Monday, May 16, 2011

Dorothea and John Denver

Last week Mike and I were in Colorado Springs.  As I mentioned earlier, he was attending a church conference and I was pretty much just coming along for the ride.  I wasn't a part of the meetings so I spent some time waiting around in the lobby.  I realize some may think that was miserable for me but those would be people who don't know two things about me... 1) I love to people-watch.  2) I love to crochet and I can do that just about anywhere. So, watching people AND crocheting at the same time makes for a lovely event as far as I am concerned.  A hotel lobby isn't quite as good as an airport, but it is pretty close to being as much fun for me.

It was our last evening there, and I was again in the lobby crocheting, when I met a lady named Dorothea.  She was a bit older than me and was not with the church group.  She came out of the hotel bar with her wine and sat near me.  We started visiting and I learned some things about her.  She was on some sort of wildlife board and they would be meeting at the hotel the next day.  She'd driven down from the mountains early and was just spending the evening relaxing.  I liked her right away.

Dorothea mentioned a display she'd seen, associated with our conference, that said something about feeding the children.  She made a comment, "It's like John Denver used to say, it's not that there isn't enough food but it isn't distributed fairly."  Well, that caught my attention.  You see, I am, by association, a John Denver fan.

Before I even dated Mike I knew he loved John Denver music. 




The guys in our class in high school teased him about it as many of them were more fond of the rock bands of the 70's.  Mike, however, is very musical himself and John Denver had been a big inspiration to him as a teen.  I think Mike can sing and play any John Denver song, and he does it quite well. 



Mike writes songs himself, a lot of songs, and some are kind of in the same category of style I guess.  Actually, Mike's appeal to me even more, but it is possible that I may be prejudiced.  Even so, I think most people would agree they are very, very good.

Do you remember Annie's Song?  Isn't it one of the most beautiful love songs of all time?  Well, my middle name is Ann and on our second date Mike played a diddly he'd thrown together called, Sue Annie's Song.  Neither of us really remember that song now but I do remember the idea of it and it was sweetly silly.  I was charmed!  That was the first of many songs Mike wrote for me.  I will tell you more about Mike's music another day.

Mike and I were able to attend 4 different John Denver Concert's over the years.  It was a lot of fun and he really was a great entertainer.  By the 4th one I kind of hoped he'd notice us and invite us into his hotel or bus or whatever to visit with us.  It is my belief that John needed some help with his theology and I think Mike could've helped him a bit.  After that, they could've got out their guitars and sung together.  Now THAT would've been a great blog!

One Christmas I was pretty proud of myself when I found an autographed John Denver photo on E-Bay.  Of course, I couldn't tell you if that was actually his autograph, but Mike accepted the gift graciously.



Anyway, back to Dorothea...  She wasn't just quoting John Denver from some PBS talk, she'd known him personally as she'd lived in Aspen for 25 years.  She spoke of what a great human he was.  She was on the school board and sometimes he'd come to speak to the kids, elementary as well as high school, about world hunger.  She told me he made her promise to keep a scheduled talk a secret.  He just wanted to speak with the children without parents (and publicity) showing up.  She really thought  a lot of him.  It was nice to hear that side of his story. 

I was so happy when Mike came out into the lobby so he could also meet Dorothea.  I didn't want to make too big of a deal about it because I didn't want her to think we were weirdos, even though maybe we are.  I even dreamed once that I invited John Denver and Annie over for supper, so I guess that officially qualifies me as a weirdo.  We are aware John Denver had some things in his past we didn't really want to know, but for that night, we only got to hear good things about him.  It was lovely.  I am glad to have met Dorothea.

Are there celebrities, dead or alive, that you wish you could meet?  What would you want to talk about?

9 comments:

Theresa said...

I was in elementary school in the 70s when John Denver was popular (before his untimely death) and I always thought he was so cool. He seemed so 70s, right along with all of the other back to nature stuff that I was so fortunate to have grown up with. I actually did not realize what a humanist he was. Makes him even cooler!

Theresa said...

ooops, sorry, i guess humanitarian is the right word there. sorry.

Emily said...

My parents were big John Denver fans too! I grew up listening to his songs. "Follow Me" is one of my favorites.

Lisa said...

I lived in Corn, Oklahoma during the 80's and met quite a few of John Denver's cousins and his grandmother. If he ever came to town while I was living there I didn't know about it. I never met him, but I know what the theology of his family was. I'm sure that he heard proper doctrine a time or two. I hope he accepted it.

AKM said...

I LOVE John Denver! Always did. My mom and I still get sad every October on the anniversary of his death. I've always said that I want "Annie's Song" played at my wedding. Tons of 70s brides played it, and I really think it needs a resurgence at modern weddings. :-) I love so many others, too..."Looking For Space," "Poems, Prayers, and Promises," "Wild Montana Skies"...and let's not forget his work with the Muppets! Far-out!

Unknown said...

Oh, my how this brings back memories!! My mom and I loved John Denver, and she especially loved "Annie's song" -- in fact, I think I have her sheet music for that song for the piano! A few that come to mind, are of course, his more popular, "Take me Home, Country Roads,", "Thank God I'm a County Boy," etc. I don't know about his theology, and as far as his past, don't we all have something in our past we would just as soon others not know about? I think it speaks highly of anyone that can overcome their past, and just as highly of anyone that can look "past" another's past -- think of your post a few days ago . . . WWJD? Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Sue!! Will have to hit up Pastor to sing me a few songs next time we're up! :)

aimee said...

I may not know about John Denver until I read your post. Shame on me. My hubby know about him and he thinks some of his songs are pretty cool. Thank you for stopping by and for leaving a sweet comment. Have a great week! By the way I saw your new crocheted products @Wyoming Rose. I love the yellow swirly scarf. So cute and stylish!

Onlythemanager said...

Thanks, Aimee. We are going to make more of those because they are just so fun!

Linda said...

Never heard about him before, but if I could have my pick of celebrities I think I would have liked to meet and get to know L. M. Montgomery. You feel like you get to know her through her books (I wrote my master's thesis on her Emily trilogy), but sadly, from looking at her diaries, she never had her happy ending.

Featured Post

My Life as a Travel Agent

On a recent morning I was at work and as one of my patients was waiting for his death, I thought again about an idea that keeps popping int...