by John Denver

I wrote these words during one of the darkest times of my life. I believe them now more than ever. During the past several months, my wandering soul has taken me to some of the most varied places on Earth. This spring, I had the opportunity to be one of the first entertainers to appear in concert in Vietnam since the war. Everywhere I go, I see the need for love. So many places need healing, so many hearts broken. And yet, more than ever, I am inspired by the capacity of the human spirit to transcend grief and sorrow, to believe the world can in fact be a better place. The people of Vietnam, with the incredible warmth and friendliness I experienced from them, seem to exemplify that spirit.

It is hard to maintain that perspective amid the tragedies throughout the world.......and yet we must.

One of the ways to keep love alive is to stay in touch with the natural environment - the wild living places on Earth. Some of the places where love is most difficult to find are those places where the forests are gone, the birds no longer sing, the waters are poisoned and the skies are brown with the effects of human pollution. We must protect the remaining wild places, and restore others. Much of this good work is underway. I applaud and encourage those of you who are involved. All of these special wild places are part of Mother earth. This thought came to me with a feeling of tender appreciation this past May on Mother's Day. I was thinking about what motherhood means. Mothers' epitomize *always being there.* I happened to be in Hawaii at the time of these thoughts - in one of the most beautiful, nourishing places I know. Under natural waterfalls, I felt completely overwhelmed by a feeling of love from within. So then I wrote a song called "Mom's Place" - about that place I go to know that I am loved. Mother Earth is the place from which there comes a constant, unrelenting ability to nurture. She is the life force that sustains us all.

Windstar remains committed to caring for Mother Earth and the health of the human family. Be sure to spend time outside and get a sense of nature. Your heart will sing and your body will know the wisdom of the peace and love that comes from nature. And you will know that you are in "Mom's Place" and you are loved.