Thanks For The Memories John....

Late night radio, early morning radio,anytime of the day radio.I guess this should just about sum up for you how far my appreciation of John Denver and his life changing music goes. Me? I'm a housewife now but 40 years ago around the late sixties I became a mum. "19 and a mum" , your thinking.Well so did I and even now at 59 it still never ceases to amaze me that I made it through. November 5th 1969, bonfire night, Firs maternity Hospital Nottingham. There was I, whilst most other sane teenagers were out enjoying the celebrated date, becoming a mum.At 11.30 my daughter Rebecca entered this world with about as much enthusiasm as a snail.This, I was (a few hours later)to find out was not all that motherhood had in store for me, and certainly not at the first slow pace she assumed.Rebecca was Jekyl and hide all rolled into one.One minute sleeping serenely and looking much to the world that butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, and in the blink of an eye she could have outdone the Devil himself, creating more noise and chaos than an avalanche.Oh well, you live and learn so they say. It was round about the end of November on one of those days when from the minute you open your eyes you know you're in for a day to remember.Rebecca woke up in her usual manner demanding the world and all who lived therein pay her all the attention she required at that moment in time.Reluctantly rising and reaching for the matchsticks that inevitably kept my eyes open then, we began another day.Now you'd think wouldn't you, that any baby having been fed, washed , changed and cooed at would be more than happy to oblige and let mum indulge in five precious minutes for herslf to drink what had then become the meal of the day,a cold cup of tea.Cold seemed to be the only way I could get things down me since the 5th but yes you've guessed it "not Rebecca"! The house shook with her screams and mine, to the point where all I wanted to do was deposit this awful package on the doorstep of the nearest Dr Bernado's home for orphaned children, and run.Amidst the noise I hadn't heard the knock on the door and was still trying desperately to bring some sort of silence back into my life when before my very weary eyes stood my knight in shining armour, known to everyone as "Our Jane".Now there was something quite magical about her , for everytime she spoke to rebecca the big round circle of darkness that engulfed her face dissapeared and the world fell silent once more."Just in time" I said, I was just about to make her the youngest astronaut ever."Got something for you"she said, "sit down and just listen". Not wishing to argue the point I did as I was told. From somewhere in the distance this soothing, calming wave of peace fell across what was becoming my daily battle ground."And you wonder where you're going where's the rhyme and where's the reason". Those few words grabbed hold of my attention and I was there without realizing it wondering where I was going, where was my rhyme and what was my reason, and as I listened , each word and line was asking for me all the questions that I had asked myself and some that I had not.John Denver had breezed into my world and in a few short moments had given meaning to my life.For the first time since Rebecca had been born, someone actualy knew how I was feeling, someone out there felt the same,Only where I couldn't find the words to let it all out , he did it for me. From that moment on John Denver and his music had become my vital link to sanity and a very important part of my life.1

I had always been a country girl at heart, I loved being outside no matter what the weather, It gave me a sense of freedom, a space for me to be. So much so that whenever the opportunities arose you'd find us in the garden, on the park, or walking across the fields of our neighbouring farmers land.I wonder if Richard Taylor could ever imagine just how much our strolls across his land have mean't to us over the years, or indeed the amount of laughter that we ourselves have left embedded in every muddy footstep or every slippery bank, and in times of sadness when every tear was dried on a summer breeze and memories left hanging on a frosty Autumn morn.I'm sure he doesn't , but I thank God for those special times, for our lives would have been very bleak without them...By the time I was 23 year old I had three children, Rebecca who'm you know a little about, then came Richard, and finaly Sarah, the three of them making up the most dynamic trio I fear the good Lord had ever set eyes on.I can't say that life was easy, but it was certainly never boring.No time to have idle hands or minds for that matter, we attacked everyday with gusto.Each day began with John singing us through breakfast amidst the squabbling chaos that children seem to create without any visible effort on their part at all, then blessed be the hands of time,8.30 and off we set to school. Arriving back home at around 9.30 I'd open the door and the deafening silence hit me so hard that I just had to sit down and have a much needed cup of tea.Tea and John were the order of most days good or bad and It's amazing how much work you can get through listening to Grandma's feather bed or thank God I'm a country boy. Even the rainy days didn't seem so drab anymore, I began to feel so much more possitive about what could very easily have become negative. Rain bucketing down, you know th expression "Not stopping to rain". I'd just look out of the window and take in the garden and how much all that water would be appreciated by so many living things, and after the rain the sun would surly be waiting round the next corner.Optimism that's what he creates, optimism and hope, things that so many of us seem to lose along the way. Well I'd found mine again and I wasn't about to close the door on my new found salvation. No Librium for me folks, just a great big helping of J.D.
Now horses have been a passion in my life for as long as I can clearly remember.Buying the first horses at the grand age of 18years and having to part with him a year later because of my lack of intelligence on the procreative side of life namely Rebecca, but never the less if horses are in your blood they are there for good.As the children grew older and the painful years of nappies and pushchairs and the carrying of a suitcase everywhere with you, just in case, dissapeared, life became much brighter in the mornings, and so much more satisfying at the end of the day.The kids were growing up and in doing so we grew into a family that was not just me and them, but a family of great friends. All individuals, all with our own ideals and beliefs and some more than others were very determined to do things their own way or bust, "ain't that so Sarah".Life was definately far from a bed of roses, but with the kids at school i was able to take on some form of work to bring in a little more money to help us through.So, I cleaned privately during the hours of nine till three never allowing them to become latch key children,a thing that went well and truly against the grain of my beliefs. I had saved hard and had my own pony at this time, a 14h2h Palamino gelding named Sunny who at his most quiet time had a tendancy to be a complete and utter nutcase. Rebecca by this stage in my life was nine years old and was riding sufficiently well enough to warrant having her own pony.So as mums do I put Sunny up for sale and started the search for a pony for her. Tandy arrived about a month later, a very attractive little 12h2h bay New Forest cross but disaster always managed to find it's way into our lives from time to time and exactly two months of Tandy being with us Seamus (a friends pony) ran him through a barbed wire fence and severly damaged his exstensor tendon, with vet bills coming out of my ears we decided to call it a day and so with Tandy retired we began the hunt for a replacement pony. Entered our lives...Charlie.. one of the most eye catching of all the ponies we were to own. Charlie was very clever and intelligent and without a doubt had got several T-shirts for getting one up on anyone who fell for his sweet appearance.Rebecca had decided to start doing the shows and therefor would need a show name for him "Poems Prayer and Promises" suited him and with that began a whole new era to our lives....
Pony after pony as Rebecca outgrew them was inevitably named from Johns record titles. Sarah by this time was also becoming a very proficient rider and competing succesfully sometimes even against her sister, which as you can imagine borught many conflicts of interest around the dinner table, usually resulting in a battle of somekind. Oh well a little healthy competition never hurt anyone, (that's what I told myself anyway).you are probably wondering how richard fitted in to all of this equine stuff. Richard himself was quite a capable rider but never had the desire to wear the johdphurs, in fact his words were , when asked to wear them, qiute unrepeatable. No snooker was his forte and very good he was too and still is to this day, being a part of the Jersey team to beat the world champion, but that's another story for another time.
Life for us was good through these growing years and in a lot of ways we grew together, learning from each other and those around us that shared our daily lives.In case you're beginning to wonder if I did this all alone (I mean without a partner)well yes I did. (nother story) Summer after Summer rolled by and with each season i became more determined than ever to make my childrens lives something they could look back on and remember with a smile and some things that they could take with them on lifes journey. Money was never a commodity for us, we either had it or we didn't, but somehow someway I always managed to put a meal on the table, shoes on their feet and decent clothes on their back.. Our house wasn't wealthy and full of fine things, but it was comfy and welcoming and we could always find a little extra when friends dropped in unexpectadly, or when any of the children brought any number of friends home, even the odd stray dog , cat and teenager or two that was in need of somwhere to lay their hat .We could always find something to talk about and always always JD would be in on it somewhere singing away in the background, so much so that until recently I hadn't realized just how much an impact John Denvers music had actually had on my family until one day I noticed Sarah singing away to the music in my car.(yes you've guessed, JD).As she spoke she smiled and said"You know mum, I remembered the words from all those years ago and they're still there rolling around inside my head". "Did you brainwash us all".My answer to that was "yes", and many more besides". On reflection I must have driven them all crazy.( poor things)So it just goes to show that all we do throughout our lives has an effect on someone, somwhere, sometime. It certainly made me think long and hard on my past actions, and think very carefully about future actions too.John Denver was already thinking and acting along these lines long before I ever got to really know what his rhyme was or what his reasons were.
Time waits for no-one and the years have passed by so quickly that things that happened years ago seem like only yesterday. We had many good rewarding years and I feel sure that throughout them all, good and not so good, I grew and became a far better person because of them.2

There are many songs of Johns that I deeply appreciate, in fact there isn't one that doesn't relate to some part of my life or another. I think of "Who's Garden was this" and my mind surges forward to a time when perhaps my great great grandchildren might be asking the same questions, and how inevitably this wonderful planet is being destoyed by thoughtlesness and greed, and that the legacy we have left them will be nothing but pictures in a book and very distant memories recalled by Grandma's and grandad's along the way.You know, a bit like the Aboriginal stories that still to this day are passed down from generation to generation. As I look out of my window now I see the most wondrous reds and golds of Autumns warming colours being tossed on a winter breeze, the garden's once more preparing to rest for its winter hibernation, to be born again the following spring.Should we not cherrish everything around us, it's now that it's going to count. Isn't it up to us to make sure that "Who's garden was this" never becomes a reality and that way the children of tomorrow, "Yours and mine" will be able to share and understand and appreciate this magical planet for a long time to come."See with your eyes, but look with your heart" because it's in all of us to be wise now and not after its destruction.If only we take the time to look before we leap, think of the possibilities and all that we can achieve if we only unite and stand together to fight for a better world for everyone. JD learned early in life that alone things are impossible but together we can change so much. I think so too and we can all do a little something everyday to keep his dream alive for each and every one of us. "Let's do it" "what have we got to lose, nothing, and everything to gain.!!!!!!!!!