Oh, the rabbit hole you have avoided today! This one might have turned into a word salad of unimaginable proportions. There's just so much to talk about! But you'll be relieved to know that I have done my job and narrowed the focus appropriately.
The entire 3-season television series would be complete in about 5 minutes and bedtime would immediately commence. The protagonist has been justly rewarded for the defeat of evil and is heading back to their West Virginia childhood home for the first time in a decade. The winding drive through hills, valleys, and mountainous forests is on the screen while the background music begins to play, "Take Me Home Country Roads".
This is a John Denver best which also happens to be the West Virginia Tourism theme song.
Well, the song didn't just take the hero back home, but it took me back in time. I got so wrapped up in the John Denver-stimulated memories that I opened YouTube to prolong the mental time travels. The bedroom was put aside for the next two hours. And yes, I might very well prefer a nap to writing this.
Of course, the search revealed more than several options for listening to this artist. Somehow, I ended up watching a BBC recording of Mr. Denver performing at The London Apollo Theatre in 1982. This may have been the first time I watched a complete hour-and-a-half YouTube video.
A synopsis is offered with the intent to focus.
I was inundated with emotions as they took turns moving me through symbolic clouds, rain, snow, and sun, I felt the swelling of tears, the unexpected laughter, and the closed-eye sights and sounds of the past. I was acutely aware as these feelings strained for attention while combating the insistence of the others.
During the performance, there were several moments when it seemed as if my heart was beating with tempo and melody (expected) as well as the lyrics (surprised). I think this is part of the magic called John Denver, especially in those very particular years of his tenor.
Highlights.
I was aware that John Denver's music straddled a line of his very personal life experiences with a good dose of social activism. I had not remembered that spirituality was also a central core. Of course, there is that one time with George Burns in Oh, God!
A few examples:
- The idea of maintenance and prevention with his performance of "The Ambulance Down in the Valley."
- A presentation of The Lord's Prayer in American Indian Sign Language. (about 25 minutes into the London Apolo Video)
- In his own words, the Peace Poem, where John says,
". . . but there’s still time to turn around
and make all hatred cease
and give another name to living
and we could call it peace"
- The combination of those very words with "Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream" speaks to an "agreement of all the world to put an end to war."
- As if this isn't enough, further exploration brought me to another video. "It's About Time" had been written years later on a flight to Delhi, India,
"There's a man who is my brother, I just don't know his name.
But I know his home and family because I know we feel the same.
And it hurts me when he's hungry and when his children cry.
I too am a father, and that little one is mine.
It's about time we begin it, to turn the world around.
It's about time we start to make it, the dream we've always known.
It's about time we start to live it, the family of man.
It's about time, it's about changes and it's about time.
It's about peace and it's about plenty and it's about time,
It's about you and me together and it's about time."
- I was gifted a small booklet, Daily Reflections for Advent & Christmas; Waiting in Joyful Hope 2023-2024. (Thank you!) The readings begin today.
- I have downloaded a couple of other resources as well.
- This year, I might even use an Advent wreath.
- Prevent harm by building a fence rather than providing an ambulance to pick up the hurting.
- Turn things around and call it peace.
- Open our hearts knowing that we feel the same things that our nameless brothers and sisters feel.
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