I am thirty years old and expecting our fourth child in less than 2 months. Rob and I purchased our first home at 10,000 Nantucket Circle in Anchorage two years ago but we do not plan to be here much longer. Opportunities are presenting themselves closer to family and the warm land we crave. To my surprise, it will be a typical departure, happy to go, however, sad to leave.
It is a surprise because at first, I was angry with Alaska, couldn’t wait to leave. But, one year into our stay, Angela was born and changed everything. After her birth, I fell in love with Alaska’s bold majesty. Could this be the same country I found intolerable? Was this the same landscape that made me feel so isolated? My greatest gift from Angela, the truth of life and death, altered my perspective and gave me new eyes.
The Great Land continues to intimidate me, but now my eyes see comfort in its nature and I not only respect its strength but stand in awe of its absolute beauty. I am in love.
The Summer landscape offers consoling delight. Bright green leaves grow abundantly along common town roads. Pines, Birch, Aspen and undergrowth cover the mountains with life below the tree line, and above, small patches of life, only inches high, grow on. Glaciers patiently smooth the land beneath them as they extend towards the sea. Salmon return, every year, following something within that calls them home. Families take pleasure in the traditional dip netting trips where those old enough stand side by side in the water, pulling in their filled nets, while those too young, play on the beach.
In Fall, delicious berries ripen and both man and beast enjoy the harvest; the mountains change from green to yellow, and above tree line the ground cover changes the upper climes to a soothing mix of reds and rusty orange.
To my greatest surprise, I no longer despise the Alaska winter but marvel, instead, at its startling beauty. We haven’t climbed above zero degrees in weeks. The long past snow storms left piles of white and weighed heavy on tree limbs. Even the smallest branches were long frosted over by a beautiful, thick white icing. My first set of eyes would despise the apparent death of it all but, my new eyes see differently. This is a true Winter Wonderland. Despite the Arctic cold, plants and trees in Alaska endure and they return each spring in vivid splendor. Despite its harshness, or perhaps because of such severity, Alaska is alive, and so am I.
My former self would be upset to know that Alaska holds such an influence upon me but I am thankful. Alaska’s vigor strengthens my own I stand more willing to bear with patience the winters ahead. In spite of Death and Darkness, Life and Light go on and so do I.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
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