About "Seeking Grace"

He was born in the summer of his 27th year
Comin' home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door

J and Shelley told me in February 2003 that they were thinking of creating an archive for Everwood stories, but were stumped for a title. I immediately flashed back to campfire songs and John Denver. "Rocky Mountain High" was one of the most popular evening songs. Considered the unofficial state song of Colorado, it seemed perfect for an Everwood archive. The song is the story of a young man that travels to Colorado and discovers a home he never knew. The specific lyric that spoke to us: "Seeking grace in every step he takes"

When he first came to the mountains his life was far away
On the road and hangin' by a song
But the string's already broken and he doesn't really care
It keeps changin' fast and it don't last for long

While the protagonist of the song is older, "Rocky Mountain High" has special significance to Everwood and the character of Ephram Brown. Everwood is told from the perspective of this sullen teenager dealing with the recent death of his mother. Ephram (and his little sister Delia) are taken/moved from the metropolis of New York City by his grieving father (Dr. Andy Brown) and deposited in the small hamlet of Everwood. While Delia and Andy seem to accustom themselves to the tranquility of small-time life, Ephram chafes against these boundaries.

He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below
He saw everything as far as you can see
And they say he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun
And he lost a friend but kept a memory

Although the focus of the show, "Seeking Grace" (the title and archive) does not just focus on the Browns. Be it absolution, understanding, memories or even just to get laid, the characters of Everwood are all seeking something. The stories found in this archive are just a few of the ways they might have found it.

Now he walks in quiet solitude the forests and the streams
Seeking grace in every step he takes
His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand
The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake

Andy Brown moved his family across the country to live in a place his wife once loved. He struggles to be the man his wife wanted him to be, the father his children need him to be, and the doctor he knows he could be. He strives to be the kind of man that sees the people behind the patients.

Delia is trying to deal with her mother's death and a new shift in her father's priorities. She's discovering how to express her gender in the midst of a town that doesn't react well to tomboys.

Edna has become less abrasive since the arrival of the Browns. She's letting down some of her walls and trying to ease tensions with her son's family.

Irv? Well Irv's just seeking a storyline.

Harold Abbott has become more and more human as the show progresses. His faith is becoming a more obvious part of his life. And his devotion to his wife and children is held up by Andy as a standard/goal to reach.

Amy is discovering that by focusing on pleasing others, she can lose herself. She is searching for the balance between being helpful and being honest about what she thinks and feels.

Bright is attempting to come to peace with his role in the "accident." He wants forgiveness, but recognizes that he doesn't deserve it, and may never get it.

Colin is seeking himself. The true representation behind the mythic persona the town of Everwood has created.

Ephram is lost and confused. He's bitter over his mother's death and father's betrayal. But he's beginning to realize that Everwood might be just the place for him. The town may never become home like New York was, but he's willing to give it a chance.

Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear
Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend
Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more
More people, more scars upon the land

"Seeking Grace" is the story of Everwood, the town and the ensemble show. Our setting is the mountains of Colorado, but the tale of a boy's growth into manhood could take place anywhere. Ephram Brown's just happens to occur in Everwood, Colorado.

The words of John Denver speak to them all:

And the Colorado Rocky Mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
I know he'd be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly
Rocky Mountain High

It's a Colorado Rocky Mountain High
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
Friends around the campfire and everybody's high
Rocky Mountain high (high Colorado) Rocky Mountain high (high Colorado)
Rocky Mountain high (high Colorado) Rocky Mountain high do de do

Essay contributed by Jenn, Spring 2003
"Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver