that you are too soon gone, gone before I had fully discovered what a beautiful soul you are. I guess you know how you broke our hearts last year. The only thing that eases the pain is the knowledge that you are finally truly happy.
I never met you but count you as one of my dearest friends, even though I didnıt fully appreciate until you left us. Thank you for everything. I hope you can now know the love that everyone has for you; somehow I think you do and youıre saying "Far out" and laughing that fantastic laugh of yours. God bless, my friend. I love you.
Peggy
*************************************************************************************
From Jeanne Macisco in CA:
On the morning of October 12th many of gathered at the site of the Cypress tree planted in John's memory the day before. The group was an array of young and old from varied backgrounds and many cultures; proving once again, that we are the WORLD FAMILY OF JOHN DENVER and that his music and his life transcended generations and cultures.
Everybody "just clicked" the way JD fans always seem to have a way of doing. We talked and put faces to many an e mail name. JERRY RUBIN and CINDY DOE and BILL YOUNG and DICK PASKILL along with the CALIFORNIA FRIENDS OF JD AND CALIFORNIA WINDSTAR members did a marvelous job of putting together the event. Candles were available and pamphlets encouraging support of John's many causes were to had by all.
At 5 p.m. we all formed a circle on the beach in Pacific Grove at the crash site area as John Denver songs played softly in the background. A unity candle, identical to the one being used in Aspen, CO, was lit and everyone lit their candles from it. At 5:25 p.m. a few moments of silence was requested. At 5:28 pm four Long EZ's flew over the crash site led by John Denver fan, pilot DAVE RONNEBERG. A single plane then left the formation and the remaining three flew in the "missing man formation". There was not a dry eye on the beach.
Local TV stations were on hand to cover the wonderful event commemorating the life and contributions of this great man - JOHN DENVER. Some local community people stopped by the area just to see what was happening. Many ended up staying and sharing in the warmth and emotions of this celebration of John's life.
As the group began to disband later in the evening, emotionally drained in one way; we all felt the joy of having been together to share the tremendous spirit of being part of the World Family of John Denver.
Many thanks to all who put this wonderful event together and to all who shared their time and talents to make it a success in John's memory.
"Though the Singer is Silent there STILL is the truth of the song."
Peace my friends,
Jeanne Macisco
*************************************************************************************
From Debbie King in WA:
Wednesday morning, Cathie, Dave, and Royal (their wonderful dog), Eileen, Bob, and I went for an absolutely awesome hike at Maroon Bells where we met up with Patty and Robin who were leaving. We also met up with Paula from HIH whom I was so glad to meet and get to know a little. What a wonderful and invigorating hike that was. I was so tired when we started from lack of sleep but this hike was awesome and I got re-energized. I had been looking forward to it for so long. We hiked up to Crater Lake which was rather dry. It was rather rugged and steep but worth it. We ran into John Adams along the way (the Dutch "John Denver")ówhat a joy it was to meet with him and talk with him some!
The best part though was all of us sitting on a log (not John Adams, he was with another group of folks) and belting out Rocky Mountain High at the top of our lungs while David videoed us!! Boy did THAT draw a crowd! That is another one of my absolute all time highlights from this trip. It was SO awesome to really sing that IN the Rocky Mountains!
By this time, I was at my limit of exhaustion but I felt compelled to go down to the JD sanctuary at night under the stars. But just when I decided I was just too tired to walk down there, I ran into Eileen and Paula at the hotel who were driving down. We sat there in front of the rocks where Annie is going to have the words to Johnıs songs inscribed, sharing my JD Creative Memories album that I had brought by flashlight.
Then they both very graciously offered to leave me alone at which point I sat under the stars and listened to John sing "Wandering Soul" twice through there in the dark and starlight. I didnıt have any fear in that park at all, even though ordinarily I wouldnıt even **dream* of sitting in a park alone at night. I was listening to him sing on a walkman and it seemed as if he was just singing all around me so loud and clear. His voice seemed to come from everywhere so much so that I just starting shivering. (The funny thing is, the next day when I listened both in the park again and later, the sound just seemed ordinary volume even when I changed batteries just to make sureónothing like the night before). As I listened, I saw a shooting star. It was so very hard to leave. As chilly as it was, I wanted to stay there all night but I knew Eileen and Paula were waiting. My dear husband was also gracious enough to do ALL the packing and give me that time.
Thursday morning I made a stop at the market and got the only decent rose there and a card, and left them at the sanctuary where there were several other sets of flowers, cards, a bookmark of John, a "weeping" candle and even a key. I noticed several people walking through the park looking curiously at the items. It was so very hard to say goodbye to John there and leave that place of total peacefulness.
*************************************************************************************
From Marianne in MA:
Even though I didn't get to Aspen or Monterey I did have a special John Denver memorial evening that came out the blue. My husband and I were in Oqunquit Maine in an English pub called The Sir Francis Drake. Just as the evening's entertainment was setting up his microphones the lights in most of the town went out. The owners lit candles and hurricane lamps and it became quite cozy. Mike Flynn, the singer began to ask for requests and said we could sing along since he was singing without his mikes. I asked if he knew any John Denver and he started to play Leaving on a Jet Plane. All of a sudden the whole restaurant began to sing. There were about 40 or so people and everybody was singing, even the bartender or waiter and the owners. It was incredible to hear all those people singing John's music. We also sang Sunshine on my Shoulders, Take Me Home Country Roads and Rocky Mountain High. It was such a nice way to honor John and it shows you how many people his music has touched. Mike played music long into the evening by several artists but none got the reaction that John's music did. I was a little teary eyed while we were singing but also very happy that I was able to take part in such a "far out" night.
*************************************************************************************
From Diane Palumbo in CA:
JOHNıS SONG
Words By Diane Palumbo Music By John Denver (Annieıs Song)
A Tribute to: John Denver December 31, 1943 to October 12, 1997
*************************************************************************************
From Cindy Thompson in NY:
JOHN DENVER HAD COME TO THE ROCHESTER,WAR MEMORIAL BACK IN 1984,AND THE CONCERT WAS A SELL OUT,AND I GOT TO MEET HIS MANAGER IN PERSON, HE WAS UP FRONT AT THE BOX OFFICE INFORMATION DESK,TALKING TO THE LADY THAT SELLS TICKETS. ANYWAY'S,I HANDED HIM A BIG YELLOW ENVELOPE THAT WAS FOR JOHN DENVER. AND HE TOOK IT AND SAID THAT HE'D PUT IT ON HIS DRESSING ROOM TABLE,AND HED MAKE SURE HE GOT IT SOON AS HE WENT BACK IN THERE. AND COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER AFTER HE'D BEEN HERE AND GONE,HE HAD WRITTEN ME A PERSONAL LETTER,AND HE EVEN SIGHNED IT HIMSELF,TELLING ME ABOUT HOW
HE FELT ABOUT ME AND IN WHAT I WROTE TO HIM. AND ALSO THANKING ME FOR THE 5X7 SCHOOL PICTURE THAT I SENT HIM. I WAS AROUND 12 0R 13 I THINK. HE SAID THAT HED ALWAYS CHERISH IT FOR EVER,.I WAS IN TEARS WHEN I GOT TO GO TO THE CONCERT.YOU HAVE NO IDEA. NOW THAT HE'S GONE, LIFE WON'T EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN. ILL ALWAY'S HURT FROM HIS PASSING,AND HOPE ONE DAY SOON,I'LL BE WITH HIM AND MY PASSING OF MY MOTHER. :) HOPE THIS WILL
HELP FOR THE NEWS LETTER? THANKS PEOPLE. I'D GIVE ANYTHING TO VISIT ASPEN,NEVER BEEN THERE, BUT I CAN'T. NO MONEY OR CAR. DON'T KNOW ANYONE EITTHER.. BUT ANYONE GOING TO ASPEN FOR JOHN DENVER'S BENEFIT, PLEASE WITH YOUR HEART,PLEASE SAY A PRAYER FOR ME FOR HIM..I LOVE&MISS HIM DEARLY. TAKE CARE&GOD SPEED!!!! CINDY FROM ROCHESTER,NY. :)
*************************************************************************************
From Sue Getz in FL:
The October 11th event held in Clearwater, Florida was a success! 30 of John's loving fans met under sunny skies at Moccasin Lake Park. Our potluck dinner was held in a wooden A-frame type building with John's singing surrounding us. We shared poems some people had written, and special memories some had to share of meeting John. We had 3 performers play guitar and sing John's songs for us, and we all joined in singing along - as if they could stop us! We dedicated a plaque in a nearby butterfly garden, with a meditation pond, and flowers in bloom. The plaque says "John Denver - Dec. 31, 1943 - Oct. 12, 1997 - Though the singer is silent, there still is the truth of the song. Donated by your friends". It is a lovely space where we can gather at any time to remember John. We also raffled off 2 photo prints taken and signed by John, the money going to John's causes. It was a beautiful day and John was with us in spirit. And because of that, our spirits soared remembering him.
*************************************************************************************
From Leslie Newman in OR:
>Pacific Grove, October 9th to the 13th > >I had to be there. I knew I had to be there when that plane went down and took a part of all of us with it. For quite a few years, due to too many personal losses, I had lost any sense of the "rhyme or reason" of it all....I didn't believe in any existence beyond what I could perceive through the five senses.....save for the deep truth in John's music. He sang to me through my car stereo and kept me together. > >I believed that I had to give something back and went to grad school.....became a psychiatric social worker.....but still I felt I had no connection to that conviction John had of existence beyond.....of spirit......I hoped to open myself.... My friend Linda, who helped put on the Portland memorial, joined me on the trip looking for closure.....each of us coming from different directions; each of us doing what was right for us to do. > >
That being said, I must share my Pacific Grove Journey with you, knowing
that I may be seen as delusional.....I have moments when I view myself
that way too.....but I have been so changed by what happened to me there,
that I just can't go back..... > >When John died, I found the World
Family Gathering Page....put up my name as a contact for the purpose of
doing a memorial on Nov. 12.....eight others joined me and we did it.....nearly
200 showed up. We sang and shared stories and cried....it was one of the
most important things I have ever done as a social worker....so many needed
the chance to speak publicly about what John had meant to them..... >
>About a month later, I was, as usual, in my car listening to John singing.....
as usual, I was trying to see the traffic through the tears....I pulled
off the road. I found myself wondering what John would have thought about
the efforts so many had made to participate in the memorial....the others
who helped organize it and the ones who showed up to grieve and remember.....
Then from somewhere that felt outside of myself came two thoughts that
did not feel like my own....strange though it may sound, there were no
words and the internal "voice" was different.....the first was
one of deep gratitude, and the second confused me....it was total surprise
that so many had cared. I didn't know what that meant. It made no sense.
I dismissed the event as a delusional reaction on my part.....but still
felt confused about the shock and surprise communicated,....or felt? I
didn't know what to do with that.... > >I decided to go to Pacific
Grove and I knew I had to be there longer that the two days planned.....time
alone at the crash site was essential. If there is existence beyond death,
I felt I would sense it there or not at all.....John, if he still has some
kind of existence, would surely be there and trying to connect with people
who had journeyed to be there for him.....or I would, I thought, discover
what I suspected all along.....that this life of ours is it.....there is
no more.....that people who believe in such existence must be frightened
into unconsciously making it all up to fight fear of death.
> >Day One - October 9, 1998 > >I couldn't go to the beach
just yet....discovered that I needed to prepare myself....this has been
such an emotional year. I packed my backpack for the next morning and a
trip to the beach....I brought John's CD's, a CD player, headphones and
two small speakers. I purchased "Forever John" but had not been
able to play it....once played, there would be no more "new"
music to look forward to...... > >October 10, 1998 > >Took
a cab to the beach.......I did not know where the crash site was, but walked
along a path from Lover's Point.....beautiful, powerful place......rocks
in the crashing surf.....blue sky.....slight breeze and the fragrance of
the salt air.....benches along the path....passed a bench with flowers
on it, a memorial to Polly Klass....the little girl who was kidnapped and
murdered.....so much pain.....I found a spot farther down the path....no
one was there.....no sign of life anywhere.....set up my music system next
to me on a bench facing the rocks in Monterey Bay......and then pressed
the button on the CD player. > >Suddenly, within 20 seconds of John
singing Windsong, there were Monarch butterflies, cormorants.....seagulls....Pelicans
swooping in line over the waves.....seals heads popped up in the crashing
waves.....otters playing and bobbing about.....a family with two beautiful,
small, blond-haired children showed up and stood on the rocks gazing at
the sea........Another family came.....Mexican....cheerful children clambered
over the rocks.......I had pushed the button, John began to sing, and LIFE
HAPPENED! > >The families watched the waves and listened for a bit....and
then they were gone......I was alone with John's music and the seabirds
soaring.....I was there for several hours, listening to the music, feeling
the grief and watching such abundant sea life.......when I heard a loud
noise directly to my left.......I looked over and could not believe my
eyes......one speaker was covered in Pelican poo......not seagull poo,
judging from the quantity, but Pelican poo cascading down the sides of
the speaker, like icing on a cake......NOT, however, on the speaker's grill.
An inch or so in any other direction would have splattered me or things
on the bench which could not be easily cleaned up. The poo, in fact, was
dumped on the only spot on the bench which would not have involved serious
damage......laughing and crying, I cleaned up the mess and thanked John
for the Pelican....clearly a message that I was getting too morose.......
> >However, I had brought a bunch of white flowers with me....one
for Ruth Finkel in London who could not come.....one for Marnie Shepperd
who organized the Phoenix memorial last November.....and several for the
Portland Oregon contingent who worked hard to put together the memorial
there last November.......I thanked John and tossed the flowers off the
rocks and watched them drift out into Monterey Bay. The flowers spread
apart in the water and in the middle of them, the otters came up and cavorted
among them....dancing with John's flowers..... > >I walked back past
the motel near Lover's Point where I hoped to find Jerry Rubin, the organizer
of the weekend events....His van was parked in front of the motel and I
joined the group. All the volunteers met that night for dinner and some
of us for a meeting afterward. I met "old" friends I had never
known.....aren't we all? With John's music and message at our core, at
the level of the heart, we all know each other so well.....
> >October 11, 1998 > >The next morning, we participated in
a beach cleanup before the gathering at the crash site. As I walked along
the path to the site with Susan, a new "old" friend, I found
myself torn between the joy in the encounter and feeling more pain as I
approached the site.....such a beautiful place....such loss.... How was
I to do the experience justice given the mix of strong emotions I was feeling?
> >I was to speak to the crowd and ask others to come up to speak....
At the Portland memorial so many had the need to share. I hoped that people
would take the opportunity to come up to the microphone.....I hoped for
a mike with a long cord so people wouldn't be intimidated......but no long
cord. I wanted to say so many things....but mostly I had been thinking
of how John had been a real, flesh and blood hero in our midst.....through
the millennia, humans have made up hero myths for the purpose of inspiration....to
overcome personal struggles and to fight for larger ideals. If John had
not lived, we would have had to invent him. This is why the pain is so
great.....Our involvement with John and his music is not just about John....it
is about us....who we are and what we believe we want to be. John inspired
thoughtfulness and action. We must remember and we must act. > >I
agonized about being able to say this when I was overcome with so much
emotion in such a powerful place.....the place of loss. I found myself
asking John for help and then felt foolish since I have not really believed
in spirit in many years.....in spite of John's message.....I just believed
we needed to take care of each other and of the planet....whether or not
there was anything after death. As to spirit, I thought I needed proof....I
secretly hoped I might find something there. Although there was no booming
voice from the sky to guide me, I spoke and said what I needed to say.....
> >When I finished my few words, I invited others to come up and
speak.....then we all got in line behind a group of children who carried
a small Cypress tree and we marched from the crash site to Lover's Point
Park.....we planted the tree. It is unmarked....no identification of the
tree is possible as the people of Pacific Grove are concerned that PG will
become another Graceland, but Dick Gaskill continues to work with the city
council. After we planted the tree, everyone gathered in groups to talk
or to sing. I made contact with people there I have been waiting 30 years
to meet....we spent much time together and I treasure them.....
> >October 12, 1998 > >The volunteers and all the other JD
friends didn't meet at the crash site until 4:00, so I took the opportunity
to go to the site with my music and sat on the beach, hoping to make contact
with John......if contact was possible, surely it would be at that spot......I
heard nothing save for my CD player and instead found myself talking to
others who had the same idea and showed up.....I sometimes invited others
to listen to the music with me or gave them a private moment with the headphones.....The
Wings That Fly Us Home mostly.....no John, but lots of soaring seabirds
and crashing waves and good "old" friends.....Jeanne from Connecticut
played a song for me I had not heard.....In the Healing Time from a Windstar
Symposium.....I think John wrote it just for us on the beach for this moment.....
> >I had brought memorial books for people to sign. I'm sending them
to Erma shortly....and so until the actual event began, I was busy getting
the books signed and playing John's music for those who needed to listen.....no
private moment for me on the beach, but such a rich experience in having
so much new family in my life.....
> >The time approached and we played my CD's of John's music on the
larger speaker......everyone got in a huge circle and lit memorial candles
for John from a large candle identical to the one in Aspen......a man walked
the beach with a dog....actually part wolf, part collie, I think,....the
most ethereal wolf I have ever seen.....this man, I was later told, was
part of the coast guard crew involved in the recovery effort and who had
pulled John from the water. He felt he just had to be there. At 5:28 PM,
four Long EZ planes flew overhead in a missing man formation......the cameras
from CNN were rolling and naturally found me, Jamie and Carolee holding
each other in the circle, sobbing so loudly the cameraman knew just where
to stake out his territory.....so strange to have a camera poked in one's
face at such an emotional moment, but then I just tuned the camera out.
So now America and the world knows.....John Denver meant so much to people
that they came from all over the country to shed tears together on that
beach. John made us a family.
> >I spent the evening with my new found family....Susan from Southern
California and Diane from my neck of the woods....so wonderful.....with
another John who plays guitar and Carolee and her son Jamie who plays guitar
and sings like an angel....I wanted to adopt Jamie. I may do that with
Carolee's permission.....I hated the thought of leaving Pacific Grove.....
> >October 13, 1998 > >Linda and I were scheduled to fly from
Monterey airport at 1:00, so I packed my music system once more and headed
for the crash site early in the morning.....as I walked out to the site,
I saw a lone woman there picking up trash and crying.......she was a first
grade teacher. She knew John. Apparently, she taught her kids about environmental
issues with John's music and her young charges through the years had sent
John pictures they had drawn.....She often went to John's concerts and
met him several times....once she brought some of her kids with her and
asked John to invite them to the stage to sing with him.....Grandma's Featherbed....he
asked the children to join him in singing and sat on the floor with them.
Those six year old kids knew every word. John fell over backwards on the
stage, laughing that warm, infectious laugh of his......he said he had
often invited children to sing and they almost never knew the words. He
kept them on the stage and they sang quite a few songs together......those
kids are in their twenties now......
> >And then I was alone on the beach. For the first time. I played
more music and cried..... I watched the seabirds flying in time to the
music and listened to the waves crashing in time to the music.....such
a perfect place....so much John there in nature.....but still no sense
of what I hoped for.....a reassuring sense of spirit in the universe....a
sense of John still having existence. Such a tall order, I thought.
> >Time to go to the airport.....I rushed about and we left in a
car Linda rented.....took a wrong turn....just made it to the airport only
to find our flight delayed. Linda was tense as she needed to meet her husband
on time and we were going to be very late.....tickets had to be changed.....we
weren't going to meet our connection in San Francisco.....more tension
when we discovered the plane we were scheduled to take was a twin propellered
old clunker with cramped seats and slower engines....I was struggling to
carry my things out to the tarmac.....rushing out the gate. Linda was behind
me quite a distance, but I thought to get to the plane quickly.....so much
tension and distraction....and then, just as I was about to step out onto
the tarmac, (I hesitate writing this) I abruptly stopped in my tracks when
I heard John's voice singing as though I had on headphones....not my voice
in my head remembering the words, but John's voice....and singing words
to a song I had heard once a year ago.....I truly don't know the words....I
had to look them up to write this....butthose words said what I know I
was looking for in journeying to Pacific Grove.....I was looking for John....
> >"From the life to the light, > From the dark of the night
to the dawn, > He is so in my heart, > He is here, he could never
be gone...." > >That was it.....a message telling me what I
should have known all along, but I needed to hear John tell me again. I
truly felt as though it came from outside of myself. I don't have any "sensible"
explanation for it or proof about the reality of the experience. I don't
believe I am any different from all the others who came.....however, I
do believe John, in many different ways, is speaking to all who are one
with his message from "heart to heart".....I am listening and
I "have it now." Perhaps Pacific Grove is a kind of cosmic wormhole
to the other side.....maybe Aspen is too....I'll have to go there to listen
sometime.....Maybe place is unimportant and the "place" is in
the heart.
> >I am a psychiatric social worker. All of my clients are on anti-psychotic
medications.....Maybe I need some too, but I believe what I experienced
was very real...... And my life will never be the same.....
*************************************************************************************
From Ann Schnitz in DE:
It would be impossible for me to try to encapsulate all of what occurred during the weekend of October 10-12 in Aspen -- there was just too much, the emotions were zinging back and forth from despair to joy, from laughter to tears, within moments....I don't think I could capture it even if I tried to describe it. So instead, this is my souvenir to impart to you, if you will, the part of the trip that I believe resonated to me what our love for John is all about, what our love for each other and the earth is all about.
I think that all of us who journeyed either to Monterey or to Aspen (or even those who were at their homes, on their own) feel a greater peace now. A quieting inside. For myself, I feel different, somehow, and I can't quite articulate why. The Rockies were glorious, as I'd always known they'd be, my world family was a delicious treasure -- no matter where I went that weekend, I bumped into someone "connected" -- it was all as perfect as it could have been, and yet, that wasn't quite it. Maybe it was this....
On Tuesday morning, my friend Sigrid (who came all the way from Germany) and I traveled from Aspen to Moab, Utah. Another dear friend, Virginia Allen, lives there and she and I have been corresponding for 15 years but had never met before this trip. So Sigrid and I drove Virginia back home and then stayed a few days to hike and "decompress".
Moab is an entirely different location, geologically speaking, than Aspen -- the rocks are red sandstone and the ridges almost appear to be ruins with their loose rocks tumbling down to rest at their feet. There is a deep hum of the "west" here -- you can almost watch the Colorado River slicing into those vulnerable stones and carrying away the red sand, making yet another chasm, another canyon. And yet you know that what you're seeing took millions of years to make. Millions of years of rain and wind and heat.
On Wednesday, we went to Arches National Park. Virginia has written a book about Arches and has even discovered several new ones -- small ones that most people don't even notice. So we hiked the park with her and marveled at the fascinating and weirdly beautiful towers of stone -- almost like little islands left high and dry in this unearthly blue sky. The kind of blue sky you can only see from mountaintops, John said.
Just before sunset, we went back to the park to climb up to Delicate Arch. This is the largest in the park -- easily 50-100 feet high -- but can only be reached by a hike up an almost bare rock trail (which becomes amazingly hot). We arrived there about a half hour before sunset and could feel how the light was shifting, how life was calming, waiting for night to approach. A pair of ravens were wheeling and circling around the arch, through which you could see the canyonlands spread out for miles, and a perfect oval of blue sky. We sat gazing at this scene, one with it, and I looked over at Sigrid, feeling overwhelmed with a rush of emotion -- this was it. I was in John's "west". Aspen was too crowded -- too close to "center". It was here that I was feeling "it".
Next, Sigrid reached into her backpack and loaded a tape into her Walkman, and then handed me one of the earphones. The first song on the tape was "Yellowstone", and when I heard John begin to sing the wolf's cry, my heart began to sing too -- singing for our mother, our beautiful blue earth. I was moved to tears.
We knew we couldn't stay up there because that meant we would be forced to hike off that spot in the slippery dark, the only light from the stars, as there was no moon, so reluctantly, we turned to leave. We did see a magnificent sunset -- purple, red, orange....tinting the rocks and making a "fire in the sky".
The next day, Sigrid and I flew in a tiny little Cessna over Canyonlands National Park. Spectacular is the only word that even begins to describe it. It was truly like being an eagle, and that was where John began to come to me. In that little plane, soaring over his beloved west. I didn't hear his voice, I simply felt it in my heart. My beloved Eagle and the Hawk -- oh, I am the eagle... I understand, John. I have it now.
So here I am home. Feeling changed. Warmed by those red rocks and the love of my brothers and sisters, many of whom I only just met this past week. What was Aspen? It was gazing at the Maroon Bells and remembering so many pieces of videotape of John there. It was seeing a woman I'd never seen before, sobbing and heartbroken at the It's About Time gathering Monday night (12th), and offering a hug, and receiving the embrace of a soulmate, it was hearing the music in the stars and sharing laughter and love. It wasn't really about John afterall. It was about all of us. Dancing together, being one. Holding each others hearts and knowing a truth that only we can know -- within the heart of all of us, true love is all we need.....
Love and peace, Ann
*************************************************************************************
I want to end this tribute with something very special indeed. It is a combined effort between two good friends : one in Colorado and one in California; together they have created something truly beautiful; Nancy Jurka from CO and John Rowe from CA:
Many times in the past year, since John Denver's passing, I have been asked by others to write a tribute piece to him. I have wanted to do that myself .. however it was not easy to put such an intenseness into words. Nothing ever came to mind that could be written down until one evening, while I was online with a friend from California who was going to Pacific Grove the same weekend as I was going to Aspen.. that weekend in October that we all have come to known. During the course of the conversation , a line "just floated by" as John used to say. I found myself writing this line out..."Has the Aspen met the Salt of the Sea?" After I wrote this, I thought of John Denver.. with his love of the mountains.. and his love of the ocean coming together in one place.. they did many times during his life.. they did for one last time on that day in October 1997. As I was creating this piece, a thought occurred to me.. I asked my friend to do something for me.. that was perhaps different.. never thought of before.. but what I felt needed to be done as my "farewell" and his as well to John Denver. I sent a package of golden aspen leaves to John Rowe in California.. to be put in the ocean.. as close to 5:28 pm as he possibly could. I knew I would be in Snowmass reading this piece at the "Let This Be a Voice" IAT event. Following this, you will read John's feeling of how the aspen met the salt of the sea.. on that day.. a few weeks ago at Pacific Grove.
The Aspen and the Sea
(c)copyright Nancy G. Jurka Snowmass Colorado/Monterey, California October
12, 1998
It was October 12, 1998 and what I did was a labor of love. That particular date was the anniversary of one of the most tragic events in our lives. There are so many of us around the world, the exact numbers unknown. Some who have been what we call Friends of John Denver from the beginning, some during the height of his career, and some who only discovered his music after he had reached the pinnacle of his career.
There is a special bond between all of us who have come to know and love the music of John Denver. It is a fraternity/sorority of people, many who donıt know each other, but share that special something in our heartsÖthat we are not strangers. Some of us have come to know each other quite well, and some more us have actually met and become wonderful friends.
There were special events scheduled on the anniversary of John Denverıs tragic accident in both Aspen and Monterey, the place where Johnıs plane crashed. Both locales would be One with each other during that weekend, sharing stories, playing music, and at times consoling each other. I have a friend in Colorado whom I have known for a year now. I live in California, and have for my entire life. There is a favorite tree in Aspen called the Aspen tree, and was a favorite of John Denver.
It came one night as a special request from my friend while online if I would fulfill a request of hers. Would I please do the honor of taking some leaves taken from one of these aspens that she was wanted to send me, and at a special time during that weekend of commemoration, go to the crash site and lovingly place these leaves into the ocean to connect the two places with each other. I could only be so privileged and honored to do so.
It was an experience that I canıt possibly describe. To be the one bequeathed with veneration of carrying out this deed of honor was a feeling of awe for me. I remember that night when my friend made that request of me to place those leaves into the sea. A few days later I was thinking about that request, and the thought of a song came into my head. It was very inspirational as well as very moving to me to harbor that thought.
I had not yet been to the crash site until that weekend. It was emotional to be there, to walk on the sand near the rocks and look out beyond not that far away to where this special man left our beloved world. To feel connected to him in a spiritual way. It was there that on October 12, 1998 I took out my notepad and pencil and began writing that song. The words came to me very quickly, and flowed freely from my hand to the paper. It was as if John was right there by my side writing it with me. I feel and truly believe that he actually wrote the song.
Iıve been writing songs on and off for about 24 years now, and have recently begun to pick it up again with consistency. Since Johnıs death, Iıve written some very eloquent songs in his honor, perhaps as he would have written them. I feel that his spirit is alive and well, and living inside me while I write the lyrics and the way I live my life. He is also in all of us to do better for ourselves and to each other, for he knew the ways of peace and love and tranquillity.
In death, he continues to be an incredibly powerful influence on us all, for he has made us realize that we have to carry on with the things that he believed in. No longer can we rely on him to do it, and while we have mourned and continue to mourn, it is with Godıs blessings of Johnıs spirit that those of us who remain on Earth until our Time is at hand will have the strength and courage to be our own John Denver, whether itıs writing a song, loving another person, picking up a piece of paper and throwing it away, or by simply going out and loving the Earth we live on, and treating her better than we have before. I know I will continue to do those things, and always be proud that he was my namesake. Peace, John Rowe
Aspen Golden Leaves (Off The Shores of Monterey)
John V. Rowe - (c) copyright October 12, 1998
*************************************************************************************
My heart is filled with such joy putting this newsletter together for you. It helps ever so much to know how much John Denver was loved by others. Thank you all for your contributions: itıs obvious they are really and truly from the heart. And most of all thanks to ALL of you for being a part of IAT. Together we are making great things happen in Johnıs name. Peace to you all. Marcelle
"Itıs about time we start to live it, the family of man." -John Denver