I love folk music. I love it for its musical simplicity and the great storytelling. One fabled musical storyteller with ties to Alaska was John Denver. Maybe you had the pleasure of seeing him in concert or on one of the many TV shows or movies he was a part of for almost 25 years from the 70’s through the 90’s. (Bonus question: Do you remember John Denver and The Muppets, a Christmas Special aired on ABC in December of 1979?)
He loved the Rugged Wilderness of Alaska
John Denver was a prolific writer and many of his songs revolved around the themes of family and his love of the country, especially big, rugged expanses of wilderness. He is known for his connection to Colorado; Rocky Mountain High was adopted as the state’s theme song. But it might surprise you to know that his favorite getaway was right here, at The Little Muchatna Lodge on Fishtrap Lake.
Alaska and Me
Denver valued solitude in nature and spent a lot of time recharging his creative batteries in the mountains. You may or may not remember his song, Alaska and Me. I copied the lyrics to the chorus below:
Here’s to Alaska here’s to the people
Here’s to the wild and here’s to the free
Here’s to my life in a chosen country
Here’s to Alaska and me
This chorus does a good job of summing up my own feelings about this great state. Like you, I have spent a lot of time right here at home this year while the world has been on lockdown.
I do enjoy getting away from time to time to see the sights other states have to offer, but I am always ready to come home. This community nurtures me and I am a part of it, as much as my clients are a part of my life. I am at home in Anchorage.
John Denver was at home in nature. He wasn’t in a hurry about anything. Like many other adults in their prime, his focus was on all the possibilities the future held, on reaching his goals, on completing the next project, on considering new opportunities.
Denver enjoyed life to the fullest. So, it was a shock to his family, friends, and multitude of fans when he died tragically at the age of 53, while piloting an experimental aircraft off the coast of California.
If life has taught us anything over these past few months, it’s this: Life is not fair. Expect the unexpected. Prepare for adversity. Very few of us have long stretches of blessed wide open spaces in our lives, months on end where every single thing goes our way and we are untouched by adversity.
On the contrary. Everyone has trials, stressors and challenges. They’re sprinkled right in the with the blessings and the bright spots. And sometimes, they obscure the bright spots.
I Am Here to Help – Alaska Estate Planning Attorney
I am here to take the sharp edges off adversity, to soften the impact of life-altering events. I am here to steer my clients through all the legal pitfalls and eddies we all face.
I can’t sing like John Denver, but I am just as passionate about what I do for my clients, as John Denver was about his music. We just work in different mediums. His was music. Mine is law.
Protecting Your Family From Adversity
I would love to help you protect your family from life’s adverse moments – be they unexpected or anticipated. If you would like my assistance, I would love to talk to you. Give me a call at (907) 334-9200 and let’s schedule a time to talk.
And just in case you’d like to hear the whole song, here’s the YouTube link to John Denver, singing Alaska and Me. Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW7dUnl3834
